what do you already know about congress? brainstorm---not a drizzle ????????????????????...
TRANSCRIPT
What do you already know about Congress?Brainstorm---not a drizzle
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The 112th Congress
John BoehnerSpeaker of the House
Eric Cantor
House Majority LeaderFrom Virginia’s 7th District
Kevin McCarthy (and family) House Majority Whip
Nancy Pelosi –House Minority Leader
Steny Hoyer---House Minority Whip
Joe Biden President of the Senate also Vice President
President Pro Tempore of the Senate—Daniel Inouye
Harry Reid ---Senate Majority Leader
Dick Durbin Majority assistant (whip) in the Senate
Mitch McConnell Minority Leader in the Senate
John Kyl Minority assistant (whip) in the Senate
Jim Webb Senior Senator from Virginia
Mark Warner Junior Senator from Virginia
Bob Goodlatte 6th District House of Representatives
Morgan Griffith Republican representative of 9th District of Virginia
The United States Congress
Article I of the Constitution:
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
Congress is bicameral (two houses) Two houses---House of
Representatives and the United States Senate.
Bicameralism resulted because of the influence of the British Parliament and the Great Compromise.
When does Congress meet? A term of Congress last two years
The first term began March 4, 1789 20th Amendment 1933 changed time to
noon Jan. 3 on odd numbered years. The current Congress is the 111th and
they began their term on Jan. 5, 2009 A session is a one year period with a
term. Today Congress meets almost year
round. President may call a special session (26
times but has not been needed since 1948)
House of Representatives Representation to the House is based
on population. The greater the population of a state the more representatives the state is entitled. Each state guaranteed at least one
California 53 Wyoming 1 D.C. 0 In 1789 there were 65 representatives
in the House. In 1792 there was 106. In 1910 there were 435.
Reapportionment Act of 1929 set the size of the House at 435.
Qualifications for the House 25 years old Citizen 7 years Inhabitant of the state
Representatives serve a two year term of office.
Current political makeup of House of Representatives---242 republicans
193 democrats.
When are Congressional Elections held?
First Tuesday following the first Monday in November of each even numbered year.
All 435 seats are up for election at the same time. (house could have great change)
Congressional elections held when there is not a Presidential election is called an “off year election”—turnout is usually lower.
Reapportionment A census is taken every 10 years. The results of that census determines
how many representatives each state gets to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Some states will get more representatives, some states will get less, some will remain the same---total number remains 435.
Once the number is determined the State Legislature of each state is responsible for drawing Congressional Districts. Example: Virginia is entitled to 11 therefore Va. is divided into 11 districts, California 53
Congressional Districts Virginia is divided by the Virginia
General Assembly into Congressional districts.
Each district is given a number (1 thru 11)
There is one representative elected per district.
You live in the 6th District and Bob Goodlatte (r) is your representative. But that could soon change---Salem may move to the 9th District and Morgan Griffith would be our Representative.
Bob Goodlatte’s 6th District in Virginia
Rules for Drawing Congressional Districts
1. They must be made up of contiguous
territory. (all one piece) 2. They must be as close to equal
in population as possible. 3. They must be compact.
Gerrymandering Congressional districts drawn to the
advantage of the political party that controls the state legislature.
1. concentrate opposition voters into a few districts. 2. spread opposition voters thinly among several districts. The main goal is to create “safe districts”.Standard practice by both political parties.Today approximately 70% of nations 435
districts are “safe districts” the result is that in most years
90% of Representatives are re-elected.
Wesberry v. Sanders 1964 Supreme Court ruled that
population differences among Georgia’s congressional districts were so great as to violate the Constitution.
Through this case the Supreme Court
came up with the “One person, one
vote” doctrine.
Can a state purposefully create a district with an African American majority? maybe race can be taken into
consideration when districts are drawn, but can not be the overriding factor.
Virginia created such a district and it was ruled unconstitutional---North Carolina created such a district and it was ruled ok.
North Carolina’s 12 District
Current political make-up of the Virginia delegation to the House 7 Republicans and 4 Democrats—
it had been 6®-5(d) until last election.
1-Robert Whitman ® 2 Scott Rigell ®
3-Bobby Scott (D) 4-Randy Forbes (D)
5-Robert Hurt ® 6-Bob Goodlatte ®
7-Eric Cantor ® 8-Jim Moran (D)9-Morgan Griffith ® 10-Frank Wolf
®11-Gerry Connolly (D)
QUIZ TIME1. When are Congressional elections held?2. How many of the 435 seats in the House come up
for election at the same time.3. What do you call a Congressional election held
when there is no Presidential election.4. How often is the census taken?5. Who has the responsibility of drawing Congressional
Districts within a state?6. Which Congressional District do you live in?7. Who is your representative? What party?8. What do you call Congressional districts drawn to
the advantage of the political party that controls the state legislature?
9. What is safe district?10. What is the importance of Wesberry v. Sanders
196411. Can a state purposefully create a district with an
African American majority?
QUIZ TIME Congress has two houses this is called----. How long is a term of Congress? Which Amendment changed when a term
began? What do you call a one year period in Congress? Who may call a special session of Congress? How many representatives does California
have? Wyoming? Virginia? D.C.? Representation in the House is based on---- What is the current size of the House? Has it
always been that size? What are the three qualifications for a member
of the House? How many republicans are there in the House
today? Democrats? Independents?
review
Which article of the Constitution creates the legislative branch?
The Governor of which state has appointed Roland Burris as Senator?
In which three states will Governor’s have to replace Senators with their appointments?
The United States Senate
Originally Senators were chosen by each individual state legislature
The 17th Amendment in 1913 gave the citizens of each state the right to elect United States Senators.
Each state has two United States Senators. (50 states =100 Senators)
The first Unites States Senate in 1789 had 22 members.
Term of Office for the Senate Each Senator is elected to a term of 6
years. However, Every two years 33,34,35
Senators are up for election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November on even numbered years.
Unless there has been a death, or resignation no state elects both their Senators on the same year.
Limits on Senators ? There are no limits on how many terms a
Senator or Representative can serve. They can serve for as long as they can
win elections. Strom Thurmond served in the Senate
when he was 100. Robert Byrd from WVA served in the Senate from 1951 until 2010.
Unlike the House the Senate is said to be a “continuous body” because not all of its members are up for election at the same time.
Current political make up of the Senate----51 democrats, 2 independents, 47 republicans
Qualifications for the Senate
30 years old 9 years a citizen Inhabitant of the State they
represent. (Hillary)
Virginias Senators are Mark Warner and Jim Webb both are democrats
Today’s Senate leadership
President of the Senate---the Vice President—Joe Biden
Majority Leader—Senator Harry Reid from Nevada
Minority Leader---Mitch McConnell from Kentucky
President Pro Tempore of the Senate is Daniel Inouye Democrat from Hawaii
Special powers of the Senate
Trial of President on impeachment charges the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court presides over the Senate during this trial.
Approve Presidential appointments Approve Treaties (2/3 vote) Filibuster ---60 votes to stop filibuster record for longest filibuster held by
Strom Thurmond ( a little over 24 hours)
Pay for Congresspersons Members of Congress determine their
own pay. However, the 27 Amendment to the
Constitution says that they may not receive that raise until they come up for an election cycle.
From 1789-1815 it was $6.00 per day. From 1935-1947 it was $10,000 a year. Today it is $174,000 per year for both
Senators and Representatives. Majority and Minority Leaders in both
houses get $193,400 per year. The Speaker of the House gets $223,500 per year.
Powers of CongressExpressed, Implied, Inherent
1. Expressed powers---those specifically granted to Congress in the Constitution---coin money, raise army, regulate interstate commerce, borrow money, declare war, etc.
2. Implied Powers---powers that belong to Congress because they can be reasonably deduced from an expressed power.
Created by Necessary and Proper Clause in Constitution (sometimes called “elastic clause”
Example---coin money also means print money---raise an army also means raise an air force.
3. Inherent power—powers that all governments of nations possess (regulate immigration, determine citizenship)
Some Expressed Powers Power to tax Power to borrow money (6 trillion) Regulate interstate and foreign
commerce Coin money Make laws concerning bankruptcy Declare war Make laws concerning naturalization Establish Post Offices Laws concerning copyrights and patents Create lower courts
Mc Culloch v. Maryland 1816 Congress creates Second National
Bank of the United States. Maryland taxes the bank. Many question if Congress can create
a bank—(not an expressed power) Supreme Court says that Congress
may create the bank because it is an implied power (implied by 4 expressed powers of taxing, borrowing money, coining money, and regulating commerce.)
Court also ruled that states may not tax the federal government.
Non legislative powers of Congress
1. Amendments to the Constitution (2/3 vote in both houses)
2. Election duties---12 Amendment Presidential election decided in House if no one gets required electoral votes. (V.P. decided in Senate)
3. Investigatory Power—Form committees to investigate government operations, particular financial and social problems---Committees investigated 9/11, steroid use in baseball, and Kennedy Assassination.
Quiz 1. Which Supreme Court case established
that there are implied powers that belong to Congress and that states may not tax the federal government?
2. What vote is needed to pass an amendment to the Constitution through each house?
3. If no candidate receives the required electoral votes how is the President selected?
4. Give two examples of the Congress using its investigative powers.
Influences on Congress
Executive Branch Party leadership Media Constituents Special Interest Groups--lobbyist
Committee Structure of Congress Both Houses of Congress have
been called “a collection of committees that come together periodically to approve one another’s actions”.
Congress does almost all its work in Committee---Most Bills die in committee and never make it to the floor of the House or Senate.
Committee Structure continued Both the House and Senate have
organized permanent committees known as “standing committees”.
19 Standing Committees in the House
17 Standing Committees in the Senate
In order for a bill to get to the floor of the House or Senate for consideration it must first get a majority vote in one or more of the Standing Committees.
Committee Structure Continued
Each Standing Committee further divides the work by creating Sub-Committees (80 in House, 70 in Senate).
Standing Committees and their Sub-Committees have the power to subpoena witnesses to testify before the committee. (baseball players—steroids)
Chairpersons of Standing Committees are extremely powerful—they can make it easy for a bill to pass or difficult.
The majority party in each house gets to choose the Chairpersons of each committee.
Senate Standing Committees
Agriculture, Nutrition, Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment, and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Governmental Affairs Indian Affairs Judiciary Health and Education Rules and Administration Small Business Veteran Affairs
House Standing Committees
Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education and the Workforce Energy and Commerce Financial Services Governmental Reform House Administration International Relations Judiciary Resources Rules Science Small Business Standards of Official Conduct Transportation Veterans Affairs Ways and Means
How does a Bill become a Law?
Handout