Branches of Government
How does our government change the Constitution?
A bill must pass Congress, be signed by the president, and approved by at least 37 states in order to become an amendment to the Constitution.
Who is our current president?
Barack Obama is our current president.
What do we call changes to our Constitution?
Changes to our Constitution are called, "amendements".
How many senators does each state have?
Each state has two United States senators.
What are the qualifications for president?
In order to run for president, you must be 35 years old, and a natural born citizen of the US.
What are the qualifications for senator?
In order to run for senator, you must be 30 years old, live in the state you represent, and have been a citizen of the US for nine years.
What are the qualifications for a member of the House of Representatives?
In order to run for the HoR you must be 25 years old, live in the district where you are running for election, and you must have been a US citizen for seven years.
What powers do members of the House of Representatives have?
Members of the House have the power to write laws, approve the budget and raise taxes, create money for the country, and impeach public officials who have broken the law or acted in an unwise or unsafe fashion.
What powers do senators have?
Members of the US Senate have the power to make laws, approve (or not) presidential appointments, approve or not treaties,
Why does our government have three branches?
Our Founding Fathers didn't want to create a government where one person or group had all the power like King George III of England. So the FF divided the power between three branches of government.
Our government is based on what document?
Our government is based on the Constitution of the United Staes.
Who is the head of the judicial branch of government?
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is head of the judicial branch. The Supreme Court is the most important court in our country.
What powers do the justices on the Supreme Court have?
The SC has the power to declare laws "unconstitutional", which would make the law not count.
Who is the head of the legislative branch of government?
The head of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States (Joe Biden). The head of the House of Representative is the Speaker of the House (John Boehner).
How many representatives does each state get?
The number of representatives a state gets is based on the population of the state. So Massachusetts has more representatives in Congress than Montana because more people live in Massachusetts.
Who is the head of the executive branch of government?
The president of the United States is head of the executive branch.
What powers does the president (executive branch) have?
The presidents job is to make sure the laws in our country are being followed. The president may suggest ideas to Congress to be turned into laws, and she/he signs bills that have passed Congress into laws. If he/she doesn't agree with the law, the president can not sign the bill, which is called a "veto".
Who are the senators for the state of Minnesota?
The senators for Minnesota are Amy Klobuchar and Al Frankin.
What are the names of the three branches of government?
The three branches of government are executive, judicial, and legislative.
What qualifications does a member of the Supreme Court need to have?
There are no qualifications for members of the Supreme Court.
How many branches does the United States government have?
Three.
