AP Gov Unit 2 pt 1: The Legislative Branch

bicameral congress

the national legislature is a...

British parliament had one, settle conflict between VA and NJ plans, each house checks the other

why do we have a bicameral congress?

2 years

congressional term

session of congress

period of time when congress assembles + conducts business

on the same date in every state

congressional elections are held...

118th

current congress

hor: represent general populace
senate: made of men elected by state legislatures (more educated house)

house of reps vs senate original design intentions

house: cup (hot, passionate)
senate: saucer (cools cup)
SENATE TEMPERS HOUSE

explain the cup + saucer model

- initiate Revenue bills
- Impeach officers
- selects President (if no candidate wins)

powers of house

435 (based on population of each state)

number of hor members

- at least one hor rep
- 2 senate reps

every state=

2 years

hor term length

apportionment

Congress tells states their # of seats in hor
- after each census

- 25 years old
- citizen for 7+ years
- inhabitant of rep state

formal requirements for hor members

- party ID
- name familiarity
- experience

informal requirements for hor members

gerrymandering

drawing district boundaries to the advantage of the political party that controls the state’s legislature
- ex: Shaw v. Reno

reapportionment

redistribution of seats in the HoR based on changes in population

redistricting

drawing the new district boundary lines
"Oh em goodness! You got ______ too?!"

districts

governing sections of a state
- not mentioned in constitution

election of 1800 (Jefferson v Burr)

1st and only time hor has had to select president because of tied electoral college
"Can we get back to politics? Please? No."

- select VP (if no candidate wins)
- Advice and Consent power
- declare War
- Tries Impeached officers
- ratify international Treaties

powers of senate

100 members (2/state)

number of senate members

more enlightened + responsible (upper house)

Framers intended the Senate to be...

6 years

senate term length

1/3 of senate runs every 2 years

what does it mean to say the senate is a "continuous body?"

larger, more diverse than hor

nature of senate representation

senate members chosen by state legis-->direct election
senators held to decisions of voting citizens vs state legis

17th Amendment changed...

30 yo
citizen 9+ years
inhabitant of rep state

formal qualifications for senators

party ID
name familiarity
experience

informal qualifications for senators

senate designed to have fewer restrictions because intended to be cautious and experienced

"The World's Greatest Deliberate Body" meaning

filibuster

lengthy speech to delay action on bill

Rule 22 (cloture rule)

1917: required a 2/3 supermajority to stop debate and call for a vote
1975: the Senate lowered the standard to 3/5 majority (60/100)

1) Representatives of their constituents
2) Legislators
3) Committee members
4) Servants of their constituents
5) Politicians

5 roles of members of congress

strong speakers-->weak speakers (members rule)
pendulum

phases in house development

power-->president

WWI + WWII + Great Depression=

Jeanette Rankin

1916: first female to house
before even given right to vote

Nancy Pelosi

2007: first female speaker of the house

appointments to late husband's seats

some female senators begin congressional service through...

power of the purse

Congress appropriates, or allots, public money to be spent
- budgeting committees

27th Amendment

Members of Congress set their own salaries
1992: adopted to prevent any pay raises from taking effect until the following Congress

hold town hall meetings, examine public opinion polls, hold focus groups, and read stacks of mail and emails

ways for legislators to get ideas of constituents' desires

trustee model

members follow their conscience or ideology
- attitudinal vote

delegated model

members try to vote the will of their constituency
- representative vote

partisan model

members follow the general beliefs of their political party
- organizational vote
- Party leaders encourage members to follow the party-line vote, especially if political favors are expected

politicos

those who effectively balance their trustee, delegate, and partisan roles to fit the occasion

Logrolling/reciprocity

trading votes to gain support for a bill

raise armies and navies, mandate draft, determine money spent on bases, salary schedule, etc

in regards to foreign affairs and military, congress can...

>

senate foreign relations duties ____ house foreign relations duties

Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
President Pro Tempore of the Senate

leadership positions in the Constitution

Majority and minority floor leaders
Majority and minority whips

leadership positions created by Congress

speaker of the house

both the elected presiding officer of the House and the leader of the majority party
- follow the VP in line of presidential succession

President of the Senate

Senate’s presiding officer
- Vice President (not a member like the House Speaker)
- Usually only shows up to break a tie

President Pro Tempore

Elected by the Senate itself
- always a leading member of the majority party (usually the longest serving)

Congress opens

January 3rd, odd-numbers years

party caucus

the entire party gathers privately weeks before and determines their choices for leadership positions

caucus

The formal, nongovernmental groups of like-minded people organized in Congress
- ex: agriculture, business, women's issues

- Equal Protection Clause violated
- federal courts allowed to intervene if civil rights questions

Baker v Carr

- unusually drawn districts supported equal black representation in voting
- racial gerrymandering + violated EPC

Shaw v Reno

committee

Smaller groups can tackle issues and draft more precise laws than the entire House and Senate
- where the real work of Congress takes place
- allow for expertise and make moving legislation manageable

standing committees

permanent
cover particular subject
first stage of bill approval
senate-hold confirmation meetings for presidential appointments

joint committees

permanent
2 committees between House and Senate for same purpose
ex: Library of Congress, Joint Committee on Taxation

select committee

assembled periodically for a particular, short-lived reason
- scandals (ex: scandals)
- investigate issues that may need congressional action (ex: Jan 6th)
- 1 or both houses

conference committees

temporary
iron out differences on bills that passed each house but in different forms
similar bills passed-->compromise-->members of both house meet for mark up session
how bill is amended
to become law: pass house + prez

committee assignment

- reps + senators seek this
- parties nominate this (Policy and Steering Committee, Committee on Committees)
- full house votes on this

executive branch agencies (FBI, IRS, etc)
- corruption: call directors to testify
- fact finder exchanges

congressional oversight over...

1) senate/house member introduces bill
2) bill numbered
3) assigned to committees (can be addressed by multiple simultaneously)
4) pass both house-->law

legislative process

amendment in house

approved by committee overseeing bill

amendment in senate

individual senator introduces it

riders

additional points that ride onto an often-unrelated law
- benefit congressmen's own agendas or programs or enhance the political chances of the bill
- "Christmas tree bills": items from congress member's wish lists

pork bill spending

riders on bills lead to...

pork bill spending

congress members try to send federal dollars (aka pork) back to their district

earmarks

Funds directed for a specific purpose
- raised national debate

1) 60s and 70s scandals
2) media only covers controversial battles
3) lawmaking process is longer than expected

3 factors that contributed to unpopular congress:

party polarization

the legislature has become a partisan and uncivil institution
- split on either extreme; few neutral/in the middle