Chapter 10: Congress
Background INFO: 20th Amendment
Section 1: _______________________________________________________________________
Section 2: _______________________________________________________________________
Section 3: _______________________________________________________________________
If this happens before the next president is named, _____________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Section 4: Congress may choose a person from the HoR to become President and the Senate may
choose a Vice President
Section 5: Oct 15 – This amendment came into effect.
Section 6: Time limit of Ratification – 2/3 vote within seven years of proposal.
Section 1: The National Legislature
James Madison: Congress is the “___________________” of the National Government.
Constitution: ____________________________
A Bicameral Congress
Bicameral _________________________________________.
Historical
__________________________________________________
Practical
Framers: _________________________________________________________
Bicameralism – __________________________________________________
Theoretical
_____________ & __________________
Terms and Sessions
-
-
Term of Congress – ________________________.
o First Term: March 4, 1789. March start time caused delays.
o 20th Amendment in 1933 – _____________________________________________.
Session – That period of time during which, each year, Congress assembles and
conducts business.
- _________ session a year
- Convene – ____________________________________________________
- Adjourns – ____________________________________________________
- Recess – ____________________________________________________
Presidential powers
-
-
Constitution gives the president the power of:
o Prorogue – ___________________________ – only if both houses can’t
agree on a date.
Only the President can call a
o Special Session –
________________________________________________
o Only 27 have been called.
Chapter 10: Congress
Section 2: The House of Representatives




Qualifications
o _______ years old
o Citizen of US for at least _______________
o ____________________________ he or she is elected.
Size
o It is not fixed by _________________________.
o It is set by _______________________.
 Apportioned – ____________________ – by __________________________
 Each State is granted at least ______________________________
 Reapportion – ___________________________
 Congress is required to reapportion the seats in the house every
ten years – _____________________.
 Currently __________ members
o By 1929 – the size of the HoR had grown too large to get work done – No
Apportion in 1930
 Result: The Reapportionment Act of 1929
 ________________________________
 After census –
_____________________________________________________________
 President must _______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
 Congress has _______ days to approve.
Terms
o There is _________ set term limits made by the constitution
Congressional Elections
o Off Year Elections – __________________________________________________.
o Even numbered year – _______________________________________________.
 Alaska is allowed to hold elections in October – haven’t exercised
that yet
o Districts
 Single-member districts – ___________________________________________
 State’s seats are filled At Large – ____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
o Gerrymandering – ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
 2 ways
 Packing – ___________________________________________________
 Cracking – __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
 Main Goal: Create “___________________________”
o Baker v Carr: Established the federal courts could __________________________
______________________________________________________________.
o Wesberry v Sanders [1964]: Established “__________________________________”.
o Shaw v Reno [1993]: states cannot redistrict _______________________________.
o Hunt v Cromartie [2001]: _________ can be ________ of a mix of factors that
shape redistricting
Chapter 10: Congress
Section 3: The Senate
 Size, Election & Terms
o Size - Constitution: _______________________________________________________.
 Originally, the Constitution called for the legislative branch to pick
senators.
 17th Amendment – _________________________________________________
o _______ Senators – _____ from each state
o Terms are ________________.
 Elections held for _______ of Senate every ____ years – Continuous
body
o ________ Years of age
o Citizen of the US for at least _________ years
o Be an __________________ of the State he or she is elected
o _____________ term
o _______ Term Limit
o Better able to gain media attention
 Constituencies – ________________________________________________________________.
Section 4: Members of Congress
 Personal & Political Backgrounds
o The Average congress person:
 ______________
 ______________
 ______________
 _________________________________
 _________________________________
 ______________
 Job
o Five Major Roles
 Legislators
 Representatives of their Constituents
 4 voting options
o Delegate –
_____________________________________________________
o Trustee –
____________________________________________________
o Partisan –
____________________________________________________
o Politicos –
____________________________________________________
 Committee Members
 Bills – ____________________________________________________
 Floor consideration – proposed laws are considered and acted
upon by ____________________________________________________.
 Oversight Function – Committees check to see that the _______
_____________________________________________________________
Chapter 10: Congress
o
_____________________________________________________________
 Servants of their Constituents
 Politicians
Compensation
 They get ________________
 27th Amendment – _____________________________
 Non-Salary compensations:
 Pension
 Insurance
 Office & State
 Franking Privilege – __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
 Free from certain Lawsuits
o Want to promote free flow of legislature
o Examples:
 Libel (defamation by written or printed words,
pictures, or in any form other than by spoken
words or gestures)
 Slander (Law. defamation by oral utterance
rather than by writing, pictures, etc.)