2.1 Congress: The Senate and the House of Representatives Video 1

How Is Congress Designed:

Diff in Chamber Size and Constituencies Influence Debate

• House of reps: A larger number of members representing their own unique constituencies, debate in the house must be more formal in order to move bills through the process.

• Senate: A smaller number rep all citizens in the state, the Senate can operate in a less formal manner. Coalitions would be easier to build due to longer terms.

Formality in the Houses of Reps

• Due to the # of members, debate must be limited.

• Each member can speak for no more than one hour.

• The speaker of the house controls who speaks.

• The Rules Committee assigns every bill to the appropriate standing committee.

Formality in the Senate

• Less centralized than the house

• does not have the strict hierarchy found in the house

• Senators speak as long as they want if they are given floor

• The filibuster allows a senator to stall or kill a bill by talking long enough to run out a deadline on voting.

Coalitions

• Members of each house who belong to the same party are collectively called a caucus or conference

• Within each party, subgroups form based on race, ethnicity, or some other common interest

• Groups that are made up of members of both parties are called bipartisan

• Members from states across the country may group together around a particular cause or interest.

Topic 2.1 Video 2

Implied powers that expanded the powers of Congress

• Implied powers of Congress come from the necessary and proper clause

• “To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers”

Examples of Implied Powers used by Congress

Implied Powers and Congressional Legislation

• The regulation of firearms using the commerce clause

• Prohibiting mail fraud based on the authority to establish post offices.

• Creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act based on the Commerce Clause and later upheld using the 14th Amendment

• Legislation on national health care using the clause for general welfare and collecting taxes

• The gvmt can punish tax evaders using the power to collect taxes clause.

• The power of the Purse is a critically important function

Passing a Budget and Raising Revenue

• Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 provides the basis for Congress's authority to create and pass a budget.

• Article 1, Section 7, Clause 1 provides Congress the authority to raise revenue

Coining Money

• Article 1 Section 8 states Congress has the power to coin money.

• It also states no state shall make anything but gold and silver coin a Tender in Payment of Debts