THE BRANCHES OF U.S.
GOVERNMENT
By: Jennifer A. Siefring
ED 417-02

THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
 Body of government that makes the laws

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH:
 House of
Representatives
 Senate

HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
 The number of representatives per state is based on population
 Each representative has a term of 2 years
 Representatives are voted directly by the people

1.
2.
3.
QUALIFICATIONS TO
BECOME A
REPRESENTATIVE
The elected member must be at least 25 years in age
The elected member must be a 7 year citizen of the U.S.
The elected member must be a resident of the state to which he is being elected to represent

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
 Denny
Hastert

OHIO’S 19
REPRESENTATIVES
 John Boehner
 Sherrod Brown
 Steve Chabot
 Paul Gillmor
 Tony Hall
 David Hobson
 Stephanie Tubbs Jones
 Marry Kaptur
 James Traficant Jr.
 Dennis Kucinich
 Steven C. LaTourette
 Robert Ney
 Mike Oxley
 Rob Portman
 Deborah Pryce
 Ralph Regula
 Tom Sawyer
 Ted Strickland
 Pat Tiberti

HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
 Any bills dealing with raising revenue MUST originate in the
House of
Representatives

UNITED STATES SENATE
 Number of senators is the same for each state (each state elects 2 senators)
 The senators are directly elected by the voters
 Each senator serves for a term of 6 years

QUALIFICATIONS TO
BECOME A SENATOR
 The elected senator must by 30 years of age
 The elected senator must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
 The elected senator must be a resident of the state to which he is being elected to represent

FAMILIAR FACES IN THE
SENATE
 Vice President Dick
Cheney
– President of the Senate
– Does not vote unless there is a tie
 President Pro Temp
Strom Thurmond
– Senior Member of the majority party
– Presides over senate when VP can’t make it

OHIO’S 2 SENATORS
 Mike
DeWine
 George
Voinovich

U.S. SENATE
 They have the exclusive right to advise and consent any matters regarding treaties and/or nominations.
 They are the only group that can try impeachments.

RESPONSIBILITES OF THE
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
 Declare war
 Maintain armed forces
 Assess taxes
 Borrow money
 Minting currency
 Regulate commerce

EXECUTIVE BRANCH
 Body of government that enforces the laws

EXECUTIVE OFFICE:
PRESIDENT
 President of the
United States,
George W.
Bush

EXECUTIVE BRANCH
 Presidential Term: 4 Years
 Elected by Electoral College
 Electoral College- Group of representatives from each of the 50 states appointed to elect the president
 The # of electors from each state = the # of state senators + the # of state representatives

QUALIFICATIONS TO
BECOME PRESIDENT
 Natural born citizen
 The candidate to be elected must be at least 35 years of age.
 The candidate to be elected must be a 14year resident of the
United States

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS
 Commander-inchief of the army
 Aid in developing treaties
 Nominate/appoint government officials (Cabinet)

William
Harrison
OHIO’S PRESIDENTS
Ulysses
Grant
Rutherford
Hayes
James
Garfield
Benjamin
Harrison
William
McKinley
William
Taft
Warren
Harding

JUDICIAL BRANCH
 The body of government that interprets the laws.

UNITED STATES SUPREME
COURT
 Consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the president and approved by a majority of the Senate
 Term: life or until removed from office

CURRENT JUSTICES
 Stephen Breyer, Ruth
Bader Ginsburg,
Anthony Kennedy,
Sandra Day O’Connor,
William Rehnquist,
Antonin Scalia, David
Souter, John Paul
Stevens, Clarence
Thomas

CHIEF JUSTICE
 William
Rehnquist

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
JUDICIAL BRANCH
 Interpret the laws of our country
 Interpret the constitution
 Decide if a law is or is not constitutional
 Their decisions affect law enforcement and future lawmaking procedures

CHECKS & BALANCES
AMONG THE 3 BRANCHES
 To make sure each branch is doing its job- , our government uses a check & balance