Chapter 10
Congress
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• Objectives:
– Explain why the Constitution provides
for a bicameral Congress.
– Describe a term of Congress.
– Summarize how sessions of Congress
have changed over time.
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• Why It Matters:
– The Framers of the Constitution
created a Congress with two bodies: a
small Senate and a much larger House
of Representatives. Each Congress
since 1789 has met for a term of two
years; those terms are now divided
into two one-year sessions.
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• Political Dictionary:
– Term
– Session
– Adjourn
– Prorogue
– Special Session
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• “Representative”
• Madison: “The first branch.”
– “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.”—Article I, section 1
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• A Bicameral Congress
– Historical
• British had two houses
• Most Colonies had two houses
– Practical
• Dispute between Virginia and New Jersey
Plans.
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• A Bicameral Congress (cont.)
– Theoretical
• “To cool it.”
• There would be no Constitution without
the bicameralism.
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• Terms and Sessions
– Two year terms.
– Terms of Congress
• Noon of the 3rd day of January of every odd
numbered year.
– Sessions
• Two sessions
• Adjourns
– “sine die”
– “prorogue”—never used.
Section 1—The National
Legislature
• Terms and Sessions (cont.)
– Special Sessions
• Only used occasionally.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Objectives:
– Describe the size and the elective
terms of the members of the House.
– Explain how House seats are
reapportioned among the States after
each census.
– Describe a typical congressional
election and congressional district.
– Analyze the formal and informal
qualifications for election to the House.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Why It Matters:
– The 435 members of the House of
Representatives represent districts of
roughly equal populations but very
different characteristics. House
members can serve an unlimited
number of two-year terms.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Political Dictionary:
– Apportionment
– Reapportion
– Off-year election
– Single-member district
– At-large
– Gerrymander
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Size and Terms
– Size is set by Congress-435 since 1910
– Minimum of one representative per State.
– “Unofficial” representatives.
– Unlimited terms
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Reapportionment
– 1st Congress was 65
– Raised to 106 in 1792
– A Growing Nation
• Raised to 142 in 1800
• Raised to 186 in 1810
• 435 by 1912 (Arizona and New Mexico
were added)
• No reapportionment in 1920
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Reapportionment (cont.)
– The Reapportionment Act of 1929
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•
•
Every ten years
Permanent size of 435
Represent about 650,000 citizens
State Legislatures determine boundaries.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Congressional Elections
– Date—Since 1872, “first Tuesday,
following the first Monday in November
of each even-numbered year.”
– Voting devices vary widely and some
are controversial.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Congressional Elections (cont.)
– Off-Year Elections
• Non-presidential election years.
• Party of the president “usually” loses
ground.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Congressional Elections (cont.)
– Districts
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7 States with one representative
428 divided among the rest.
Single-member districts are the norm.
At-Large has occurred at times.
Questions:
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Equal population
Equal size.
Compactness.
Contiguous—one piece
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Congressional Elections (cont.)
– Gerrymandering
• Can concentrate opposition in one or a
few districts.
• Spread the opposition to make all districts
open.
• Aims to create “safe” districts.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Congressional Elections (cont.)
– Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964
• Established principle of equal
representation.
• Later: One person---one vote principle.
• Race cannot be the primary determinant
in districting, but can be one factor.
Section 2—The House of
Representatives
• Qualifications for House Members.
– 25 years of age.
– A U.S. citizen for 7 years.
– A inhabitant of the state from which
they are elected.
• Informally of the district from which they
are elected.
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Section 3—The Senate
• Objectives:
– Compare the size of the Senate to the
size of the House of Representatives.
– Describe how States have elected
senators in the past and present.
– Explain how and why a senator’s term
differs from a representative’s term.
– Identify the qualifications for serving in
the Senate.
Section 3—The Senate
• Why It Matters:
– Each State has two seats in the
Senate, the smaller and more
prestigious house of Congress.
Senators are generally older and more
experienced than representatives, and
their longer terms offer some
protection against political pressures.
Section 3—The Senate
• Political Dictionary:
– Continuous body
– Constituency
Section 3—The Senate
• Size, Election, and Terms
– Size
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•
•
•
1789—22 members
1791—26 members
“Dispassionate.”
Represent entire states.
– Election
• Until 1913—chosen by State legislatures.
• 17th Amendment.
• Now elected statewide.
Section 3—The Senate
• Size, Election, and Terms (cont.)
– Term
• 6 years
• Strom Thurmond-48 year record.
– Senator Robert Byrd—48 years in 2007
• Terms are staggered 33 or 34 each 2 year
election.
• Continuous body.
• Larger constituencies---bigger picture.
Section 3—The Senate
• Qualification for Senators
– 30 years of age.
– Citizen of the U.S. for 9 years.
– An inhabitant of the State from which
they are elected.
– Senate judges its own members.
• 15 have been expelled—14 during the
Civil War.
• Many simply resign
• Many do not seek reelection.
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Objectives:
– Identify the personal and political
backgrounds of the current members
of Congress.
– Describe the duties performed by
those who serve in Congress.
– Describe the compensation and
privileges of members of Congress.
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Why It Matters:
– Members of Congress must fill several
roles as lawmakers, politicians, and
servants of their constituents. For their
work, they receive fairly generous pay
and benefits.
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Political Dictionary:
– Trustee
– Partisan
– Politico
– Oversight function
– Franking privilege
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Personal and Political Backgrounds
– Not representative
– Median age of House is 55, Senate 60
– Mostly male. 68 women in House, 14 women
in the Senate.
– 42 African Americans, 24 Hispanics, 5
Asians, and 1 Native American in the House.
– 1 African American, 2 Hispanics, 1 Asian, 1
Hawaiian sit in Senate.
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Personal and Political Backgrounds
(cont.)
– Most are married and average 2
children.
– 60% are Protestant, 30% Catholic, 6%
Jewish.
– 1/3 of House and 1/2 of Senate are
lawyers
– Nearly all have a college degree and
many advanced degrees.
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Personal and Political Backgrounds
(cont.)
– Most have political experience
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Senators average in second term
House members 4 terms
Former governors
Cabinet seats
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• The Job
– Legislators
– Representatives of constituents
– Committee members
– Servants of constituents
– Politicians
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• The Job (cont.)
– Representatives of the people
• Trustees—independent judgment
• Partisans
• Politicos—balancing act
– Committee Members
• Oversight function
– Servants
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Compensation
– Salary
• $158,000
• Speaker=$193,600
• Senate president pro tem=$172,900
– Nonsalary Compensation
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Fringe benefits
Travel
Franking privilege
Free printing
Section 4—The Members of
Congress
• Compensation (cont.)
– The politics of pay
• Controversial
– Membership Privileges
• Legislative Immunity
• To protect free speech
Section 4—The Members of
Congress