Legislative Branch

House Member Qualifications

25 years old, citizen for at least seven years, must live in the state he/she represents.

Standing committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

Legislator

A person who makes laws in congress.

Gridlock

A situation in which government is incapable of acting on important issues, usually because of divided government.

Senator qualifications

30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and be a resident of the state he/she represents.

How many members are in the house of representatitves?

435 members are in the House of Representatives

How long is a senator's term?

6 years

Special or select committee

A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation

Bill

A document that legislators vote on to make it a law

What is a resolution?

It covers matters affecting only one house of congress.

What are four committees of Congress?

Joint, Stand, Select, and Conference

Which Branch of Govenrment make laws?

Legislative Branch

What are conference committee's?

Members from both houses of congress work on a bill

House of Representatives

One house of congress. All states have at least one representative, but the larger the population, the more representatives a state will have. Their terms last two years. There are currently 435 members.

The Senate

One house of congress. There are two members for each state and serve a 6-year term.

17th Amendment

Passed in 1913, this amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.

What are the six Expressed Power of Congress?

Power to Tax Power to Barrow Commerece Power Currency Power Bankrupt Foreign Relations and War Powers

Who is the president of the Senate?

The Vice President

Term

The amount of time a member of congress serves. Members of the house serve two-year terms, senators serve six-year terms. They can serve an unlimited number of terms if they continue to be re-elected.

District

The area that a member of the house represents.

Congress

The branch of government that writes and passes laws. It is made of two houses: The House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state is represented by two senators and one or more members of the house.

Impeachment

a formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office

Bipartisan

a label given if support for something comes from members of both parties.

Majority Leader

the elected leader of the majority party in the House or Senate.

How long is a how of Representatives terms?

2 years

Session

The time when congress is working

How long is a session?

1 year

What are non Legislative Powers?

1. Propose Amendments to Constitution 2 Electorial Duties 3. Impeachment 4. Conference

How many member are in the Senate?

100 members

What is Joint Resolution?

Both houses pass a resolution and the president signatures gives it the force of law --deal with temporary matter and must be signed by the president

Constituencies

The people and issues a senator represents.

Special session

The power the president has to force congress into session during an emergency

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Adjourn

The time when congress is on break, not working.

What are committee Chairpersons?

They are the head of committees decide when a committee meets and which Bills to consider

What does the Speaker of the House do?

They are the presiding officer of the House and its 2nd most powerful leader.

Bicameral

When a country has a legislature comprised of two chambers or houses

Conference committee

committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.

Joint committee

legislative committee composed of members of both houses

Earmarks

pet projects added to appropriation bills by congressmen, called "wasteful spending" and "pork barrel legislation" by critics

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

Reapportionment

the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Filibuster

to attempt to block a bill from becoming law by speaking at length against it