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The Legislative Branch
What is the basic structure of the House / Senate? What benefits do you get if you are a member of Congress? What are the requirements / leadership roles in the Congress?
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What is the US Congress? o The US Congress is the
main, law-making body of the US government n House of
Representatives n Senate
o Specifics: n Leadership n Powers n Responsibilities
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Why did the Founding Fathers want a “Legislative” Branch?
o Prior to the Revolution, all the colonies had legislative government n Legislatures n Assemblies
o The Founding Fathers believed that this was the best method of government n No king or dictator
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What is the House of Representatives?
o The House is the lower house of our bicameral legislature
o Remember the Connecticut Compromise? n One House based on
population (House) n One House based on a single
vote (Senate)
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What are the qualifications to be in the House of Representatives? o Term: 2 years o Qualifications
n 25 years old n 7 years as a U.S.
citizen n Resident of the
represented district
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How many delegates are in the House of Representatives? o Number of representatives: 435
o Leadership: n Speaker of the House
o Power n Decides the committees each member will
serve on n Decides the order in which bills will be heard
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Speaker of the House
The Current Speaker of the House is Congressmen John Boehner (R - Ohio)
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What is the US Senate? o The US Senate is
the upper house of the bicameral legislature
o “the older / wiser” group n All states have one
vote / are equal
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What are the qualifications of being in the Senate? o Term of office: 6 years
o Qualifications: n 30 years old n 9 years a citizen of the U.S. n Resident of the represented state
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How many delegates are in the US Senate? o Number of Senators: 100
o Leadership: n Head of the Senate: President of the Senate (U.S.
Vice President) n Day to day head of Senate: President Pro
Tempore o Power:
n Decides committee members n Order bill are debated.
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President of the Senate
The Current President of the Senate is Vice-President Joe Biden (D - Delaware)
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President of the Senate
The Current President Pro-Tempore of the Senate is Senator Daniel Inouye (D - Hawaii)
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What are the major requirements for both houses of Congress? o Both houses must:
n Must keep a Journal (The Congressional Record)
n Must hold sessions at the same time (begin January 3rd each year)
n Must have a quorum to do business (51% of members present on the floor)
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What privileges and compensations does a member of Congress get?
o Members of Congress get the following “perks: n Salary ($147,000 per year) n Medical and dental benefits n Free office, parking, and
trips to home state n Staff budget n Tax breaks n Privilege- free postage
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What other Privileges or Compensations do members of Congress get?
o Members of Congress also get the following legal “perks”: n Immunity or legal protection
(while in office) n Cannot be sued (say or write
while carrying out their duties) n Cannot be arrested for minor
offenses (while Congress is in session)
n May not hold any other political office at the same time