National Government

Federalism

• State and National Government share power

• 3 Levels of Government• National • State • Local

State vs. National Government

National Government

• 3 branches of government– Legislative: makes laws– Executive: enforce laws– Judicial: interprets laws– (Congress: Legislative)– (President: Executive)– (Supreme Court: Judicial)

Congress

Quick Question:

• Which Article of the Constitution deals with the Congress (Legislative Branch)?

How Congress is Organized

Bicameral Legislature2 houses

• House of Representatives

• Senate

House of Representatives

• 435 representatives• 2 year terms• Organized by state– Each state by population

(more people more representatives)

• Census: every 10 years, we take a population count

House of Representatives:Census

• Each state divided into Congressional Districts

• Each District must have about the same number of constituents

• Constituents: people represented

Gerrymandering

• Oddly shaped district designed to increase voting strength of a particular political party

Senate

• 100 members• 2 per state• Six year terms

Whoever is in charge

• Majority Party- The political party with the most members in Congress

• Minority Party- the party with less members in Congress

House of Representatives

Senate

House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House:– Leader of the House of

Reps. – Most experienced

member of Majority Party

• Paul Ryan: – Republican– Speaker of the House

Senate

• Vice President:– President of the Senate– Votes in case of a tie

• President Pro tempore:– Chairperson– Not really a leader

• Orrin Hatch – Republican– President Pro Tempore

Committees: Little Legislatures

Standing Committees

• Permanent Committees– House of

Representatives: 19 committees

– Senate: 16 committees

Select Committees

• Set up for a special reason and limited time

• 9/11 commission: set up to find out who was responsible for 9/11 attacks

Joint Committees

• Has members of both House and Senate– Economic– Printing – Taxation– Library

Conference Committees

This type of committee is also temporary

-members of both the House and the Senate agree on details of a proposed law

Powers of Congress

Powers in Constitution

• Article I, Section 8: lists specific powers Congress has expressed powers given in Constitution

• Expressed Powers- specific powers given by Constitution

• Implied Powers- powers not expressly given in the Constitution– Elastic Clause: allows Congress “stretch” its

powers when necessary

Powers of Congress

Legislative Powers• 1. Taxing and Spending• 2. Regulating Commerce• 3. Foreign Relations and

Treaties

Non-Legislative Powers• 1. Adding Amendments• 2. Power of Approval and

Removal• 3. Oversight and

Investigation

Legislative Powers

Legislative Powers of Congress:

• 1. Taxing and Spending• 2. Regulating Commerce• 3. Foreign Relations and Treaties

1. Taxing and Spending

• All taxes start in House of Representatives– 2 steps:

• Authorization Bills: create projects to spend money on

• Appropriations Bills: provide the money for each program

2. Regulating Commerce

• Article I, Section 8, Clause 3- gives Congress power to regulate commerce

• Commerce: trade• Air traffic, railroads,

trucking, radio, TV, air pollution, stock market

3. Foreign Relations and Treaties

• Declaring War• Senate Approves

treaties by President

Non Legislative Powers

1. Adding Amendments

• Power to change Constitution

• 2/3 vote in both Houses

2. Approval and Removal

• Power to approve or reject people the President proposes

• Also has power to remove any official from office

• Impeach: to accuse a public official of misconduct

3. Oversight and Investigation

• Power to watch what the other branches are doing

Limits on Power

Writ of Habeas Corpus

• Cannot suspend Habeas Corpus

• Latin for “produce the body”

• Prisoners are in court when they are accused

Bills of Attainder

• Not allowed• Laws that punish a

person• “Mr. Temeyer is guilty”– (That’s the law)

Ex Post Facto Laws

• Not allowed• Laws that make an act a

crime after the act has been committed

People of Congress

Requirements of Congress

• Senate: – 30 years old– Live in state– US citizen for 9 years

• House of Representatives:– 25 years old– Live in state– US citizen for 7 years

Congress Pay

• $158,100• Franking Privilege: legal protection in certain

situations

Personal Staff

• Helpers of all Congress members

• Secretaries, Researchers, etc.

Lobbyists

• Lobbyists: people hired by private groups to influence government

Casework

• People requesting help from the government

• (Congress gets 80,000 emails a day)

How a Bill Becomes a law

Types of Bills:

• Private Bills: concern individual people or places

• Public Bill: applies to entire nation like taxation, Civil Rights, and terrorism

• Joint Resolutions: bills made by both Houses of Congress

Bills

• Step 1, Bill: idea in Congress not voted on yet

• Floor Debate: Congress discusses law

• President: sign the bill, or veto it

• Veto: refuse to sign the bill

• Congress can override a veto with 2/3 vote in each house