three branches of government. section 1 the legislative branch

Three Branches of Government

Section 1The Legislative Branch

Each member of congress represents a group of citizens much smaller than our nation.

One of a member’s major responsibilities is to his or her constituents.

A. The Responsibilities of Law Making

constituents- the people he or she represents.

Interest groups- groups of people who work together for similar interest or goals.

The constitution requires a census. The Census is used to find out how

many representatives each state should have.

The bigger the population in that state the more representatives that state has.

Serve for 2 years. Must be at least 25 years old.

B. Representatives

In the Senate, each state is represented by 2 senators.

The senator focuses on the interests of the whole state, not just one district.

They are elected for 6 year terms. Senators must be at least 30 years old.

C. Senators

bill- proposed law.Congressional district- they are a member

of the House represenatives.Census- an official count of the population

made every ten years.

1. Interest groups - A. the people he or she represents.

2. Census - B. proposed law

3. constituents - C. Person chosen to lead a group of people within a certain area

4. Congressional district D. groups of people who work together for similar interest or goals

5. bill E. an official count of the population made every ten years.

What is a bill?

What is the Census?

Section 2

How a bill becomes a Law

Citizens, interest groups, and the executive Branch can draw up Bills.

A representative introduces a bill in the House by dropping it in a Hopper.

A senator introduces a bill by reading it aloud from the Senate floor.

A. Introducing Bills

Hopper- a ballot box.

A bill is sent to a standing committee for action.

There are 16 permanent standing in the Senate and 20 in the House.

Each Committee deals with a certain area. Example: education, Banking. The Committee decides whether to

recommend that the entire House or Senate vote on the bill.

If the committee does not recommend it, the bill dies.

B. Standing Committees

Speaker of the House- the presiding officer of the House of Representatives.

veto- to go against a bill.

The House or Senate will form a Select Committee to deal with a problem not covered by any standing committees.

Joint Committee is made up of members of both the House and Senate.

C. Select and Joint Committees

Before a bill can go to the president to be signed, it must be passed by both houses.

Sometimes a bill is passed by one house and changed in the other.

If the 2 houses cannot agree, a conference committee is formed.

conference committees is made up of both Senators and Representatives.

The conference committees version of the Bill must then be passed by both houses.

D. Conference Committees

Joint Committees- are usually select committees formed to conduct investigations.

conference committees- is made up of both Senators and Representatives, to make a decision on proposed bills that were not decided in the houses.

After the bill is passed by both houses it goes to the president.

The president can sign the bill into law or veto it.

E. The Presidents role

1. Speaker of the House - A. a ballot box

2. veto - B. the presiding officer of the House of Representatives.

3. Joint Committees - C. to go against a bill.

4. Hopper - D. is made up of both Senators and Representatives, to

make a decision on proposed bills that were not decided in the houses.

5. conference committees - E. are usually select committees formed to conduct investigations.

What is the difference between standing and joint committees?

What is the Supreme Court?

Section 3

The Executive Branch

President is elected for 1 term (4 years). After the term the President can run for reelection.

No president can hold office for more than 2 terms.

Must be at least 35 years old. Natural born citizen. Must of lived in the U.S. for at l;east 14

years.

A.The President

treaties- formal agreements between nations

Chief Executive Commander and Chief Chief Diplomat Legislative leader Judicial Powers.

B. Leader with Many Roles

bureaucracy- is an organization of government departments, agencies, and offices.

cabinet- an important group of policy advisors to the president.

Executive Office of the President. The White House Staff. The Vice President. Special Advisory Groups. The Department of Homeland Security. The Cabinet

C. The Organization of the Executive Branch

A legislative body makes a law prohibiting one person from purposely damaging anothers property.

What Courts Do All Courts perform the same basic function: to

apply the law to an actual situation. Courts interpret the law and then determine

how to apply the law to the given situation.

D, The Judicial Branch

Each state has courts at different levels of government and courts for different purposes.

Example: traffic, juvenile and family. The court to which a legal case first goes to

has original jurisdiction. The court with original jurisdiction

determines the facts in the case. If a plaintiff or defendant believes the case

was injust they can appeal the decision. Appeal courts set up cases appealed from

lower level courts.

E. State and Federal Courts

Federal Courts hear 2 kinds of cases. Cases involving federal laws and issues

beyond the authority of the state. They hear cases appealed from state Supreme

courts.

It is the highest court in the federal court system.

It serves as the final court of appeals for both the state and federal court systems.

The Supreme court does have original jurisdiction over special cases.

Example: cases involving representatives of foreign governments and disputes between state governments..

F. The Supreme Court

appeal- to ask a higher court to review a decision and determine whether justice was done.

1. appeal- A. formal agreements between nations

2. treaties - B. is an organization of government departments, agencies, and offices.

3. bureaucracy - C. to ask a higher court to review a decision and

determine whether justice was done.

4. cabinet - D. an important group of policy advisors to the

president.

What is the Supreme Court?