chapter 10 - congress

name the 3 reasons for a bicameral legislature

historical, practical, theoretical

how long is a congressional term?

2 years

how long is a house term?

2 years

how long is a senate term?

6 years

what is a session?

one year to conduct business

adjourn

stop meeting

“adjourn sine die”

end meeting

prorogue

president ends session

special session

president calls meeting because of an emergency

how many members are in the house of representatives?

435

how is the house apportioned?

by population

name the 4 parts of the reapportionment act of 1929

makes 435 permanent, census every 10 years, apportionment plan, passed laws take effect in 90 days

when are congressional elections held?

November, even years, tuesday after first monday

when is a midterm?

between presidential elections

who draws district lines?

states

single-member district

one representative per district

at-large

representative can be elected from anywhere in the state

who are the formal qualifications for?

the house

what are the 3 formal qualifications?

25 years old, resident, american citizen for 7 years

who are the informal qualifications for?

any elective office

name the 5 informal qualifications

name recognition, party affiliation, gender, race, experience

how many members are in the senate?

100

how is the senate apportioned?

2 per state

what does staggered election mean?

1/3 of the body is elected every 2 years

continuous body

all of the senate is never up for election at the same time

name the 3 qualifications to become a senator

30 years old, resident of state, american citizen for 9 years

what does a trustee do?

make educated decisions

what is a partisan elected based on?

political party

what does a politico do?

role of partisan and trustee combined

how much does a typical senator make?

174,000

name 4 benefits to being a senator

private restaurants, private gyms, free franking, free healthcare

what does politics of pay mean?

congress can change their pay but won’t see a change until after the next election

name the two membership privileges

legislative immunity, can’t be arrested going to or from a house meeting