2.1 - congress: the senate and the house of representatives

what are the structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress?

what structure of Congress did article ! of the constitution lay out?

bicameral after the great compromise of representation (small states vs big states)

house of reps- pop

senate- 2 per state

what was the intent behind the design of the house and Senate and their different roles and responsibilities?

house would be kept closer and more representative of the American people

senate would be more level headed

what’s washington’s cup and saucer analogy?

house is the cup of piping hot tea with a lot of passion for their region and differing opinions.

senate is the saucer that cools it off

why is the house of reps a shorter term?

more concern for the “folks back home”

what does the senate face, compared to the house, when it comes to public opinion?

they’re more insulated from it

which amendment gave people the right to vote for senators

17th amendment

what fraction of senators can be up for reelection at one time? and what are the terms?

1/3 of senators

6 year term

what fraction of the house can be up for reelection at one time? and what are the terms

100% of the house

2 year term

what are the age requirements?

house-

senate-

house- 25

senate- 30

what are the citizenship requirements?

house-

senate-

house- 7 years

senate- 9 years

what are the residency requirements?

house-

senate-

house- reside in state they represent

senate- reside in state they represent

what’s the number of members?

house-

senate-

house- 435

senate- 100

what are the term lengths and stipulations?

house-

senate-

house- 2yrs, unlimited terms

senate- 6 yrs, unlimited terms

where can bills originate?

is there an exception? if so, where does the exception originate?

either the house or the senate

yes, bills of appropriation (money). comes from the HOUSE

how does a bill become a law?

*very simple answer*

identical bills must pass in BOTH chambers by a simple majority vote after originating in one of the two

then signed by the president

bills of appropriation

bills dealing with money, revenue

must come from the house

committees

chatting about things and talking about laws, bills, and what to do

the nitty gritty

they edit bills, and bills can go to multiple committees

caucuses

less formal organization, members in each house, not part of the lawmaking process

republican party caucus

democratic caucus

coalition

senators build longer lasting relationships because longer terms allow for coalition membership to be more permanent than house coalitions where members change more often

enumerated powers of congress

also called expressed

SPECIFICALLY listed in the constitution, powers of congress

what are some enumerated powers of the house?

• origination of bills of appropriation

• initiation of impeachment

• breaking tie in electoral college

what are some enumerated powers of the senate?

• provide consent on treaties and presidential appointments (cabinet or SCOTUS)

• handles trial of impeachment

what are some joint Congress enumerated powers?

• regulate commerce

  • commerce clause

• declare war

• fund military and foreign aid

• oversight of state and defense dept and other agencies

• ratifies treaties w/ other nations by a 2/3 vote

what is an implied power of Congress?

N+P clause

also called elastic clause

first provided for in mcullough v maryland which gave congress the ability to create a bank under N+P clause and forbid Maryland from taxing fed gov

what did the N+P clause (implied power) do to the federal gov?

expanded it’s role and size to deal with more modern issues

what do we do with the census and how often do we have it?

we reapportion allotments for the members of the house, redistrict

every 10 years

because they represent the whole entire state, how is a senator’s constituency different than house?

much more diverse constituency

because they represent their district within a state, how is a house of rep member’s constituency different than the senate?

likely more like minded and specific issues

more intimate and close to the people

why is it a requirement for a bill to pass in both chambers?

to prevent the passage of rash laws

what does the 2 year term mean for house of representatives in terms of keeping their job?

they MUST consider public opinions or unsatisfied members will replace them

what 1929 Act mandated the changes in redistricting based off of the census?

the 1929 reapportionment act

what happens to states’ seats after the census reapportionment?

what happens to some states even if they grew in population?

• they lose, gain, or maintain

• even growing states will lose seats if they grow at a proportionally smaller rate

what’s the relation between introducing bills and caucuses vs committees?

they can formulate ideas and strategy in the caucuses but they have to wait and introduce bills through the official, public committee system

before drawing money from the treasury, who has to approve?

congress

what are the executive and legislative branches role in the budget?

• president proposes

• congress accepts or changes however they want

foreign and military policy are determined ___________ but the constitution grants ___________ the ability to declare war

both the president and Congress

congress

why did the framers place declaring war completely in congress’ hands?

they wanted a democratic system in place instead of placing it in one singular person’s hands who may be power hungry or tyrannical

the framers wanted to have a strong military leader who was responsible for the people so they made the __________ the commander in chief

president