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BELL WORK

BELL WORK. How many electoral college votes does a nominee need to win the presidential election? Which two groups make up congress? How many members are in congress? Which interest group would most likely oppose eliminating the social security system? A. National Rifl e Association (NRA)

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BELL WORK

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  1. BELL WORK • How many electoral college votes does a nominee need to win the presidential election? • Which two groups make up congress? • How many members are in congress? • Which interest group would most likely oppose eliminating the social • security system? • A. National Rifl e Association (NRA) • B. American Federation of Labor (AFL) • C. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) • D. American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) • Which executive action best demonstrates a check on legislative branch • power? • A. The Senate rejects a Supreme Court nominee. • B. The Supreme Court overturns a presidential pardon. • C. The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress. • D. The Speaker of the House consults with the vice president.

  2. Chapter 5 The Organization of Congress

  3. I. Congressional Membership • Bicameral Legislature • Two house • A. Congressional Sessions • Each term starts on January 3rd on odd-numbered years • A session is one year with break holidays and vacations

  4. B. Membership of the House • 435 members • Apportioned to population • 1. Qualifications • At least 25-year-old citizen • Live in the U.S. for 7 years • Live in the state that they are elected from • 2. Term of Office • Two year terms w/ no term limits • 90% of Representatives are reelected

  5. B. Membership of the House cont. • 3. Representation and Reapportionment • Census held every ten years • Determines the new number of Representatives from each state • Reapportionment • States can gain or lose members • The original House had 64 members • It grew to 435 until 1929, when Congress divided the number among the states

  6. B. Membership of the House cont. • 4. Congressional Redistricting • States set districts after the census • One district per representative • 5. Gerrymandering • Attempts to redraw districts to gain political advantages • Term is traced to Elbridge Gerry, governor of Mass. • Court cases have overturned district created by state legislatures

  7. C. Membership of the Senate • Each state gets two members • 100 Senators today • 1. Qualifications • At least 30-year-old citizen • Resident of the U.S. for 9 years • Legal resident of their state • 2. Term of Office • Six year terms • Only 1/3 of Senators are up for reelection every two years

  8. C. Membership of the Senate cont. • 3. Salary and Benefits • 1789: Both houses got paid $6 per day • 27th Amendment makes congressional raises apply to the next session • $174,000 in 2009 • Also get use of stationery, postage for business, a medical clinic, and a gymnasium • Allowances for their staff and for travel • Average 140 days at work per year • $1257 per day, $157 per hour • $150,000 pension per year for life after retirement

  9. C. Membership of the Senate cont. • 4. Privileges of Members • Free from arrest, “in all cases except treason, felony, and breach of peace.” • Cannot be sued for what they say in session • Both houses can refuse to seat an elected member • Exclusion • Can punish its own members or expel them with a 2/3 vote • Censure: formal disapproval of a member’s actions

  10. D. The Members of Congress • 535 voting members • Also 4 delegates in the house • From D.C., Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands • 1 resident commissioner from Puerto Rico • They cannot vote, but can attend, introduce bills, speak, and vote in committees • 1. Characteristics • About ½ of Congress are lawyers • Most are middle-aged white men • Average age is over 50

  11. II. The House of Representatives • A. Rules for Lawmaking • 1. Complex Rules • Print their rules, based on precedents, every two years • Ex. Representatives can speak for five minutes or less in debate • House leaders have more power than those in the Senate • 2. Committee Work • They do most of the work in Congress • Organized in smaller groups to help it run efficiently • Members join committees on issues that are important to their constituents

  12. A. Rules cont. • 3. Importance of Party Affiliation • Republicans sit on the right side in both houses • The majority party elects leaders to control the flow of bills and to appoint committee chairs • Majority party is the one with the most members in the house

  13. B. House Leadership • Six purposes • Organize and unify party members • Scheduling for the House • Making sure certain members are present to vote • Distribute and collect information • Keep the House in touch with the President • Influence lawmakers to support the policies of their party

  14. B. House Leadership cont. • 1. Speaker of the House • Presiding officer • Most powerful leader • A caucus of the majority party picks the person • The entire House approves • Controls the proceedings of the House • Follows the VP in the line of succession of the President • 2. House Floor Leaders • Majority leader is the Speaker’s top assistant • Assistants on the floor are called whips • Persuade party members • There’s also minority leaders too

  15. C. Lawmaking in the House • The House floor seems chaotic • Many are gone at committee meetings • They arrive quickly when there’s a vote • 1. How House Bills are Scheduled • All laws start as bills • Bills are introduced, the Speaker sends it to the appropriate committees for study, discussion, and review • If the bill survives the committees, it’s put on the calendars to be considered • Only 10-20% of bills make it to be voted on

  16. C. Lawmaking in the House • 2. The House Rules Committee • Traffic officer that controls the flow of bills • The most powerful committee • 3. Function of the Rules Committee • Can move bills ahead of others to be considered • It can also hold bills back or stop them • Settles disputes among other committees • Quorum: the minimum number of members required to take official action • 218 members

  17. III. The Senate • A. The Senate at Work • Much smaller chamber with few people in attendance • 1. Informal Atmosphere • Rules are more flexible than the House • Unlimited debate is allowed • 2. Senate Leaders • Closely parallels the House, but there is no Speaker • 3. The Vice President • VP is the President of the Senate • Can recognize members or call for a vote • Can only vote if there’s a tie • many find it tedious and help with the executive branch more • President pro tempre fills in

  18. A. The Senate at Work cont. • 4. Majority and Minority Floor Leaders • Elected by the parties • Very similar duties as the House leaders • 5. How Senate Bills are Scheduled • Senate leaders control the flow of bills • No need for a Rules Committee • Two Calendars • Calendar of General Duties and the Executive Calendar

  19. A. The Senate at Work cont. • 6. The Filibuster • A means to stall the legislative process and prevent a vote • Strom Thurmond spoke against the Civil Rights Act in 1957 for 24 hours • A group could filibuster for weeks or months • 3/5 vote can get a cloture • Each Senator only gets one hour • Not used too often • 7. Politics • Each party sits on the same sides as the House

  20. IV. Congressional Committees • A. Purposes of Committees • Help ease the workload of each house • Lawmakers can be specialists in certain areas • They weed out many bills • Can hold public hearings to expose problems

  21. B. Kinds of Committees • 1. Standing Committees • Permanent groups • The majority party controls the leadership of these • Membership is a direct proportion of the make up of the house • 2. Subcommittees • Each specializes in a subcategory • Ex. Livestock subcommittee on the Agriculture committee

  22. B. Kinds of Committees cont. • 3. Select Committees • Temporary committees • Matters of public concern • Overlooked problems • Problems of interest groups • 4. Joint Committees • Both House and Senate members are on them • Ex. Joint Economic Committee • 5. Conference Committees • No bill can go to the president w/o both houses approving the exact same wording • This committee work out differences to get bills passed

  23. C. Choosing Committee Members • Committees can help one’s career immensely • Helps with reelection • Gives the lawmaker more influence • Some are very important ones • Rules Committee, Foreign Relations, or Finance • 1. Assignment to Committees • Parties pick the people • Can only serve on a certain number • 2. The Committee Chairperson’s Role • These are the most powerful members of Congress • 3. The Seniority System • Longest uninterrupted service on a committee usually lands the chair position • Now there are secret ballots to pick

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