Congress (Griffo Gov)

Bicameral

2 chambers, 2 house (pop and =)

Congress terms last for..

2 years

Sessions

period of time where Congress assembles & conducts business

Congress today would meet up more frequently than in the past because..

technology, and therefore transportation, has become way more advanced and farmers had to constantly tend to their land

Congress can only end sessions when both…

the Senate and House adjourn (stop meeting)

House of Representatives (pop)

• 435 members

• 2 yr terms

• reapportioned (redistribute) after each census

Senate (=)

• 100 members

• Senators representing whole state population

• 6 yr terms

• staggered elections

• more prestigious

Why is the Senate > House (of Importance)?

Senate: upper chamber, Senate is chosen by state legislatures (more educated) bc more important jobs

• house is just regular people (voted by regular citizens)

Staggered Elections

every 2 years, re-elected

• had them so Senators could focus on other problems

Senate qualifications: (and other info)

• 30 yrs old

• resident of state

• American citizen for 9 yrs

  Selected by ppl, office term: 6 yrs, rep whole state

Senator Powers:

• confirm Prez appointments

• approve/reject treaties

• act as the jury for an impeachment trial

Our Senators:

Bernie Moreno, JD Vance

House of Rep qualifications:

• 25 yrs old

• US Citizen for 7 yrs

• Resident of state & district

  Elected by ppl, 2 yr terms, member per state based on pop (435 max)

House Powers:

• originates $ bills (taxes)

• begins impeachment process

• elects Prez if Electoral College fails to do so

Our House of Reps

Jim Jordan

District

435 members of congress

• 435 congressional districts

Single-Member Districts:

• voters in each district elect 1 member from that district to represent them

Rules for drawing districts:

• state legislatures draw them

• district must be contiguous (touching)

• district should be from 500,000-800,000 ppl

• compact

Census

head count (of ppl)

Debate on whether to make House bigger or cap it?

• Too big →nothing gets done

• Too small →not everyone represented

Gerrymandering:

try to draw districts to the advantage of the political party that controls state legislature

• can’t happen in Congress bc of State (both parties do it)

Packing (type of Gerrymandering)

dominant political party “packs” or concentrates all of the voters into 1 district

• “safe” district

Cracking (type of Gerrymandering)

dominant part “cracks” a dominant voting district into 2-3

• gives chance to win

How is our gov Limited?

The Constitution (big writing of limitations)

How is our gov Federal?

State & National both have power

Expressed (Enumerated) Power to Congress (Art 1, Sec 8)

can not be questioned bc written

• ex: power to tax

Implied Powers of Congress (Unenumerated)

Gives Congress to make laws that are necessary & proper for carrying out the expressed powers (not written)

• ex: power to create the draft →from the written rule ’power to make army’

Inherent Powers of Congress

powers granted to all gov (just bc it is a gov)

• ex: border security & foreign affairs

Powers Denied to Congress

• cant tax exports

• cant deny Writ of Habeas Corpus (an order guaranteeing to know rzn of arrest)

• cant pass Ex Post Facto Laws: cant be arrested for a change in law after you did it

• no nobility titles

Congress Enumerated (written) Powers

• tax (articles failed bc they couldn’t)

• borrowing $ (not limited)

• currency (all same currency)

InTERstate

btwn 2 states

• Federal gov has control

InTRAstate

within a state

• State gov has control

Commerce Clause

expanded Congress power; gives Congress the authority to regulate interstate & foreign trade within a state, but NOT trade; power to tax income & imported goods, but NOT exports

Gibbons v. Ogden

• steamboat regulation

• who could navigate rivers? Congress

• expands federal power

Wickard v. Filborn

• farmer wanted to grow extra grain to feed animals

• could affect commerce overtime if enough ppl did it →Wickard wins

• extended power

US v. Lopez

• Federal Gun Ban: said guns could affect kid’s grades → (-) economics

  * this case is the line of going too far w/ Commerce Clause

• Limits Congress

  * Congress can not make any law that they want

  • limited (shown by case)

Strict Constructionists

• led by Thomas Jefferson

• Anti-Fed’s Position: argued Congress should only be able to exercise expressed powers

  • Implied powers only used if necessary

• states keep power

Loose Constructionists

• led by Alexander Hamiliton

• Federalists Position: a liberal, more broad interpretation of the Constitution

• Implied is fair-game, a ‘tool’

Alexander Hamiliton

Federalist, wants US bank

• wins the battle → bank established

  • James Madison needs $ after the War of 1812 (in debt)

    • Congress creates 2nd Banks of the US (upsets states) (cont. in McCulloch case)

Thomas Jefferson

Anti-Fed, does NOT want US Bank

• believes gov should only use written powers and that broad interpretation of powers would destroy reserved powers

McCulloch v. Maryland case

• upset abt US Bank, Maryland places tax on all notes not chartered by state legislature

• James McCulloch: bank cashier who wasn’t paying the tax

- Maryland: organization of bank was unconstitutional

- Bank: power is implied, states can’t tax Fed gov

• Ruling: creation was ‘necessary & proper’ to execution of taxing, borrowing, currency, & commerce

  * 1st case that defended implied powers (was Congress’s tool)

Non Legislative Powers

given to Congress, don’t make laws

• constitutional amends

• tie in the EC (goes to House)

• Impeachment (House)

• confirmation powers

• treaties

Impeachment

bring charges onto a President or public officer (treason, bribery, high crimes, & misdemeanors)

• House: Impeaches

• Senate: act as court

  • Johnson, Clinton, Trump

Confirmation Powers

all major appointments by Prez (Senate)

Senate Powers

• Confirmation powers

• treaties

• act as jury for an impeachment trial

Senator and House member roles/jobs:

1. Act as a Legislature: make laws

2. Represent their Constituents (ppl they are hired to represent): How they vote

3. Committee Members: do all work in House/Senate (every member is on the committee)

4. Servants of their constituents: serve the public

5. Politicians: serve your political party

How do the House/Senator members vote?

1. Trustee

2. Delegates

3. Partisans

4. Politicos

House/Senate Jobs: Act as a Legislature

makes laws

House/Senate Jobs: Represent their Constituents

How they vote (Trustee, Delegate, Partisans, Politicos)

House/Senate Jobs: Committee Members

do all work in House/Senate (every member is on the committee)

House/Senate Jobs: Servants of their constituents

serve the public

House/Senate Jobs: Politicians

serve your political party

How do they vote? Trustee

vote on their morals (whether right or wrong)

How do they vote? Delegate

vote the way your ppl back home want them to

How do they vote? Partisans

vote in like w/ their party (what they are supposed to do)

• majority members do this

How do they vote? Politicos

combine all the basic elements (of Trustee, Delegate, and Partisan)

Speaker of the House

Presiding officer (leader)

• currently: Mike Johnson (R)

  * R bc House is majority R

• His Job: acknowledges speakers, signs bills, appoints committees, calls a vote

  • changes every 2 yrs (House term)

VP Power (is this the actual name?)

leader of the Senate

• presiding officer (can’t speak/debate)

• breaks Senate ties

President Pro Tempore

Speaker of the SENATE

• R:53 D:45 I:2 → so a R is PPT

• resides in VP’s absence

  • elected by the Senate

  • currently: Chuck Grassley (91)

Senate Whips

‘whip’ someone into shape

• push their party for voting for party (interests)

Congress is majority set up around..

POLITICAL PARTIES

• major roles in Congress belong to party currently in power

Every house member is on about _ committees

4-6

every Senate member is on about _ committees

2-3

Committee Type: Standing

permanent, all similar bills are sent

• ex: Armed Service Committees (House)

• ex: Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (Senate) (subcommittees)

Committee Type: Select

special group; set up for a specific purpose for a limited time

• ex: Crime (911)

• ex: Assassinations (JFK)

Committee Type: Joint

members from both H & S

• ex: Joint Economic Committee

Committee Type: Conference

temporary, joint; created to rid of differences btwn bills passed

• ex: Armed Services

Bill

proposed law presented to the House or Senate for consideration

• deals with 1 issue typically

Why does the the process of making a bill into a law take so long?

debate and look at every detail of the bill

Rider

unrelated matter w/in a bill

2nd step of making a bill?

give name and number to bill (House Resolution) → tells where it originates

• ex: H.R. 7521

Subcommittees

divisions to break down bills even more

Full Committee (Committees role in turning bills into laws)

1. Report bill favorably “do pass” recommendation

2. Refuse to report the bill

3. Report the bill in amendment form

4. Report the bill w/ unfavorable recommendation

Why do most bills die in committee?

Broken down and heavily discussed every detail for a long period of time

The bill on the floor

bill is sent to be debated by H and S

The Floor: House

Limits placed; would never get anything done if talked for hours since so many members (435)

• can’t speak for no more than 1 hr per member

• speaker can stop them if they get of topic

The Floor: Senate

speak on floor as long as they wish

• lots of freedom within debate

Filibuster

an attempt to “talk a bill to death”

• Senate ONLY

• SUPER powerful

  • if threatened by a political party → opposing party WILL compromise (it’s just that strong)

    • Hold floor as long as possible in order to go past bill time stamp

Rules to Lose Right to Talk:

1. Can’t stop talking

2. Can’t sit down (can lean)

3. Can’t leave

Cloture

only way to stop Filibuster

• VERY hard to get: have to get 60 signatures to limit debate hours to 30 hours at most

  • 10 member of Senate would have to cross party line (never happens)

How a Bill becomes a Law

President Acts (4 Options)

1. Prez may sign the bill → LAW

2. Prez veto/refuse to sign → can be overridden by a 2/3 vote of Senate/House members

3. Prez doesn’t touch bill for 10 days → LAW

4. Pocket Veto: Congress adjourns within 10 days & Prez leaves bill alone → bill DIES

WHO is our President Pro Tempore?

Chuck Grassley

Term

2 year period where Congress meets

Apportion

distribute seats (og)

off-year election

non-presidential election year

At-large voting

voters from state can vote (individuals’ votes count directly)

Continuous Body

seats that are never up for election at the same time (ex: Senate, NOT the House)

Constituency

the ppl, interests, & elected official represents

What expressed power of the US Constitution did Gibbons v. Ogden solidify?

The Supremecy Clause →fed > state

Under what circumstances must Congress choose a President? (VP?)

if EC can’t come to an agreement → decision goes to the HOUSE

• VP → SENATE

What are the duties of the presiding officers in the House and Senate?

speaking, date of bill, choose head of committee

What role do committees play in turning bills into laws?

they first research and discuss then ___ the bill

1. PASS

2. KILL

3. AMEND

4. DEBATE →can’t agree → send it to the floor

Purpose of a Conference committee?

to solve disagreements btwn S & H

Who is our Speaker of the House?

Mike Johnson (R)

Who is the Leader of the Senate?

JD Vance (also called VP Power)