Chapter 11- Lawmakers and
Legislatures
Denison Middle
Civics
Standards
• SS.7.C.3.8
• Analyze the structure, function, and processes of the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches.
•
• SS.7.C.1.7
• Describe how the Constitution limits the powers of government through
the separation of powers and checks and balances.
•
• SS.7.C.2.9
• Evaluate candidates for political office by analyzing their qualifications,
experience, issue-based platforms, debates, and political ads.
•
• LACC.68.RH.2.4
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Introduction
11.2- Legislators and Their
Constituents
• Most legislators start out in local politics
– Ex: city council
• Once they have gathered experience, they
may try for a seat in the House of
Representatives or the Senate
• As lawmakers move upward on the legislative
path, they serve an ever-widening group of
constituents- people in their home districts or
states
Formal Qualifications: Age and
Citizenship Requirements
• The Constitution established formal qualifications
for members of Congress
• Members of both Houses must be residents of
the state in which they are elected
• Members must also meet certain age and
citizenship requirements
– House members must be 25 years old and a U.S.
citizen for at least 7 years
– Senators must be at least 30 years old and a U.S.
citizen for at least nine years
Informal Qualifications: Race, Gender,
Education, and Occupation
• For some 200 years Congress was made up of
lawmakers who were white, male, and middle
to upper class
• By the late 1960s, a few hundred women had
won election to their state legislatures and
Congress
– By 2006, that number had increased to more than
1,650 women serving as state or national
lawmkers
Informal Qualifications: Race, Gender,
Education, and Occupation
• In 1971, a combined total of 21 African
Americans and Latinos held seats in Congress
– By 2007, that number had increased to 73
• Beyond race and gender, at least 2 other
informal qualifications still exist: education
and occupation
– Most legislators have a college degree
– The majority of lawmakers have a background in
business or law
Apportionment: Achieving Equal
Representation
• The U.S. Senate has 100 seats
• The House of Representatives has 435 seats, with
each seat representing one congressional district
• House seats are apportioned (divided) among the
states according to each state’s population
– Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the
nation’s population
– The results of the census are used to determine how
seats are distributed among the states
– Based on the 2010 Census apportionment, each member
of the U.S. House of Representatives will represent an
average population of 710,767.
Apportionment: Achieving Equal
Representation
• The constitutional principle behind
apportionment is equal representation- “one
person, one vote”
• The idea also applies to the apportionment of
seats in state legislatures
• The principle does not apply to the U.S. Senate
– As a result, the nation’s least populous state,
Wyoming, has as much power in the Senate as does
the most populous state, California
• 2010 U.S. Census  California= 37,341,989
Wyoming= 568,300
How Legislators See Their Jobs:
Delegates Versus Trustees
• Legislators see themselves as fulfilling one of
two distinct roles: delegate or trustee
– Delegates seek to represent their districts by
responding directly to the wishes or needs of their
constituents
• First-time lawmakers
– Trustees try to represent their districts by
exercising their best independent judgment
• More experienced lawmakers
Getting Elected: Turnover and the
Power of Incumbency
• Once elected, many legislators stay in office as
long as voters keep reelecting them
• Term limits only affect only state legislators
• In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that the
terms of members of Congress cannot be
limited except by a constitutional amendment
Getting Elected: Turnover and the
Power of Incumbency
• Lawmakers that run for office term after term
stand a good chance of being reelected
– Since 1945, representatives running for office won
reelection approximately 90% of the time
– Around 80%of incumbent senators have won their
reelection bids
Getting Elected: Turnover and the
Power of Incumbency
• Incumbents have four main advantages over their
challengers:
1. Name recognition. Voters are familiar with incumbents
2. Office resources. Incumbents can use benefits of their
office, such as staff, mailing privileges, and travel
allowances to keep in touch with voters in their districts
3. Campaign funds. Individuals and organizations give
money in larger amounts to incumbents than to
challengers
4. Bragging rights. Incumbents can point to federally
projects- from roads and bridges to defense contractsthat they have won for their districts
•
These projects are known as pork, because the money for them
comes from the federal “pork barrel,” or treasury
11.3- The Organization of Congress
• The framers of the Constitution viewed
Congress as “ the first branch of government”
A Bicameral Legislature: The House
and Senate
• The Constitution establishes Congress as a
bicameral legislature, consisting of the House of
Representatives and the Senate
• The framers expected the House, with its larger
size and more frequent elections, to act as the
“people’s body”
• The Senate, whose members serve longer terms
were originally chosen by state legislatures, was
meant to be a more elite chamber that would act
as a steadying influence on Congress
Leadership Roles in the House
• Since the 1800s, Congress has based its
organization on the two major political parties
• In each house, the majority party- the one
with the most seats- controls the agenda
Leadership Roles in the House
• There are 3 leadership roles in the House:
1.
Speaker of the House- Has more power and prestige then any
other leader in Congress
•
•
2.
Majority and minority leaders- Are elected by their respective
parties
•
•
3.
Nominated by the majority party but wins the position through a
vote of the entire House
The speaker presides over the House, assigns bills to committees,
and appoints members to special committees and commissions
Their duty is to manage legislation on the House floor
The majority leader is the majority party’s second in command
Majority and minority whips- assistant floor leaders are
responsible for keeping the leadership informed and
persuading party members to vote along party lines
Leadership Roles in the Senate
• There are 5 main leadership positions in the Senate:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
President of the Senate. The Constitution assigns this position to the
vice president.
President of the Senate pro tempore. Is the most senior senator of
the majority party and may preside over Senate sessions when the
vice president is not there.
Majority leader. Serves as the spokesperson for the party that holds
the most seats in the Senate. The majority leader must work with
party members and the minority leader to move legislation to a vote
Minority leader. This leader helps shape minority party policy and
devise strategies for stopping majority-sponsored bills opposed by
the minority party.
Majority and minority whips. The main duty of these assistant floor
leaders is to stand in for the majority and minority leaders
The Congressional Committee System
• Congress has 5 types of committees that help
assist in the lawmaking process:
1. Standing committees. Permanent committees
that handle most legislative business. Each
standing committee has its own broad area of
responsibility, such as homeland security of
foreign affairs. Another key duty is to gather
information through hearings and investigations
The Congressional Committee System
2. Subcommittees. Do the work of reviewing all
proposed legislation.
3. Select or special committees. Formed occasionally by
both houses to investigate specific problems. These
committees are usually temporary.
4. Joint committees. Congress has a small number of
permanent joint committees made up of members of
both the House and Senate.
5. Conference Committees. Is a temporary kind of joint
committee. It is used to iron out to versions of a bill
passed by both the House and the Senate.
Staff and Support Agencies
• The House and Senate each employ around
1,000 committee staffers to support the work
of their various committees
• Representatives average about 16 staffers
apiece, while senators average about 40 staff
members each
• Personal staff members perform tasks such as
answering constituents questions to writing
speeches and drafting bills
Caucuses and Coalitions
• Members of Congress have formed over 100
unofficial groups called caucuses to peruse
particular goals and interests
• MAKE CHANGES
11.4- The Work of Congress
• Members of Congress have two distinct but
interrelated jobs: they must represent their
constituents in their districts or states, and
they must perform their constitutional duties
as national legislators
The Powers of Congress
• Article I of the Constitution states that
Congress shall have “all legislative powers”
• The specific powers given to Congress include
the authority to:
– Levy taxes
– Borrow money
– Regulate interstate commerce
– Coin money
– Declare war
The Powers of Congress
• The Constitution also authorizes Congress to
“make all Laws which shall be necessary and
proper” for carrying out those-enumeratedpowers