AP Gov/Comp U2 Note packet

House of representatives

• Representative/Congress person

• 435 ct.

• 2 year term

• 25 years age requirement

• 7 years citizenship requirement

• Resident of state

• no term limit

*535 congress = 435 House and 100 senate

Senate

• senator

• 100 ct.

• 6 year terms

• 30 year age requirement

• 9 year citizenship requirement

• Resident of state

• no term limit

President

• 1

• 4 year term limit

• 35 year age requirement

• natural born citizen

• 14 year residency requirement

• 2 term limit

Supreme court

• “Justices”

• 9 ct.

• life term

• no age requirement, citizenship, or residency

• no term limit

Impeachment steps

1) House of Representatives have the power to impeach with a majority vote. This does NOT remove them from office.

2) Senate tries the impeached official. The Chief justice presides when the President is on trial, and 2/3 vote is necessary to convict.

The Federal Lawmaking process

1) Congress

→ Congress passes bill (At least ½ house and senate) 🟡

→ Congress fails to pass bill (Less then ½ vote from either house) ❌

2)President

→ Signs bill ✅

→ Vetoes bill → 3)Congress can override veto (house and senate greater than 2/3 vote) ✅ OR Congress fails to override veto ❌

→ Does nothing → 3) Ten days pass with congress in session ✅ OR Congress adjourns before 10 days (pocket veto) ❌

How to amend the constitution

1) Propose

• Method 1: 2/3 House and 2/3 Senate propose (most likely)

• Method 2: 2/3 state legislatives want it → they can call on congress to call a convention for proposing amendments

AND

2) Ratify

• Method 1: ¾ states legislatures (dedicated bodies), most likely

• Method 2: ¾ state ratifying conventions

Budgeting

• congress sets a federal budget, which can serve as a check on the executive.

• Pork barrel spending: the direction of specific funds to projects within districts or states (i.e. Boeing)

• Logrolling: trading votes on legislation to get earnmarks approved for a member’s district/state

Oversight

Efforts by congress to ensure executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments and officials are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals. Congress conducts hearings.

2.1 Congress

• Bicameral Design & Republicanism: Congress balances state and popular representation. The Senate gives equal representation to states (2 per state), while the House represents population size (435 members).

• Debate Style & Chamber Rules: Because the House is significantly larger, its debates are strictly structured and formal. The smaller Senate operates with more informal, open-ended debate rules.

• Elections & Continuity: The House undergoes complete reelection every 2 years. The Senate runs on staggered 6-year terms, with only one-third of seats up for election every 2 years, making it a continuous body.

• Core Powers & Policy Functions: Congress uses its enumerated and implied powers (via the Necessary and Proper Clause) to shape public policy by:

  • Managing finances (taxing, spending, borrowing, passing budgets, coining money).

  • Exercising war powers (declaring war, funding the military).

  • Regulating interstate commerce.

  • Setting immigration and naturalization rules.

  • Structuring the federal court system.

  • Exercising oversight to hold executive agencies accountable.

Leaders of the House

• Speaker of the House: highest, most powerful chosen by congresspeople, political action committees

• House majority leader: second highest position

• Majority whip: leadership position within majority party - collects info on likely votes, influences congresspeople

• Minority leader - works to coordinate the minority party

• Senate majority leader- most powerful position in the senate, heads the party with the most seats

• Senate minority leader - Head of the party with the second most seats

Committees and committee structure

Both houses of Congress rely on committees to conduct that chamber’s work. Committee chairs are selected by party leaders, which hold power over the agenda of the committee.

Types of com.

• Standing: permanent, divided by policy area

• Joint: composed of senators and congressmen

• Conference: temporary joint committee that resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill

• Select: temporary bodies, generally to investigate an issue

Special considerations in the House

Discharge petition: a motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House for a vote.

House rules committee: a powerful com. that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

Committee of the whole: Composed of all congresspeople, but operates under different rules that allow for the efficient passage