Government UNIT 2 TEST  (copy)

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The Legislative Branch
Congress
Article I of the Constitution
By putting the Legislative Branch first, and because it is the longest article of them all, our forefathers are telling us that it is the most important
Enumerated Powers from Article I
The power to tax
Important because they really needed money
The power to borrow money
The power to regulate trade
The power over citizenship and immigration
The power to define the law of bankruptcy
The power to make national currency
The power to choose the standard of measurement
The power to make the punishment for making fake money
The power to make post offices
The power of Intellectual property/ copyright patents
The power to have Federal Courts
The power to Piracy
The power to Declare War
Army, Navy, and rules for the military
Militia/ Rules for militia
National Capital
Necessary Laws
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Makeup
House of Representatives - 435 members, apportioned by population
Requirements -
Citizen for a minimum of 7 years
At least 25 years old
Live where you represent
Term-
2 years then everyone is up for re-election
Tennessee? -
9 districts = 9 Representatives
3rd district - Rep. Chuck Fleischman- R
Senate - 100, 2 from each state
Requirements -Citizen for a minimum of 9 years
At least 30 years old
Live where you represent
Term -
6 years and re-election is rotated
⅓ is up every 2 years
Tennessee? -
Sen. Marsha Blackburn- R
Sen. Bill Hagerty- R
Influencers
Constituents
Voters in an area of representation
Political Party
Group of people who share beliefs that are trying to run the government
Personal Views
Views that influence a person's decisions
Which is the biggest influence?
Political party because that is the way that everything gets done
Term Limits
There are no term limits so you can keep getting re-elected
Creates Career Politicians- serve for more than 10 years
Incumbency
Running for the position you already hold
Earmarks/Pork-Barrel Projects
Funding for a special, local project that only benefits a certain number of constituents
Log-Rolling
Congressmen who will make deals with each other so that they can promise their constituents certain thing
The House of Representatives
Their main job is to make the law
Accomplished through committees
Influence of Constituents
Within the committee appointments, you want to be able to help your constituents out by making laws for something that is going to benefit them
Influence of Party
Your political party is going to decide what committee you are appointed to
Leadership
Speaker of the House
Chosen by the majority party, then the house approves
Presides over sessions (runs the meetings), influences through recognizing members (determines who talks), scheduling bills (the most powerful, don’t have to put bills on the schedule), refers bills, follows VP in line for Presidency (3rd inline)
Kevin McCarthy is the current Speaker of the House
Other Leaders under the Speaker
House Majority Leader (Republican)
Majority Whip
This is simply just the person who is in charge of the party that has more followers.
House Minority Leader (Democrat)
Minority Whip
This is simply just a person who is in charge of the party that has the second-highest followers.
Apportionment
The process is dividing up each state into districts determined by population
Census
The counting of the population of the US every ten years
Apportion per state the 435 seats based on new population
You can only gain more seats if you gain population
If there is a change…
The state has to re-draw their district map
What issues would make this process hard?
Gerrymandering
When states redraw the lines to boost your own political party
Baker vs Carr, 1961
Details of the case
People were mad because TN didn’t apportion equally
Ruling
Supreme Court rules that they can tell the state what to do when it comes to apportionment
How does this affect apportionment
It makes Gerrymanding illegal
Creation of Legislation
Bill
1000s proposed and sent to specific officiating committees
10-20% reaches the floor for a vote
House Rules Committee (only house)
“The traffic cop of Congress”
In charge of bills: which committee will see the bill, how fast they go through the system, how and when legislation will be considered by the house
The Speaker of the House is the chairman so they get to decide
They are important because they set up the agenda for the whole house, always going to reflect what the majority party wants
The Senate (currently a majority of democrats)
They are working to pass bills
Less chaotic/more flexible because there are fewer rules
All senators have maximum freedom to express their ideas
Unlimited Debate
Vice President
Presides over Senate but has no voting power unless there is a tie
Recognizes members and puts questions to a vote
Can influence members with personal contact
Absent a lot of the time
The Vice President is normally in charge of foreign affairs so they aren’t home most of the time
President Pro Tempore
The most senior member of the majority party, elected by the Senate
Presides over Senate in VP’s absence
4th in line for President
Majority and Minority Floor Leaders
Most important officers in the Senate
Majority Leader- plans Senate’s work schedule and agenda
Their party’s leader
Currently- Majority leader (D- Chuck Schumer) Minority leader (R- Mitch McConnell)
Bills
Lots are proposed, but no commitment to regulate the schedule
Just goes to committees and then to the floor for debate
Filibuster
One way for senators to defeat a bill they oppose
Keep talking until a majority of the Senate either abandons the bill or agrees to modify its most controversial provisions
Vote of Cloture to end Filibuster- Supermajority
Committees- the powerhouse of Congress
Standing, Select, Joint, Conference
Standing (house and senate version)
Permanent committees are going to look at the big government issues
Select (house and senate versions)
Temporary committees are going to look at specific issues
Joint (both house and senate)
A committee that passes bills quickly, occurs at the beginning of the bill cycle
An unexpected occurrence, quick decision, emergencies only
Conference (both house and senate)
A committee that combines two bills and makes a compromise, occurs at the end of the bill cycle
Committee Makeup
Fixed number of seats, majority party gets most (ratio changes)
House members- serve on 2 committees (one major, one minor)
Senate- serves on 4 committees, only 2 major committees (example: Foreign Relations or Finance)
The committee must have a vacancy in order to appoint new members
Seniority/Re-election/Majority Party determines in Congressmen stay on a committee
Chairperson- powerful head of committees
Schedule meetings and decides which bills to consider and when they go to debate it usually leads to debate
Always a member of the majority party, usually with the most seniority (committee seniority not in Congress)

Is Congress Broken?
What was the framer's intent for Congress? How do we know?
They wanted Congress to be the most powerful branch because they are the closest to the people.
The very first article of the Constitution, a lot of enumerated powers, the longest article
Functions of Congress
Delegate
Vote according to what their Constituents want all of the time
Representative
They were elected to think what they want, go off of what they think they should do
Politico
If Constituents have a strong opinion on a subject, the person will vote for the people but if they don’t have a strong opinion, they will vote for themselves
Partisan
Vote depending on how your political party views something
Who has the Power within Congress?
Committees- seen as “Little Legislatures”
Seen that way because all of them can have a huge effect on any bill that comes through
Seniority
Considered this when you have been elected for awhile
Majority Party
Leadership, schedule, majority of every committee, chairperson of every committee, majority rules when it comes to voting
Why do Americans distrust Congress?
Because Republicans and Democrats can’t get along enough to make a law that helps out both sides
Divided Government/Gridlock

How a Bill becomes a Law
House Senate
Bill is introduced and by turning it into the hopper 1. Bill is announced by a senator on the floor
Bill is given a # HR123 2. Bill is given a #: 5456

Committee Action
House Rules com. will see bill
first , then decided to send to a standing com.

How a Bill becomes a Law

Is Congress Broken?
What was the farmer's intent for Congress? - They wanted congress to be the strongest branch because they talk about congress first and given 75 enumerated power longest article most about the people the most powerful and the most important
How do we know?
Functions of Congress
Delegate - going to congress and doing what their constituents say
Representatives - it doesn't matter what the constituents want I get to decide what is best on every law and vote on their own bias what they think is best they rely more on themselves
Politico - its a hybrid of the two constituents wish are doing their issues they care they vote while other situations they are going to do what they want
Partisan - The idea you vote what your party wants you to
Who has the power within Congress?
committees - seen as “little legislatures” - committee action they decided what bills go and what they don’t they have a lot of influence on bills by rewriting it and killing it or keeping it
Seniority - the longer he stuck around the more power he got in committee
The longer you are in office the more power you get in committee
Majority Party - more number of seats you get more votes, majority rules, the most seats in committees, every single chair person of every committee, all the big leadership of the whole house, They get control the schedule what bills to consider
Constituents are not on the list
Constituents matter to get voted in and reelected
Its all about pleasing your party
Be in the majority and please party
It is not constituents
No parties are written in the constitution
Why do Americans distrust congress? - forging compromise. Congress has become just a platform of outrage,congress only wants to vast in the spotlight, congress fails to follow its own letters of congress, blurred the lines of congress and entertainment, and work through the legislative branch. It will remain the weakest branch, Is to be really public about others as the bad guys, no incentive to work together anymore
Divided Government/ Gridlock - when congress doesn’t get along it cause gridlock no movement you can’t pass any laws divided branches and within the branch