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The Legislative Branch
How many?
Each 10 years the Census is used to determine a state’s number of representatives
Each representative in the House of Representatives has approximately 650,000 constituents
Census- Official count of the people in the country
According to the Constitution,To become a Senator or Congress member you must…
Be a resident of the state in which you are elected
Be at least 25 years old for the House and a citizen for 7 years
Be at least 30 years old for the Senate and a citizen for 9 years
Most legislators…
Have at least a college (and usually and advanced) degree
Backgrounds in business or law
Powers of the Congress
1. Levy and collect taxes2. Borrow money3. Regulate interstate and foreign
commerce4. Coin money5. Declare war
House Senate
435 members 2 year terms Elected in districts Quicker to act Less prestigious Less press coverage Limited floor debate More influence on
budget
100 members 6 year terms Elected by state Slower to act More prestige More press
coverage Longer floor debates More influence on
foreign affairs
The House of Representatives
435 Members
42 African Americans 75 women 27 Latinos 6 Asian Americans 1 Native American 3 Openly gay members 2 Muslims 2 Buddhists
House LeadershipSpeaker of the HouseJohn Boehner (OH)
Majority LeaderEric Cantor
Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi
Majority WhipKevin McCarthy Minority Whip
Steny Hoyner
The Speaker of the House
Majority partyIs elected from whole House votePresides over House, assigns bills to
committees and appoints representatives to special committees and commissions
Decides what and when bills will be debated
How many Representatives in the House does each state have?
Minnesota’s 8 Districts
Our home district!
The Senate
100 members 17 women1 Latino1 African American1 Japanese American1 Native Hawaiian American13 JewsThe average age is 62
Senate Leadership
President of the Senate (Vice President of the US)
President pro tempore
Majority Leader
Majority Whip
Minority Leader
Minority Whip
How Congress checks other branches Oversees executive agencies Senate approves presidential appointments House can vote to impeach an official and the
Senate conducts the trial Senate must approve (ratify) all treaties Congress can override presidential veto Congress can vote to amend the Constitution Can create federal courts
Elections…
Since 1990, representatives running for re-election in the House have won 90 percent of the time. About 80 percent of incumbent senators win.
Copy down how a bill becomes a law onto p. 2 of your packet from p. 227 of the textbook