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Chapter 10: Congress

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CongressThe Legislative Branch makes laws All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. -Article I, Section I

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bicameral 2 houses TThe Senate TThe House of Representatives Why? hhistorical reason ppractical reason ttheoretical reason

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There are two periods when Congress does no business: one is before the holidays, and the other is after. -George D. Prentice Terms of Congress 22 years; each term numbered consecutively 112 th Congress began in 2011 sstart of the term is noon of the 3 rd day of January (in odd-numbered years) Sessions of Congress pperiod of time during which Congress conducts business PPresident can call Congress into special session

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House of Representatives 435 members apportioned (distributed) among the States based on population each state is guaranteed at least one representative non-voting delegates from: District of Columbia Guam American Samoa Virgin Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico

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Terms for Representatives 2-year terms keeps them paying attention to the folks back home no Constitutional limit on number of terms served

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Qualifications for the House 1.must be at least 25 years of age 2.must have been a citizen of the United States for at least 7 years 3.must be an inhabitant of the state from which he or she is elected

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Congressional Elections First Tuesday, after the first Monday in November, of each even-numbered year (since 1872)

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Off-year Elections: congressional elections in nonpresidential years 2006, 2010, 2014 typically, the party of the President loses seats in these elections

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reapportionment reapportion = redistribute done every 10 years (after a census) first House had 65 seats

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seats in the House are filled from single- member districts State legislatures are responsible for drawing congressional districts in a state districts must be made up of contiguous territory districts have as nearly as practicable an equal number of inhabitants districts should be of compact territory

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gerrymandering gerrymandering-drawing districts to the advantage of the political party that controls the States legislature lines are drawn to 1.concentrate the oppositions voters in one or a few districts (leaving other districts safe for the dominant party) 2.spread the opposition as thinly as possible (limiting their ability to win)

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Which college is more prestigiousa large college that is fairly easy to get into or a small college with higher entrance standards?

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Organization of the Senate Constitution says each state has 2 senators more enlightened and responsible body Senators represent the entire state larger, more diverse population, broader range of interests

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Election of Senators originally chosen by state legislatures 191317 th Amendment provided for the direct election of senators only one elected at a time

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Term of a Senator 6 yearsno term limits staggered terms 33 or 34 seats expire every 2 years (continuous body) longer term means less susceptibly to pressures of special interests bigger constituency means focused on the big picture tends to be a bigger public figure

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Qualifications of a Senator at least 30 years citizen for at least 9 years inhabitant of state from which he or she is elected (no time requirement)

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Senators vs. Representatives Choose 5 differences between a senator and a representative. Create a T-Chart that shows these differences. Under each difference, write a pro for each side. SenateHouse Term Length6 years2 years Pro for Each??

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Major differences between the House and the Senate HOUSESENATE larger body (435 members)smaller body (100 members) shorter term (2 years)longer term (6 years) smaller constituencies (elected from districts within a state) larger constituencies (elected from the entire state) younger membershipolder membership less prestigemore prestige lower visibility in the news mediahigher visibility in the news media strict rules, limited debateflexible rules, nearly unlimited debate most work is done in committees, not on the floor work is split more evenly between committees and the floor no power over treaties and presidential appointments approves or rejects treaties and presidential appointments

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Profile of the 113 th Congress

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Members of Congress Play 5 Roles: 1.legislators 2.representatives of constituents 3.committee members 4.servants of constituents 5.politicians

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Salary of Congress as of 2011 Senators and Representatives $174,000 Speaker of the House $223,000 Vice President 230,700 Senates pro tem and majority and minority leaders $193,000 + fringe benefits

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strict vs. liberal construction that government is best which governs least ~Jefferson Who seems to have won this debate?

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Powers of Congress commerce currency bankruptcy foreign relations war other

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The Power of the Purse the power to tax tax-charge levied by government on persons or property to raise money to meet public needs The power to levy taxes and provide for the general welfare of the U.S. is among the most important powers of Congress. No government agency can spend money without it being authorized by Congress. Congress uses taxes for many purposes.

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Taxing Power Congress uses its taxing power to expand its regulatory powers. When Congress gives money to state or local governments, it often requires specific regulations to be followed. Congress can levy heavy taxes on undesirable products to discourage its use. (Tobacco)

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using taxes to regulate the economy Congress can cut individual taxes to stimulate the economy. Congress can increase taxes to try and slow economic growth.

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What happens when the federal government doesnt raise enough money from taxes?

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Power to Borrow Money Securities, bonds, or notes Borrowing from other countries Borrowing Money = NATIONAL DEBT

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National Debt Debt occurs when government must borrow money to meet its operating expenses Current National Debt How our money is spent

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Discussion Questions How do you feel about our National Debt situation? Should the government do something about the debt situation? What? What are possible solutions to paying off the debt? 2 solutions to end debt: 1. Increase taxes or 2. Decrease spending What are the arguments for each of these solutions? What kind of opposition would each solution face in Congress? OR, How would you go about paying off the debt?

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Quotes In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin Taxes are what we pay for civilized society Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery. Calvin Coolidge

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ONE MORE POWER OF CONGRESS IMPEACHMENT

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The President, Vice-President and all civil officers of the United States may Be removed from Office on Impeachment for and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors Article II, Section 4

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impeach-to accuse or bring charges The House has the power to impeach. requires a majority vote The Senate has the power to try (to judge) the accused. requires a 2/3 majority

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Organization of Congress House chooses the Speaker of the House from the majority party more important than the President of the Senate Democrats sit to the right of the center aisle, Republicans to the left

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Organization of Congress Senate the Vice-President is the president of the Senate the president pro tempore serves in the Vice- Presidents absence a leading member of the majority party Speaker of the House follows the Vice-President in the line of presidential succession. The president pro tem is next.

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The Legislative Branch in Ohio

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Ohios General Assembly 129 th General Assembly Ohio House of Representatives 2-year term (limit of 4 consecutive terms) 99 members Ohio Senate 4-year term (limit of 2 consecutive terms) 33 members

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Our Representatives Andrew Brenner (R) District 2 http://www.ohiohouse.gov/andrew-brenner Kris Jordan (R) District 19 http://www.ohiosenate.gov/map.html

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To vote in Ohio Citizen of the United States At least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election A resident of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election Register to vote at least 30 days before the election

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