Unit 3

Study Guide: Legislative Branch of the U.S.

I. Differences Between the House and Senate

A. Qualifications

  1. House of Representatives

    • Minimum Age: 25

    • Citizenship: 7 years

    • Residency: Must reside in the state where elected

    • Term: 2 years

    • Based on population representation, so closer to the people

    • House: Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, whips

  2. Senate

    • Minimum Age: 30

    • Citizenship: 9 years

    • Residency: Must reside in the state where elected

    • Term: 6 years

    • Based on equality, 2 per state

    • Vice President (President of the Senate), President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, whips

C. Powers of Each House

  1. House of Representatives

    • Initiates revenue bills (Power of the purse)

    • Impeachment authority

    • Elects president in a tie

  2. Senate

    • Confirms presidential appointments

    • Ratifies treaties

    • Removes officials

    • Declares war

II. Committees

  • Types of Committees

  1. Standing Committees

    • Permanent committees that handle specific areas of legislation (both House and Senate)

  2. House Rules Committee

    • Determines the rules for debate on bills in the House (House only)

  3. Select Committees

    • Temporary committees established for specific purposes (both House and Senate)

  4. Joint Committees

    • Committees with members from both the House and Senate, usually dealing with specific issues (both)

III. Major Functions of Congress

  1. Legislate

    • Creation of laws and policies

  2. Constituent Services

    • Assisting constituents with various needs (like social security or veterans' affairs)

  3. Oversight

    • Monitoring and overseeing government operations and implementation of laws

IV. Government Spending

A. Mandatory vs. Discretionary Spending

  1. Mandatory Spending

    • Required by law (e.g., Social Security, Medicare)

  2. Discretionary Spending

    • Decided through the appropriations process (e.g., Defense, Education)

    • Example: Military spending is often categorized under discretionary spending.

B. Pork Barrel Spending

-Definition: Refers to government spending on localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district.

  • Example: Funding for a new highway or a community center in a congressional district

V. Divided Government and Bipartisanship

  • Divided Government: Occurs when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

  • Bipartisanship: Cooperation between the two major parties can lead to legislative successes, but it can also lead to gridlock when they cannot come to an agreement on key policy issues. **Gerrymandering Tactics** - **Definition**: The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another. - **Legalities**: While gerrymandering is legal, it can lead to court challenges if deemed excessively partisan or discriminatory. The Supreme Court has ruled that extreme partisan gerrymandering may violate voters' rights. **Types of Gerrymandering**: 1. **Cracking**: The practice of diluting a particular party's voting power by splitting their voters across multiple districts. 2. **Packing**: The practice of concentrating as many voters of one party into a single district to reduce their influence in surrounding districts. These tactics are often used by political parties to maximize their electoral advantage by either spreading their opponents thinly across many districts (cracking) or overwhelming them in fewer districts (packing).