Legislative Review

•Bill- a proposal that will make law if passing both houses

•Veto- Presidents chance to not pass a bill passed by the legislature

•Ratify- to approve a measure

•Confirmation – the Senates duty to approve or reject presidential nominations

•Kill- to defeat a bill in committee

•Checks and Balances- constitutional design to keep 3 branches from gaining to much power

•Mark-up- meeting in committee to review and amend a bill if necessary

•Capitol Hill the area of the capital which houses both houses of congress

•Whip- leaders assistant whose primary job is to secure votes on the floor

•Impeach- formal charges against an elected official

Legislative Powers

•Legislature- main power is to make laws

•Expressed Powers- powers explicitly in the Constitution

• Inherent Powers- powers by reasonable deduction from expressed powers

Terms

•Representatives- serve a term of two years

•Senators- serve a term of six years

Senate

•Term of office: 6 years

•Qualifications: •30 years old•9 years a citizen of the U.S.•Resident of the represented

state

House of Representatives

•Term: 2 years

•Qualifications•25 years old•7 years as a U.S. citizen•Resident of represented state

Senate

• Number of Senators: 100

• Head of the Senate: U.S. Vice President

• Day to day head of Senate: President Pro Tempore

• Power: Decides committee members and order bill are debated.

ELASTIC CLAUSE

• The necessary and proper clause gives Congress the power to make laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the delegated duties

• Also known as the ‘elastic clause’ it stretches the power given Congress

House Leaders

• Speaker of the House- elected leader of the house, always from majority party

• Leader of Senate- Vice President

• President Pro Tempore- leader in absence of Vice President

House of Representatives

Membership

• The number of Representatives each state can elect is based on the size of that state’s population.

• Each state has at least 1 Representative.

• 435 total Representatives.

• Every 10 years, after the census is taken, Congress determines how the seats in the House are to be apportioned, or distributed.

• Florida has 25 representatives

Special Powers

Powers that only the Senate has:

• Hold impeachment trials.

• Select the vice president when no candidate has sufficient votes.

• Approve treaties.

• Approve high officials. (Cabinet Members, Supreme Court Justices, and Ambassadors).

Step 1: An Idea for a Bill

Sources:

The House Rules Committee and Select Committees

The House Rules Committee

• The Rules Committee decides whether and under what conditions the full House will consider a measure.

• This places great power in the Rules Committee, as it can speed, delay, or even prevent House action on a measure.

The Select Committees

• Select committees are panels established to handle a specific matter and usually exist for a limited time.

• Most select committees are formed to investigate a current matter.

Joint and Conference Committees

• A joint committee is one composed of members of both houses.

• Examples of joint committees include the Joint Economic Committee, the Joint Committee on Printing, and the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress

• A conference committee—a temporary, joint body—is created to iron out differences between bills passed by the House and Senate before they are sent to the President.