THE PEOPLE’S BRANCH

Duties of Congress In pairs, use your copy of the Constitution to

complete House? Senate? Congress? going over the differences between the two houses.

After completing this, everyone will be given a Legislative Card

Talking with your partner, decide if the card goes with the House, the Senate, or Congress.

Place your card on the board under the proper heading

Discussion Why do people hate Congress but love their

personal Congressperson? Why the discrepancy?

Why do you think the Founding Fathers gave members of the House shorter terms than the Senate?

Why did the Founding Fathers originally not allow people to elect Senators? What do you think they were afraid of?

Why didn't the Founding Fathers give any office term limits?

A Day in the Life

http://congress.indiana.edu/e-learning-module-the-many-roles-member-congress

Discussion

How is being a Congressmen similar to running a business? How is it different?

How hard do you think people in Congress work? Why?

What would happen if Congress was disbanded tomorrow? How would the country change?

Continuum

There should be a limit on the number of terms a member of Congress should be allowed to serve.

Move to how you feel about this statement – Strongly disagree, Disagree, etc

Be prepared to talk with the other people who agree with you to give a group reason why you think that way

Discussion

How would Congress change if members were suddenly given term limits?

What are advantages to having term limits? Disadvantages?

Why do you think that Congress has never had term limits imposed on them?

Assignment Write a position paper based on the

question, “Is the U.S. Congress truly ‘The People’s House?’”

To support the position, include an analysis comparing the House of Representatives and the Senate in the following areas:Qualifications of both Stated and desired leadership qualitiesResponsibilitiesElection process

Legislative Powers

What are some of the powers of Congress?

Why is Congress given these powers instead of the States?

Dynamic Legislative Process http://

congress.indiana.edu/e-learning-module-the-dynamic-legislative-process

Congressional Powers 1. Article II, Section 2 - Advise and Consent 2. Article III, Sec 1 - Creation of federal courts by majority of both

houses of Congress 3. Article IV, Section 3 - Admission of new states by consent of

Congress 4. Article V - Congress can propose amendments by 2/3 of both

houses 5. Amendment 12 - House chooses president if candidate doesn’t

get a majority of electoral votes, Senate chooses Vide-President 6. Enforcement Clauses of Amendments 13-15, 19, 23-26 -

Congress has the power to pass laws necessary to carry out the Amendments

7. Amendment 25 - Both houses must approve a new vice president appointed by the president

Congressional Powers

Research your topic After I give the signal, get with the

others who have your topic Come together and decide on a single

“expert” answer Present your “expert” answer to the rest

of the class

Quick Quiz!

Write on a separate sheet of paper: 3 powers of the legislative branch; 2 roles of the legislative branch; 1 check the legislative branch has on

another branch; and 1 check that another branch of the

government has on the legislative branch.

Powers of Congress Do any roles or powers of the legislative branch impact the economy?

fiscal policy – the use of government spending and revenue collection to influence the economy (can be used to influence economic growth, employment, prices, and international relations)

monetary policy – the use of interest rates to control the money supply and the rate of interest (done by the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States)

regulatory policy – in a truly free enterprise system, the government would be absent from the economy, but since unlimited freedom is impossible and can lead to conflicts, the government must maintain some regulation over the economy.

Federal Reserve – the privately owned, publicly controlled central bank of the United States. The Federal Reserve regulates the supply of money in the economy through interest notes or by altering the reserve requirement, discount rate, and open market options. The Federal Reserve also supplies paper currency, called Federal Reserve Notes, holds banks’ reserves, provides check clearing services, and supervises member banks.

Federal Budget Module

http://congress.indiana.edu/e-learning-module-federal-budget-allocation

Federal Budget Revenue (bring money in)

Taxation, including income, payroll,  corporate, and excise

Expenditures (spend money) Defense, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, interest on the

debt, non-defense discretionary items (education, foreign aid, unemployment, space & technology, etc.)

The Executive Branch creates the budget. The Legislative Branch must approve the budget. The two branches must work together to achieve compromise.

Government spending and taxation affects the amount of money in the economy thereby impacting levels of investment and the sector of investment.

Congress in the Economy Each group will be given 3 terms Your group is to research how these terms relate to

Congress Use your textbook and devices to look them up

Group 1:Interest rates, money supply Group 2: trade relations, distribution of tax revenue Group 3: anti-monopoly laws, unemployment

insurance Group 4: right to work laws, tariff laws Group 5: industrial safety, quality regulation Group 6: banking regulation

Congress in the Economy How the government regulates free

enterprise:Government regulation of monopoliesEnvironmental regulations on industriesUnemployment insurance requirementsSafety and health regulations in the workplaceWorkmen’s compensation insuranceProduct standards and testingGovernment taxation and regulation costs private

businesses creating an opportunity cost in expansion and investment. 

Congress in the Economy HOW THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT USES

ECONOMIC RESOURCES IN FOREIGN POLICY Foreign Aid – accounts for approximately one percent of the

United States budget; aid is given to countries such as Mexico, Israel, Turkey, Afghanistan to promote peace, security, economic development, human rights, and provide for health and educational services

Sale of weapons – done to support foreign allies such as Israel Free Trade Agreements – promotes economic development,

examples include North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the United States- Australian Free Trade Agreement along with many others

Boycott/Sanctions – are intended to bring about political changed in countries that have strained diplomatic relations with the United States, including Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, and Russia

Congress in the Economy International Trade Policies

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) was created by Congress and operates as part of the Executive Branch.  The USTR has the responsibility of development and implementation of U.S. trade policy, including coordinating with Congress on pending legislation and testimony.

Trade agreements must be approved by Congress. Fiscal Policies

The Executive Branch submits a budget from the President to Congress. Congress through a series of hearing created a budget resolution, which unlike an ordinary bill does not go to the President for a signature or veto.  

Congress in the Economy Policies fostering competition and entrepreneurship Patent

–  a license issued to an inventor granting the exclusive right to manufacture, use or sell his or her invention for a limited period of time On one hand, patent laws aim to prevent the copying or imitation of

patented goods, and thus complement competition policies in that they contribute to a fair market behavior. On the other hand, competition laws may limit patent rights in that patent holders may be barred from abusing their rights.(from the World Intellectual Property Organization)

Examples of other relevant topics depending on current events Anti-trust legislation Copyright – the exclusive, legal right of a person to reproduce,

publish, and sell, his or her own literary, musical, or artistic creations Regulation of patents and copyrights is a power given to Congress.

Discussion In your table groups, discuss and identify

sources of revenue and expenditures and the role of the legislator in the budget process

The Executive Branch is also responsible for international policy. How does the budgetary process influence this?

What does budget allocation show about the priorities and values that the current government budget illustrates?

Congress Involvement What is the difference among the following three groups —

private sphere; voluntary agencies; and the government?

private sphere -  (individuals pursuing their private interests within the law)

voluntary agencies - (people working together in an organization to pursue interests common to all of them)

Government - (formal legislative, executive, and judicial institutions at the local, state, and national levels to create public policy to improve the everyday life of its citizens)

What is an example of each group?

Whose Problem? Cancer research Exploration of space Predatory encroachment on the Internet Environmental concerns and global warming Energy (“green,” coal, nuclear, grid concerns) Water Rising costs of health care, uninsured children and families Deteriorating infrastructure (bridges, railroads, highways, etc.) Rising cost of education Technology in the classroom Incentives for new entrepreneurships in the field of science and/or

technology

Which sector or combination of sectors (private sphere, voluntary agency, or government) would be the best to tackle the issue?

Impact of Congress

http://congress.indiana.edu/e-learning-module-the-impact-congress

Public Policy

What is public policy? Public policy can be defined as a set of

ideas embodied in government laws, rules, or regulations that guide a course of action to deal with public issues or problems to improve the general welfare of its citizens. 

What do you know about public policy?

Technology and Congress How have government policies affected

technological innovations? Examples: tax policies by local, state and national

governments can favor or hinder new business development (tariffs, quotas, NAFTA, zoning requirements, tax abatements

What role has the Congress played in technological innovation in history?approved funding, wrote appropriate laws, copyright

and patent laws have long been part of U.S. way of doing business. Many technological innovations have been borne of military funding. Nuclear energy, Internet, NASA, technology/business incubators, etc.

Kennedy Space Program

http://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html http://

www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx

http://www.space-video.info/speech/19620912-jfk-rice.html

Public Policy

What other inventions or markets have been created because of government funding, including military and defense.Radio, automotive, television, airplane,

highway system, cell phones, navigational systems

Homework Find a newspaper article, a magazine article, or a printout of

an article from the Internet about an issue currently before Congress.

You need this article to discuss in class the next day. The article should be attached to a piece of paper. You should apply what you have learned to the issue by

completing the following tasks in writing: Identify the issue. Identify the steps being followed to accomplish a goal related to

the issue. Who is involved? What do the people involved wish to

accomplish? What are their positions relative to the issue? What are the next steps that will be taken?  (Example: current

issues before Congress include heath care reform and issues related to the recession and banking crisis of 2008-2009.)

The 17th Amendment

Look up the 17th amendment and read it to yourself

Underline any words you don’t understand

Discuss with the people at your table group what you think this amendment means

The 17th Amendment

What are some advantages of this amendment? What are some disadvantages?

What are some of the arguments for this amendment? Against?

17th Amendment The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the

United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote.

It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held. Under the original provisions of the Constitution, senators were

elected by state legislatures; this was intended to ensure that the federal government contained representatives of the states, and also to provide a body not dependent on popular support that could afford to "take a more detached view of issues coming before Congress".

However, over time various issues with these provisions, such as the risk of corruption and the potential for electoral deadlocks or a lack of representation should a seat become vacant, led to a campaign for reform.

17th Amendment Critics of the Seventeenth Amendment claim that by

altering the way senators are elected, the states lost any representation they had in the federal government and that, in addition to violating the unamendable state suffrage clause of Article V, this led to the gradual "slide into ignominy" of state legislatures, as well as an overextension of federal power and the rise of special interest groups to fill the power vacuum previously occupied by state legislatures.

In addition, concerns have been raised about the power of governors to appoint temporary replacements to fill vacant senate seats, both in terms of how this provision should be interpreted and whether it should be permitted at all.

Quiz! What are the powers delegated to the Congress? Are any of the powers more important than others?

If so, which ones? Why are they more important? Why is it beneficial for the federal government to

have certain powers rather than the states? How does the complex procedure for enacting laws

provide multiple opportunities for citizen input? How does Congress use committees to expedite the

work of Congress? How can a citizen impact the legislative process?