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
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