Legislative Powers of Congress

Money Powers: Collect taxes & provide defense; borrow money; coin, print, & regulate money

Commerce Powers: regulate trade

Military & Foreign Policy Powers: declare war; raise, support, & regulate the armed forces & militia

Implied Powers Necessary & Proper

clause (i.e. the elastic clause): provide for all laws that might be necessary to carry out their expressed powers (all of the previous powers) Ex: establishing a bank

was necessary to carry out Congress’s money powers (McCulloch v. Maryland)

Checks on other Branches

SENATE: confirms appointments made by the President (checks the executive branch and the judicial branch)

HOUSE: can bring impeachment charges on the President (checks the executive branch) and court justices (checks the judicial branch) (the SENATE can try the impeachment case)

Both houses provide oversight (supervision) to find out how the executive branch is enforcing laws

Checks on Congress’s Power President must sign

bills into law after they are passed by both houses (can veto legislation)

Supreme Court determines whether congressional laws are constitutional & generally interprets & applies congressional laws

Constitutional Limits on Congress’s Power

Writ of habeas corpus: orders an accused person be brought before a judge and told why they are being held

Bill of attainder: Congress cannot pass a law that convicts a person of a crime without a trial

Ex post facto: means “after the fact”; Congress cannot punish someone for a past action by creating a new law against that action

Senate House of RepsEach state has 2

Senators; 100 total6 year termsRotating elections

(33 senators elected every 2 years)

at least 30 yrs old and a citizen for 9 yrs

• Representation is based on population (NC has 13 representatives); 435 total

• 2 year terms; re-elected every 2 years

• at least 25 yrs old and a citizen for 7 yrs

Basics of Congress

Basics of Congress The Senate was formed with 6 year terms

and rotating elections to create some stability in Congress

The House of Representatives was formed with 2 year terms and reelection every 2 years so that they would constantly be responsible to the people (the people can decide not to re-elect them if they don’t like them or their policies)

Speaker of the HouseLeader of the House of RepresentativesChosen by members of the majority party &

approved by the entire HouseLeads debates & persuades members of

Congress to support various issuesWill become President if something happens

to the President and Vice President

Other Congressional LeadersVice President: Presides over the Senate, but

only votes if there is a tiePresident Pro Tempore: president of the

Senate when the VP isn’t thereFloor leaders: speak for their party on

issues, push bills along, & try to sway votesMajority Whip & Minority Whip: help floor

leaders by making sure representatives are present for key votes

CommitteesCongress developed committees to deal with the

enormous numbers of bills (potential laws) they must consider Standing committees: permanent committees; Ex:

commerce Joint committees: committees that include members of

both houses & deal with a specific issue; Ex: taxation Select/special committees: temporary committees that

meet for a limited time; Ex: global warmingCongresspersons try to get appointed to

committees that are important to their constituents or others that may provide them experience to get re-elected

VocabularyConstituents: the people who are

represented by members of Congress (ex: we are Kay Hagan’s constituents)

Gerrymandering: drawing an oddly shaped district to increase the voting strength of a particular group (i.e. a political party)

Seniority: years of service; the congresspersons who have been in office the longest get the best committee assignments & have more influence

Bill of Rights PosterChoose an

Amendment (1-10) & create a poster.

Write the Amendment as it is written in the Constitution.

Describe the Amendment in your own words (use your Constitution notes).

Explain why the Amendment is important.

Illustrate the Amendment.