Two Houses Of Congress

Roger Sherman

He helped draft the Great Compromise that determined how states would be represented in Congress

Most bills...

die in committee

adjourn

suspend, as in a session of Congress

prorouge

adjourn, as in a legislative session

made a bicameral legislative compromise

in discourse of the compromise, the Virginia and New Jersey plans of representation.

Apportioned

based on population to be distributed

California's representative

Zoe Lofgren

How many members in the house of Representatives?

435

House of Representatives term

2 year term, no limit to the number of terms (elected every even year)

Congress and Senate

have no limits to terms

special session of congress

an extraordinary session of a legislative body, called to deal with an emergency situation

Reappointment Act of 1929

Set permanent size to 435, seats would be redistributed after every census (10 years)

Congressional Elections

held every two years on the first Tuesday in November

off-year election

the congressional elections held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

Qualifications for House of Representatives

25 years old, citizen for 7 years, resident of the state they will represent

Carpetbagging

Act of moving from one state to another, for the purposes of getting elected and serving there, even though you are not a long-time resident of that state.

Total of Senators

100 senators (2 per state)

17th Amendment (1913)

Established that senators were to be elected directly by voters (instead of by state legislatures as under the Constitution originally)

Senators serve for

6 year terms

Senates is a continuous body

all of its seats are never up for election at the same time

Qualifications for Senator

30 years old, 9 years citizen, resident of state

Trustees

lawmakers who vote based on their conscience and judgment, not the views of their constituents

Delegates

A person who is chosen or elected to represent a person or group

Partisans

lawmakers who owe their first allegiance to their political party and vote according to the party line

Politicos

lawmakers who attempt to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles

franking privilege

the right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage

oversight function

The power of Congress to review the policies and programs of the executive branch

senators and representatives

screen proposed laws before they are voted on

senators and representatives are paid

a salary of $141,300 a year.

Certain members, Speaker of the House and the Senate's president

are paid more

Members of Congress are immune

from arrest for noncriminal offenses while engaged in congressional business.

Article I, Section 6, Clause 1

states that "for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned/slandered in any other Place".

Senators of California

Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla