Legislative Branch

What is a veto?

A veto is when the President rejects a bill created by Congress.

How many times might a bill get rewritten?

A bill can be rewritten any number of times, until it is approved by both chambers of Congress.

What is a bill?

A bill is a proposed law.

Ways the Legislative branch checks the Executive branch:

Can override President's veto Approves presidential appointments Can declare war Can impeach and remove President

Ways the Executive branch checks the Legislative branch:

Can veto laws Can call special sessions of Congress Makes presidential appointments

Where do the ideas for bills come from?

Citizens, interest groups, state legislatures (law-makers), and the President.

How can Congress override a veto?

Congress can override a veto if 2/3 of them agree to it.

Legislative Branch

Congress creates laws for the whole country.

Who was Congress created by?

Congress was created by the Framers of the Constitution.

Where does Congress work?

Congress works in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

What are the Senate and the House of Representatives called together?

Congress. Congress is bicameral, which means it is made up of 2 chambers/parts.

Ways the Legislative branch checks the Judicial branch:

Creates lower federal courts Can impeach and remove judges Can propose amendments to override judicial decisions Approves appointments of federal judges

Checks and Balances

Each branch checks the other branches to keep the government balanced so that one branch does not become more powerful than another.

Senate

Each state has 2 Senators, for a total of 100 Senators. Each state has the same representation, regardless of size or population.

The President will veto a bill if:

He doesn't approve of it.

Why is it hard for Congress to override a veto?

It is very difficult to get 2/3 of Congress to agree.

Why do people think of ideas for laws?

Laws are created so that potential problems involving crime, the government, etc. can be solved.

Our federal government is made up of 3 branches

Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, Judicial Branch

House of Representatives

Made up of 435 elected members, which is based on a state's population. Bigger states have more Representatives.

Which chamber has more power?

Neither. They both make laws, and when one chamber approves a bill, the other has to also approve the bill.

Who can introduce a bill?

Only a member of the House or Senate.

What are taxes?

Taxes are money the government collects from people and companies in order to keep the government working. The money is used to pay for national parks, highways, healthcare, wars, etc.

What are the two parts of the Legislative Branch?

The Senate and the House of Representatives.

Besides making laws, what other powers does the Senate have?

The Senate approves the President's choices for federal judges, ambassadors, and cabinet members and approves the annual budget.

Judicial Branch

The Supreme Court interprets laws by deciding if laws created by Congress are unconstitutional - go against the Constitution.

How does the House of Representatives know how many people live in a state?

The U.S. Census, which is a population count. It is taken every 10 years.

If the House doesn't approve of a bill the Senate has approved, what will happen?

The bill will keep being rewritten over and over until the House approves it.

impeach

accuse of wrongdoing

How does a bill become a law?

1) Introduced by reading it in front of everyone in the House or Senate. 2) Discusses/debates it. 3) Voted on. If it passes, it is sent to the other chamber of Congress for approval. 4) Second group reads the bill. 5) Then discusses/debates it. 6) Then votes on it. 7) When the bill is approved by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for him to sign. 8) President may sign or veto the bill.

What other powers does Congress have?

1) Print and coins money 2) Declare war 3) Raise money by collecting taxes 4) Regulate foreign trade 5) Approve the annual budget (Senate only) 6) Approve presidential choices (Senate only)

Ways the Executive branch checks the Judicial branch:

Appoints federal judges Can grant pardons to federal offenders (criminals)

Ways the Judicial branch checks the Executive branch:

Can declare actions by the President unconstitutional

Ways the Judicial branch checks the Legislative branch:

Can declare laws created by Congress unconstitutional. Congress can then rewrite the law so that it does not go against the Constitution.

Why do we have a Senate AND a House of Representatives?

The founders of the country made the House and Senate different so that they could have checks and balances on each other.

Executive Branch

The president enforces laws by approving the laws that Congress creates.

How many total members of Congress are there?

There are 100 Senators and 435 Representatives. There are a total of 535 members of Congress.

Examples of bills that have become laws:

Voting rights, bills to make cars safer for passengers, equal pay for men and women

Are there Checks and Balances within the Senate and the House of Representatives?

Yes. The House of Representatives can impeach (accuse) the President of doing something wrong. The Senate holds the trial to see if the President is guilty or innocent.