Chapter
5
Congress:
The Legislative
Branch
Congress, consisting of the
House of Representatives & the
Senate, exercises its powers by
passing legislation,
representing the people, &
checking the power of the
other branches of gov’t.
Sec. 1:
Congress
The voters elect
members of
Congress to
represent them and
to enact laws in
their name.
Congress plays a
vital role in our
gov’ts system of
checks and
balances.
DO NOW
How is the
number of
Senators and
Representatives
awarded to
each state?
Explain how this
system came
about.
Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn)
How
Essential
Question
Congress
represents the people. What
powers does
Why the structure of
Congress is important. the
What the role of
Constitution
Congress is in the
give to
system of checks &
Congress?
balances.
I.Congress & The People
Representing the people
A.
i.
Constituents: People who live within
a specific geographic area
Members of Congress
B.
i.
Mid-50s, Wealthy, white, male
The House of Representatives
C.
i.
Apportionment: Distribution of House
seats among states based on population.
The Senate
D.
i.
Originally elected by state legislatures,
now by the state’s people.
II. Congress & Checks & Balances
Power of the Purse
A.
i.
ii.
Power to approve all spending by fed. gov’t.
Appropriation: Bill that sets aside funds for a
specific purpose.
Power of Advice & Consent
B.
i.
Senate must agree to treaties and
appointments of ambassadors, federal judges,
and Supreme Court justices.
Impeachment Power
C.
i.
Impeachment: Charge officials in the executive
or judicial branches with wrongdoing & bring
them to trial
III. Other Checks & Balances
Check the Supreme Court by
starting amendment process.
B. Check the executive by
overriding a presidential veto w/
supermajority.
i.
4% of vetoes have been
overridden
C. Oversight: Review how the
executive branch is operating
and make sure it is following the
law.
A.
Exit Slip
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What do a Congress member’s constituents
share?
How many senators does the Constitution
allow each state?
How did the Great Compromise create a
bicameral legislature?
What term refers to a special type of act
that Congress uses to set aside funds for
specific purposes?
The power of impeachment is important to
our system of checks and balances
because it allows Congress to do what?
Section
2
The Constitution
gives Congress
many expressed
powers, and it
implies some others.
The Constitution
also places limits on
the powers of
Congress.
Do Now
What are some
areas of
American life
that Congress
is involved in
today that it
was not at the
time of the
writing of the
Constitution?
Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn…)
What
types of power
Congress has.
What are the
expressed powers of
Congress.
What are the implied
powers of Congress
What are some of the
limits on the powers of
Congress
Essential
Question
Why
did
the
founders of
the nation
want to
limit the
powers of
Congress?
I. Expressed Powers of Congress
Financing Powers
A.
i.
ii.
iii.
Indirect tax: Tax levied on one person but passed on
to another for payment to the gov’t.
Direct tax: Tax an individual pays directly to the gov’t.
Deficit: Spend more than take in
Commerce Power
B.
i.
Commerce Clause: Right to regulate interstate
commerce.
Defense Related Powers
C.
i.
Power to declare war.
Other Expressed Powers
D.
i.
Coinage, copyrights, weights & measures,
naturalization, bankruptcy
II. Implied Powers of Congress
Loose & Strict Constructionists
A.
i.
ii.
Loose Constructionists say the Constitution is open to
interpretation.
Strict Constructionists say the Constitution must be
read literally w/out interpretation.
Necessary & Proper Clause Today
B.
i.
Laws essential for carrying into execution the powers
of Congress.
Nonlegislative Powers
C.
i.
ii.
Subpoenas: Documents that require people to testify.
House of Reps vote for President if no one gains a
majority of the electoral college.
III. Limits on the Powers of Congress
Writ of Habeas Corpus
A.
Court order forcing police to present a person to face
charges.
i.
Bill of Attainder
B.
Law that punishes a person w/out trial
i.
Ex post facto laws
C.
A.
Criminalizes action that took place in the past when it
was legal.
The Changing Powers of Congress
D.
i.
ii.
iii.
The Great Depression
World War II
Creating new agencies in the Executive
Exit Slip
1. Tax levied on one person but passed on to
another for payment to the government
2. Tax that individuals pay directly to the
government
3. Amount by which the government’s expenses
exceed its revenue
4. Clause of the Constitution that gives Congress
the power to regulate interstate commerce
5. Legal document that requires a person to testify
in a certain matter
6. Court order that forces the police to present a
person in court to face charges
7. Type of law, explicitly forbidden by the
Constitution, which punishes a person without a trial
Sec. 3:
House of
Representatives
The House of
Representatives, with
its frequent elections
and regular
reapportionment, is the
more representative
chamber of Congress.
Its members carry out
much of their work in
committees.
Do Now
Which
chamber of
Congress do
you think is the
most powerful
and why?
Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn…)
key features of the
House of Representatives
& its membership.
 Some of the challenges
that reapportionment &
redistricting raise.
 How the leadership of the
House is organized.
 The role of committees in
the operation of the
House.
Essential
Question
 The
 How
does
reapportionment
effect who has
political power?
I. Membership in the House
Formal Qualification
A.
i.
ii.
iii.
At least 25 yrs. Old
U.S. citizen for at least 7
years
Resident of state
representing.
Informal Qualifications
B.
i.
ii.
iii.
Voter Appeal
Raise money
Military/Celebrity
background
II. Reapportionment & Redistricting
Reapportionment
A.
i.
Seats are redistributed
among the states
based on the census.
Gerrymandering
B.
i.
Drawing district
boundaries for
political advantage.
III. Leadership in the House
A.
Speaker of the House
A.
B.
Floor Leader
A.
C.
Encourage fellow party members to
vote as the party leaders want.
Party Caucus
A.
E.
Manages the actions & strategy of
the party, assistant to Speaker.
Whips
A.
D.
Most powerful member of the House
& member of majority party.
Meeting of all the House members
from a particular political party.
House Rules
A.
Create any rules to carry out business.
IV. The Role of Committees
Standing Committees
A.
Permanent committees addressing the
major areas of law proposals.
i.
Select Committees
B.
Carry out specific tasks to serve for a
limited duration.
i.
Joint Committees
C.
i.
ii.
iii.
Address broad issues affecting both
chambers.
Committee Chairs: Selected by House
majority party.
Committee Membership: Request
assignments & party caucus votes.
1. According to the formal qualifications listed
in the Constitution, members of the House
must be at least ____________________old.
2. Every 10 years, the House must undergo
__________________, a process that uses the
results of the census to redistribute House
seats among the states.
3. Drawing congressional district boundaries
for political advantage is called
___________________.
4. The ____________is the most powerful
member and presiding officer of the House.
5. Proposed laws are called?
Sec. 4: The Senate
Senators represent
entire states, have
longer terms, and
follow different rules
of debate. These
features help give
the Senate its
reputation as a
more weighty and
careful body than
the House.
Do Now
Who elects
members of the
Senate? Who use to
elect the members
of the Senate? Who
gained power
when the election
process changed?
Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn…)
1.
2.
3.
4.
The major features of
the Senate and its
membership.
The Senate’s leadership
posts.
The role of committees
in the Senate.
The distinctive rules &
traditions of the Senate.
Essential Question
How
is the
Senate
seen as
being a
more
stable
institution in
Congress?
I. The Senate & its Membership
Formal Qualifications
A.
i.
ii.
iii.
At least 30 yrs. Old
U.S. citizen at least 9 years
Resident of the state
representing
Election of Senators
B.
i.
ii.
iii.
State legislatures
1913: 17th Amendment
Direct popular election
Informal Qualifications
C.
i.
ii.
Older, wealthier, “millionaires’
club”
16 women, 1 A.A., 2 Asians, 2
Hispanics
II. Senate Leadership
Constitutional
Positions
A.
i.
ii.
President of the
Senate: The Vice
President of the U.S.
President pro tempore:
Presides in absence of
the president of the
Senate
Party Leaders
B.
i.
Senate Majority
Leader: Most powerful
position held by
member of majority.
III. Senate Committees & Tradition
A.
Senate committees: Similar
B.
Seniority Rule
to the House
i.
Chairs of committees go to
the most senior majority
senator on committee.
Filibuster
C.
i.
Opponents of a measure
refuse to stop talking in order
to prevent a vote.
Cloture
D.
i.
2/3 vote could end a
filibuster.
Exit Slip
 DIRECTIONS:
Choose five of the vocabulary terms
from the word bank. Use these terms to write a
summary of what you learned in the section.
 president
of the Senate
 Senate majority leader
 filibuster
 president pro tempore
 seniority rule
 cloture
Sec: 5
The Legislative
Process
The main job of
Congress is to
make laws. The
process of
making laws is
well established
and orderly.
Do Now
Explain the
process of
how a bill
becomes a
law.
Objectives
How
Learning Goals
Essential
Question
bills are introduced
Why is it
in Congress.
so hard for
What happens to a bill
a bill to
in committee.
become a
What happens to a bill
law?
on the floor of Congress.
The actions a president
can take on a bill.
I. Bills in Congress
Introducing Bills
A.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Either chamber can propose a bill, except
all tax bills start in the House.
Rider: Provision in bill that has nothing to
do with main topic.
Joint Resolution: Used in special situations
like war.
Concurrent Resolutions: Matters that effect
both chambers of Congress
Bills in Committee
B.
i.
Referral → Subcommittee → Markups →
Discharge petition → Rules Committee
II. Bill on the Floor & the President
Committee of the Whole
A.
i.
Entire House becomes a
committee
Quorum
B.
i.
Number needed to legally
conduct business.
Roll-Call Vote
C.
i.
Required to publicly state their
vote.
Conference Committee
D.
i.
Members from each chamber
meet to discuss why a bill didn’t
pass in 1 of the 2 chambers.
Presidential Action on a Bill
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sign a bill into a law
Not sign for 10 days &
becomes law.
Pocket Veto: President
doesn’t sign a bill &
session of Congress
ends killing bill.
Veto a bill.
Exit Slip
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
number of House members needed
present to legally conduct business
provision added to a bill, perhaps because
it would be unlikely to pass on its own
a form of vote in which members of
Congress must publicly state their vote
measure used in extraordinary
circumstances that is signed by the
president and has the force of law
measure endorsed by both houses of
Congress that is not signed by the president
and does not have the force of law