When you come in Look at the

When you come in… • Look at the quotes… • Based on what people say about Congress, is it generally thought of positively or negatively? Do you agree with the majority of people? (2 sentences)

When you come in… • What was the Virginia Plan and which states liked it? What was the New Jersey Plan and which states liked it? What kind of legislature did the Great Compromise set up? (2. 5 Compromises Chart)

How Congress Is Organized (4. 1) House v. Senate

Bicameral Legislature • Today, Congress is divided up into a bicameral, or two house, legislature. One house is the Senate and the other is called the House of Representatives.

Qualifications for National Government • House of Representatives – 25 years old, a citizen of the US for 7 years, live in the state that you represent • Senate – 30 years old, a citizen of the US for 9 years, live in the state you represent

Elections • FOR BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE: • When are Elections? Elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November • How many terms can you serve? (how many times can you be elected? ) Unlimited number of terms

Term Length • House members serve for 2 years, a very short time between elections • Senate members serve for 6 years, a very long time between elections

Terms in the House • House members serve two year terms • Purpose: Immediate public representation • Downside: More campaigning and less action

Senate Terms in Office • Senator terms are six years • Purpose: Senators can focus on broad issues facing the country, not local issues • Downside: Senators can get detached from their voters

# of People in the House • The permanent size of the House is set at 435 members, and every state gets at least one seat • The Census Bureau determines how many seats a state should have every 10 years

# of people in the Senate • The Senate has 100 people, 2 from each state.

Representation in the House • The house uses single-member districts, meaning one house member per district In NC there are 13 House members and each has their own district

Requirements of Congressional Districts • Contiguity – all one piece • Population Equality – all districts have roughly same number of people • Compactness – a comparatively small area of land

Representation in the Senate • The Senate does NOT have districts. Both members are voted for by all people in the state.

Finding your House Member • ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER: • Go to the website https: //www. govtrack. us/congress/members and find your house representative by entering in your home address. Senators are also there, but ignore them. • Write down the name and then research the following information: Age, Education, Previous Jobs, How Long person has been in the House • Write a letter to your congressman or congresswoman that explains one issue that you see in your community. Explain what the problem is and how they can help solve it. Remember they are in charge of passing laws. (3 -4 sentences)

House Special Ability 1 • The House can impeach the President, or charge him of wrongdoing Clinton’s Impeachment

House Special Ability 2 • Gerrymandering is used to create “safe” districts that allow a political party to win more votes in a state

If you were the purple party, which of these district set ups would allow you to win? What if you were the green party?

Senate Specials • 1) A filibuster allows Senators to have unlimited time to speak about a bill • 2) Cloture, where 3/5 of the Senate votes to end the filibuster (currently 60 votes) • 3) Conviction - Senators convict the President after impeachment

Ticket Out the Door… • Should Senators be allowed to filibuster? Why or why not? (2 -3 sentences)

Who do you agree with regarding the filibuster in the Senate? Explain. (2 sentences) “There is a lot to change about Washington. The problem is, not much will get changed unless we confront the runaway filibuster in the U. S. Senate. ” - Peter Fenn (dislikes filibuster) “I don’t think anybody today sees a reason for a filibuster, but they may after the hearing if the answers are troubling to them or they feel we just made a big mistake. ” - Carl Tobias (likes filibuster)

Apportionment in the House • Congress reapportions seats in the House after each census (10 yrs) by increasing representation numbers • By 1920, the House was too large for effective government and something needed to be done

According to this quote how does gerrymandering affect elections? Explain. (2 sentences) "It used to be that the idea was once every two years voters elected their representatives, and now, instead, it's every ten years the state representatives choose who gets elected. " - Pamela Karlan, Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School

When you come in (4. 1 chart) • Answer the following: 1) What are two special abilities of the House? What are two special abilities of the Senate? 2) What are people in the House represented by? What about people in the Senate? • Expectations: - Be in your seats and working when the bell rings - Turn in any study guides you may have finished

People in the Legislature (4. 2) Though people vote for these leaders, you have been put in charge of creating a legislature. For each of the following positions, pick someone in the class that you would put in that role and in 1 sentence explain what they would do. 1) Speaker of the House (p. 322) 2) Vice President (p. 323) 3) President Pro Tempore (p. 323) 4) Majority Leader (p. 325) 5) Minority Leader (p. 325) 6)Party Whip (p. 325)

Current Positions (4. 2) Joe Biden – Vice President John Boehner – Speaker of the House He is in the Senate He is in the House Role: Leader of the Senate Role: Leader of the House

Current Positions in the Senate Patrick Leahy – President Pro Tempore He is in the Senate Role: He replaces the Vice President as leader when the VP is not there Harry Reid – Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc. Connell - Senate Minority Leader Role: Leads the party with the most members in the Senate Role: Leads the party with the least members in the Senate

Current Positions in the House Eric Cantor - House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi - House Minority Leader Role: Leads the party with the most members in the House Role: Leads the party with the fewest members in the House

Party Whips • Party Whips are in BOTH the House and Senate • Role: Party Whips help “whip up” or collect votes for their party so they can win

Congress Movie Posters • Create a movie poster with a title (ex: “The American Congress”) and for each person in the House and Senate: 1) Create a drawing/picture of the person in action – consider what they might be doing, how they might look and include ALL of the positions: Speaker, VP, President Pro Tempore, Majority Leaders, Minority Leaders, and Party Whip (5 points) 2) Assign each position a movie star – think of class members or movie actors that could play in that role in your movie (5 points) 3) Create a colorful background and setting – you will be graded on the artistic design as well (5 points)

The Procedures of Congress (4. 3) How does Congress function?

Congress Procedures • Sine die - one house can not adjourn without the consent of the other • Only the President can call Congress into a special session, where all members of Congress must be in attendance

Voting Options in Congress • • Trustee – judges independently Delegate – help their constituency Partisan – feels bound to their political party Politico – combine elements of all three others and balance the factors

When you come in… • Look at the 4. 2 Worksheet and give 3 examples of people in Congress and explain what they do • Expectations: - Be in your seats and working when the bell rings - You have 5 minutes

The Powers of Congress (4. 3) What are the powers given to Congress and which powers are taken away from Congress?

Passing Laws through Committees • Groups of people that examine and create laws • The purpose is to make laws for the nation

The Power of Seniority • The most senior (longest serving) members of the House and Senate get to pick the best committee positions • Purpose is to reward those who have served in Congress a long time

Setting their Own Salary • Congress decides how much they make • Purpose is to give Congress power to improve the benefits of being in such an important job

Immunity • Congress members can not be arrested while performing duties in Congress • Purpose is to allow Congress members to finish important work that needs to be done for the country

When you come in… • Give 1 person in the Senate and 1 person in the House and explain what they do in Congress. (4. 2 chart) • Expectations: - Be in your seats and working when the bell rings

Franking Privileges and Tax Deductions • Free postage and paying less taxes • Purpose is to allow Congress members to do their jobs without fear of running out of money

Impeachment and Conviction • Impeachment or Conviction allows Congress to get rid of the President or a Judge • Purpose is to allow Congress members to check other branches of government

Censure • Censure is giving a Congress member a formal warning • Allows Congress to punish members that are breaking rules

Expulsion • Expulsion is kicking a member of Congress out of office • Allows Congress to punish members that are breaking rules

THINGS THAT CONGRESS CAN NOT DO

Writ of Habeas Corpus • An order that forces people to testify in court (rather than plead the 5 th and not say anything)

Bills of Attainder • A bill passed by Congress that punishes a person without allowing them a trial

Ex Post Facto Laws • A law passed by Congress that punishes people for a crime they committed before it was officially a crime

IMPLIED POWERS

Implied Powers • Implied Powers are powers that are not written in the Constitution but are still given to Congress

Picturing the Power of Congress • Using any 5 of the Powers that Congress has, take a picture on your phone that shows how that might appear. At the end show me the role of pictures on your camera to get credit. • For example, for “Creating Committees” you can take a picture of people sitting around together debating a law

How to use your power For any ONE of the powers do ONE of these on your own sheet of paper: • Write a ½ page story about a person that was wrongfully treated by Congress. You can have them be given a writ of habeas corpus, punish a person with a bill of attainder, or be arrested for an ex post facto law • Create a 4 slide cartoon strip showing a Congress member using one of the powers. Think about how does it work and what happens as a result.

Congressional Power Review • For each, list the power that: 1) Allows Congress to kick a member out 2) Allows Congress to make money 3) Allows Congress member to not be arrested 4) Allows Congress member to debate and vote on bills 5) Allows Congress member who has more years of experience to get better committee position in Congress

The Ten Commandments of Congress The Constitution expressly gives Congress powers that it can do, and only a few that it can’t do. In partners, on a sheet of paper, write down 10 things that YOU BELIEVE Congress should NOT have, starting with: Congress Shall Not… (ex: Congress Shall Not take away our freedom of speech)

Doing the Wrong Thing • Write a ½ page story about a person that was wrongfully treated by Congress. You can have them be given a writ of habeas corpus, punish a person with a bill of attainder, or be arrested for an ex post facto law • Expectations: - Complete this individually, you have 7 minutes

Titles of Nobility • A title such as “Duke” or “Dutchess” • Purpose of not allowing these titles is to keep people in Congress equal to the common people

The Most Important Power • In your opinion which power is the most important power that Congress has? Why? (2 -3 Sentences)

Review Question • If the US Congress became a unicameral legislature once again, which house (House or Senate) is the most necessary to keep? Explain your answer. (1/2 page)