congress – article i. vii congress – article i a. 2 house legislature – bi-cameral 1. the...
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VII Congress – Article I
A. 2 House Legislature – Bi-Cameral
1. The House of Representatives
a. Qualifications
1. 25 years at time sworn in
2. 7 year citizen
3. Live in the state represented
( Members are called Congressmen/Congresswomen or Representative)
b. Term : 2 years. There are no term limits(vacancy: when there is a vacancy then the Governor of that state schedules a special election)
c. Officials
i. The Speaker of the House: elected by the majority party
ii. House Majority Leader
iii. House Majority Whip
iv House Minority Leader
v. House Minority Whip
D.Special Things the House gets to do
i. All bills concerning money start here
ii. House has sole power to impeach
iii. House has sole power to admit or kick out own members
iv. The House makes up its own rules to conduct business
2. The Senate
A. Qualifications
1. 30 years old
2. 9 year citizen
3. Live in state represented
B. Term: 6 years – No term limits. 1/3 of the Senators are elected every 2 years.
( Vacancy: When there is a vacancy the Governor of that state appoints a replacement until the next election.)
C. Officials
i. The President of the Senate
ii. The President Pro Temp.
iii The Senate Majority Leader
iv The Senate Majority Whip
v. The Senate Minority Leader
vi. The Senate Minority Whip
President of the Senate
Joe Biden - The Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate.
D.Special Things the Senate gets to do
1. Approve all appointments to high executive jobs (Cabinet Secretaries) and federal judges
2. Approve all treaties3. Tries all impeachments by acting as a jury 4. The Senate makes its own
rules to conduct business
B. Impeachment:
1. How Impeachment works –
a. Who may be impeached?
1. President
2. Vice president
3. High officials in Executive department (Cabinet Heads)
4. Federal Judges
b. the House votes to charge a crime
c. the trial takes place in the Senate. The Senate acts as the jury.
d. When the president is impeached, the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court is the judge of the trial.
e. The Senate is the jury.
f. It takes a 2/3 vote to remove an official from office.
g. When another government official is impeached, the presiding officer of the Senate acts as the judge. – Can you see the hole in the Constitution?
Committees – Almost all work in Congress is done in committees
Committees are run by Chairpersons and Chairpersons are very powerful. They have the ability to stop a bill by pigeonholing it.
Types of Committees
1. Standing Committees – Permanent
2. Select Committees – Temporary, formed for a special purpose
3. Joint Committees – Committees formed that includes members of the House and the Senate
4. Conference Committee (Joint Conference Committee) – a Standing (permanent) Committee of House and Senate members that meet to resolve differences in a bill.
House CommitteesHouse Committee on Agriculture
House Committee on AppropriationsHouse Committee on Armed Services
House Committee on the BudgetHouse Committee on Education and Labor
House Committee on Energy and CommerceHouse Committee on Financial Services
House Committee on Foreign AffairsHouse Committee on Homeland Security
House Committee on House AdministrationHouse Committee on the Judiciary
House Committee on Natural ResourcesHouse Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
House Committee on RulesHouse Committee on Science and Technology
House Committee on Small BusinessHouse Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
House Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureHouse Committee on Veterans' AffairsHouse Committee on Ways and Means
House Permanent Select Committee on IntelligenceHouse Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
Senate CommitteesSenate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Senate Committee on AppropriationsSenate Committee on Armed Services
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsSenate Committee on the Budget
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransportationSenate Committee on Energy and Natural ResourcesSenate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Senate Committee on FinanceSenate Committee on Foreign Relations
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsSenate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Senate Committee on Indian AffairsSenate Committee on the Judiciary
Senate Committee on Rules and AdministrationSenate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Senate Committee on Veterans' AffairsSenate Select Committee on Ethics
Senate Select Committee on IntelligenceSenate Special Committee on Aging
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control