The Legislative Branch The Senate and House of Representatives
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE CHAPTER 5, SECTION 1 PART 2.
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Transcript of HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE CHAPTER 5, SECTION 1 PART 2.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE
CHAPTER 5, SECTION 1PART 2
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
• Why are the House and the Senate different when they both are houses within the Legislative Body?
I CAN:
1. Explain how both Houses of Congress are similar and different
2. Analyze the House and Senate based on their major facts and information
3. Understand the idea of gerrymandering and how it affects Congressional elections
4. Evaluate the leadership structure in both the House and the Senate
VIDEOS ON SENATE AND HOUSE
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-YKvx3vH7c&feature=related• Cram for the Exam
BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS• Made by Connecticut
Compromise• Every two years 1/3 of
Senators and all house members are up for election• Print rules every two
years• Republicans sit on right;
Democrats sit on left• All proposed laws start
as bills
BOTH HOUSES CONT.• 27th Amendment- pay
increase would not take effect until next voting cycle
• Franking privilege- Congressional members can send mail for free
• May get up to $150,000 a year when they retire
• Cannot be arrested while they are attending Congress or going to Congress
• Cannot be sued for anything they say on the house or senate floor
DISCIPLINE IN CONGRESS
• Censure- vote of disapproval, majority of each house, lose of committee chair• Expulsion- removal
from office, 2/3 votes from corresponding house
DISCIPLINE IN CONGRESS
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFQ7T8iiNEo• Congressman dismissed for wearing hoodie
CENSURE IN CONGRESS
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMnKltzA44Q&feature=fvsr• Today in History: McCarthy Censure• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaI2rd-c_1M• McCarthy on his Censure• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqQD4dzVkwk• Have you decency sir
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1goLynHyFaY• Facts of Congress
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
• 435 members based on state population• 2 year terms• No term limits• Elections held in
November of even numbered years• Off-Year elections-
occurring during nonpresidential years
HOUSE CONT.
• Salary of Members: $174,000• Debate in house is
limited to 1 hour• All tax and revenue
bills originate in the House• Lower turnout during
elections• 90% reelected
QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS
1. 25 years old2. Citizen of the
US for 7 years3. Legal
residents of the state that elects them
QUALIFICATIONS OF HOUSE
• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/What-Are-the-Requirements-to-be-a-Representative-.htm
OATH OF OFFICE FOR MEMBERS
• I, (Name of Member), do solemnly swear (of affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
OATH OF OFFICE VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8cGgELJzBw
REPRESENTATION AND REAPPORTIONMENT
• Reapportionment Act of 1929- sets House at 435 total seats for 50 states
• Reapportionment- reassigning representation based on new number of population for each state
• Based on census- population count every 10 years• Each state can gain/loss seats based on population
but cannot go above 435 seats• State legislatures sets up congressional districts for
each representative and draws boundary lines• Redistricting- setting up/drawing new district lines
after reapportionment has taken place
WESBERRY VS. SANDERS 1964
• “One person, One vote” rule, each vote in a congressional district should be worth about the same• Today each district has around 710,000 people
REDISTRICTING VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r7qJvprHXw
2010 CENSUS AND HOUSE DISTRICTS
2010 KENTUCKY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
GERRYMANDERING
• Process of drawing district lines to gain an advantage for one group or another; abuse of state redistricting power• Elbridge Gerry-
Governor of Massachusetts• District shapes usually
very irregular
4 TYPES OF GERRYMANDERING
1. Incumbent- agreement by both major parties to create safe districts for incumbents in office
2. Partisan- Benefits one political party over the other (usually whom every is in office during redistricting phase)
3. Racial-district lines drawn to either favor or harm ethnic/racial groups
GERRYMANDERING VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mky11UJb9AY&feature=endscreen&NR=1• Animal Kingdom video
POTENTIAL GERRYMANDERING
GERRYMANDERING CONT.
• Packing- drawing lines so they include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible• Cracking- dividing an opponent’s voters into
other districts, weakens opponents voter base
REDISTRICTING VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh4qAJDUOcc• Gerrymandering, Packing, and Cracking
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnQTE1zhXgU&feature=related• Gerrymandering and Redistricting for women
RULES AND COMMITTEES
• Aimed at defining that actions an individual representative can take
• Rules are geared to move legislation quickly once it reaches the floor
• Committees do most of the work (especially in House)
• Membership is larger, organize into smaller groups to accomplish work more efficiently.
LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE: 6 PURPOSES
1. Organizing and unifying party members2. Scheduling the work of the House3. Making certain that lawmakers are
present for key floor votes4. Distributing and collecting information5. Keeping the house in touch with the
President6. Influencing lawmakers to support the
polices of their political party
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
• Presiding officer and most powerful leader• Chosen by caucus
from majority party• Follows Vice-
President in line of succession• Salary- 223,500• John Boehner (R-
OH)
ROLES OF THE SPEAKER• Chooses chairperson
and majority party members to Rules Committee and other committees• First to speak on
legislation and recognizes members to speak on legislation• Schedules bills for
action and refers bills to proper committees
HOUSE FLOOR LEADERS
• Majority/Minority Leaders- a party, not House official, who carry out party agendas, plan legislative programs, and steer important bills through Congress
HOUSE FLOOR LEADERS
• Majority/Minority Whip- Assistant floor leaders whose goal is to watch how party members intend to vote, encourage them to vote with the party, and see party members are present to vote
LEADERSHIP VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgB6-pVzOp4&feature=relmfu• Facts of Congress: Congressional Leaders
VIDEO TOUR OF HOUSE
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gADaGOSYeA&feature=relmfu
LAWMAKING PROCESS• To introduce a bill, it must
be placed in the Hopper, a mahogany box near the front of the room
• Only 10 to 20 percent of bills introduced ever make it to the full house for a vote
• Those that survive committees are put on a Calendar, listing the bills up for consideration
THE HOPPER
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_hOx8E2uo
5 CALENDARS OF THE HOUSE
1. Union- lists bills dealing with money2. House- Most other public bills3. Private- bills dealing with individual
people or places4. Consent- any bill the House gives
unanimous consent to debate out of regular order
5. Discharge- petition to discharge a bill from committee
HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE
• Provides “rule”, or special order, for each bill• When will bill be
debated, how long debate can last, and can the bill be amended• Resolves disputes
between two committees• Controlled by majority
party and so reflects their priorities
HOUSE QUORUM• Minimum number of
members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action• 218 members are
needed for a majority• Committee of the Whole
will sometimes meet and only 100 members are needed to move a bill to the whole house floor
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VIDEO
• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/United-States-House-of-Representatives.htm
WHY WE HAVE A SENATE
• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/About-the-U-S--Senate.htm
• Facts of Congress Senate• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj4aMGlf6bA
SENATE
• 100 Senators• 6 year terms• No term limits• Run at-large elections, meaning they are statewide and cover a larger constituent base
SENATE CONT.
• Continuous body- portion of members retain their seats during elections• Fewer rules than in
House• More informal
atmosphere• Usually allows
unlimited debate
SENATE BILLS SCHEDULED
• Senate Leaders control the flow of bills to committees, floor debates and vote• Runs day to day
operations on unanimous consent-set aside rules and consider bill from calendar.
TWO SENATE CALENDARS
1. General Orders- lists all bills the Senate will consider
2. Executive Calendar- schedules treaties and nominations
BILLS CONT.• Filibuster- stall or
block legislation and prevent a vote from occurring• Can only be stopped
by invoking cloture- cuts debate to 1 hour on a bill and then have a vote• Takes 3/5 (60) votes
to enact cloture
FILIBUSTER VIDEOS
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQIG-kfT9bI• Facts of Congress• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVc2kMXF_8c• George Mitchell on Filibuster• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a94cm4Fv_34• History of the Filibuster
SENATE LEADERSHIP: VICE PRESIDENT
• President of the Senate• Votes in case of a
tie• May recognize
members, put questions to a vote, but may not take part in Senate debate
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
• Means “for the time being”• Presides in absence
of the Vice President • Elected by the
Senate and usually senior member of the majority party• 4th in line of
succession
SENATE MAJORITY/MINORITY LEADERS
• Most important officers in the Senate• Sets agenda for
Senate• Oversees and
manages floor debates• Steer the party’s
bills through the Senate
WHY WE HAVE A HOUSE AND SENATE
• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/Why-We-Have-a-House-and-a-Senate.htm
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFRqkw5KoI&feature=related• Legislative Powers and Principles• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=DqRxNnjUEtM&feature=related• Congressional Pork and Earmarks