The Legislative Branch
Chapter 6
As you read, remember that the following words can be used to mean the same thing –
Legislative branch (legislature), Congress, Senate and House of Representatives
SECTION 1
“A Bicameral Legislature” page 177
According to the text, what is the main idea of this section?
Review – remember the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia and New Jersey Plans and the compromise between the two plans?
It created a Congress with ______parts; this is known as a ______body.
According to the text, the Framers of the Constitution wanted the ______to be the most powerful of the three branches of government
What clues do we have that they may be true?
The House of Representatives (House)
# of elected members ______(in 1911 the Congress said this number would stay at this number)
The number of representatives each states has is based on ______
Every state is guaranteed ______representative(s)
What is the census? What is the relationship between the census and the House?
How long is the term of a member of the House? ______
States are divided into congressional districts, the number of districts is equal to the number of
representatives a state has. Each congressional district elects _____ member(s). The size of districts
should be ______with the same number of ______in each district.
Use the map on page 179 to answer the following questions
How many states have the minimum of 1 representative? ______
How many states lost representatives (seats) in 2000? ______
How many states gained representatives (seats) in 2000? ______
What do the two (gains and losses) have in common?
List the five states with the highest number of representatives-
How many representatives does Minnesota have?
The Senate
# of elected members ______Why is it this number?
The number of senators from each state is ____ (REVIEW This idea came from the New Jersey Plan)
EXPLAIN, in your own words what the following statement means
How a senator represents is different from how a member of the House represents.
How long is the term of a Senator? ______
At the end of two years ALL members of the House of Representatives are up for re election
(Wow that means that it is possible that every two years, the United States could have a brand new House!)
Explain HOW and WHY this process of elections is different in the Senate.
What is the majority party?
What is the minority party?
Who chooses the leaders of the majority and minority parties?
Do you know which political party is currently the
(if you do not know this…. I will tell you when we discuss this as a class)
Senate majority party ______minority party ______
House majority party ______minority party ______
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the______of the House
and the ______of the majority party.
List an describe at least three of the powers and responsibilities of the Speaker
(I will get you started with part of #1)
1. Steer legislation (ideas for laws) through the House and
2.
3.
The Senate does not have a Speaker. Instead there are two leaders.
List and describe the Senate leaders and their responsibilities
1.
2.
“Committee Work” page 181
According to the text, what is the main idea of this section?
Describe each of the three types of committees in Congress –
Standing Committee
Select Committee (also known as a temporary committee)
Joint Committee
What is the seniority system in Congress?
There are at least two opinions concerning the seniority system. Explain each opinion.
Which side do YOU agree with? Support your opinion.
Section 2
“Legislative Powers” page 185
According to the text, what is the main idea of this section?
Congress has three types of powers.
As you read about each power, add important details to the boxes below
Include important details from the chart on page 186
Expressed Powers / Implied Powers / Non-legislative PowersLimits on Congress
Congress may not ______one state over another ______
Congress may not pass laws that interfere (get in the way) with ______
Congress may not delay a prisoner from hearing the charges against his/her (writ of habeas corpus)
Congress can not pass a law that punishes a person without a jury trial (a bill of attainder)
Congress can not pass a ______, a law that makes something a crime after the fact.
Ex: John is driving 100 mph on May 1st, 2008. On June 1st, 2008, Congress passes a law that says the speed limit is 60 mph. John can NOT be charged with a crime.
Anyone who drives faster than 60 mph on June 1st of beyond CAN be charged with a crime.
Remember that under the principle of Checks and Balances, each branch has the power to review the actions of the other branches and limit (check) it if needed.
What are the limits put on Congress (the legislative branch) by the Judicial branch (Supreme Court)
What are the limits put on Congress (the legislative branch) by the Executive branch (President…)?
Is there ANYTHING that Congress can do when “checked” by the president? Explain
Section 3 Highlights “Representing the People” page 190
You are not required to read the text,
You are responsible for knowing the “highlights” provided
Main Idea -
“The Constitution sets forth the qualifications for election to the
House of Representatives and the Senate.”
Section 3 highlights continued
Qualifications
House of Representatives
Minimum age 25 years old
Must live in the state he/she represents (individual states may add more specific requirements)
Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years before election
Senate
Minimum age 30 years old
Must live in the state he/she represents (individual states may add more specific requirements)
Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years before election
The work of Congress
The main responsibility of Congress is to make laws (you will read more in the Section 4).
Additionally, members of Congress also do casework - “…members act as troubleshooters for people from the home districts and states who request help in dealing with the federal government” (pg 195)
Example- Jane Doe needs help getting a passport quickly so she can go to her uncle’s funeral in France. She contacts her representative in the House. The representative’s support staff helps her get a passport.
Why do representatives do casework?
1. Increases their chances for reelection
2. Helps the representative better understand how government works
3. Helps their constituents (the people they represent)
Members of Congress work to bring special projects (ex: new roads, hospitals, parks) and money (ex: money to conduct research at a state university to find a cure for cancer) to their district/state.
Section 4
“From Bill to Law” page 199
According to the text, what is the main idea of this section?
Where do ideas for bills come from?
ONLY ______may introduce a bill to Congress
EXPLAIN, in your own words what the following statement means
What happens in committee is the most important step in the process of a bill becoming a law.
Complete the Venn diagram (compare and contrast) using information on how the House and Senate DEBATE a bill (including the rules for debate)
Go back and reread the main idea for this section (section4).
What happens if after debate, the House and Senate vote yes on bills that are similar, but not exactly alike? (The answer can be found by looking at the chart on page 201)
Complete the Venn diagram (compare and contrast) using information on how the House and Senate VOTE on a bill
Do all members of Congress have to vote on every bill? NO
How many votes are needed to pass a bill?
The role of the president
The president has choices (explain what happens in your own words)
Veto
Do Nothing for ______days
If Congress is in session (working)…what happens to the bill?
If Congress has adjourned (ended the session)…what happens to the bill?
When this happens, it is known as ______
When this happens, is there ANYTHING Congress can do to save the bill and make it a law?
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