THE BRANCHES OF U.S. GOVERNMENT
By: Jennifer A. Siefring
ED 417-02
THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Body of government that makes the laws
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH:
House of Representatives
Senate
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The number of representatives per state is based on population
Each representative has a term
of 2 years Representatives are voted
directly by the people
QUALIFICATIONS TO BECOME A
REPRESENTATIVE1. The elected member must be at least 25
years in age
2. The elected member must be a 7 year citizen of the U.S.
3. The elected member must be a resident of the state to which he is being elected to represent
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Denny
Hastert
OHIO’S 19 REPRESENTATIVES
John Boehner Sherrod Brown Steve Chabot Paul Gillmor Tony Hall David Hobson Stephanie Tubbs Jones Marry Kaptur James Traficant Jr.
Dennis Kucinich Steven C. LaTourette Robert Ney Mike Oxley Rob Portman Deborah Pryce Ralph Regula Tom Sawyer Ted Strickland Pat Tiberti
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Any bills dealing with raising revenue MUST originate in the House of Representatives
UNITED STATES SENATE
Number of senators is the same for each state (each state elects 2 senators)
The senators are directly elected by the voters
Each senator serves for a term of 6 years
QUALIFICATIONS TO BECOME A SENATOR
The elected senator must by 30 years of age The elected senator must be a U.S. citizen
for at least 9 years The elected senator must be a resident of
the state to which he is being elected to represent
FAMILIAR FACES IN THE SENATE
Vice President Dick Cheney– President of the Senate– Does not vote unless
there is a tie
President Pro Temp Strom Thurmond– Senior Member of the
majority party– Presides over senate
when VP can’t make it
OHIO’S 2 SENATORS
Mike
DeWine George
Voinovich
U.S. SENATE
They have the exclusive right to advise and consent any matters regarding treaties and/or nominations.
They are the only group that can try impeachments.
RESPONSIBILITES OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Declare war Maintain armed forces Assess taxes Borrow money Minting currency Regulate commerce
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Body of government that enforces the laws
EXECUTIVE OFFICE: PRESIDENT
President of the United States, George W. Bush
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Presidential Term: 4 Years Elected by Electoral College Electoral College- Group of representatives
from each of the 50 states appointed to elect the president
The # of electors from each state = the # of state senators + the # of state representatives
QUALIFICATIONS TO BECOME PRESIDENT
Natural born citizen The candidate to be
elected must be at least 35 years of age.
The candidate to be elected must be a 14-year resident of the United States
PRESIDENTIAL POWERS
Commander-in-chief of the army
Aid in developing treaties
Nominate/appoint government officials (Cabinet)
OHIO’S PRESIDENTS
William Harrison
Ulysses Grant
Rutherford Hayes
James Garfield
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
William Taft
Warren Harding
JUDICIAL BRANCH
The body of government that interprets the laws.
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
Consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the president and approved by a majority of the Senate
Term: life or until removed from office
CURRENT JUSTICES
Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, David Souter, John Paul Stevens, Clarence Thomas
CHIEF JUSTICE
William
Rehnquist
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
Interpret the laws of our country Interpret the constitution Decide if a law is or is not
constitutional Their decisions affect law enforcement
and future lawmaking procedures
CHECKS & BALANCES AMONG THE 3 BRANCHES
To make sure each branch is doing its job- , our government uses a check & balance