Unit 4 – The Legislative Branch
Study Guide
Explain all the following:
1. Bi-Cameral
2. Congress:
- Office
- term
- Number of members
- Selection
- Requirements
th
3. 17 Amendment
4. 20th amendment
5. 27th amendment
6. Which house has One-third of its entire body is elected every two years?
7. census
8. constituents
9. gerrymandering
10. How many senators and how many from each state
11. Membership Privileges for congress members
12. Franking Privilege
13. Congress has 4 major roles:
1) Legislators :
a) Delegates
b) Trustees
c) Partisans
2) Committee
3) Constituent Servant
4) Politician
14. Congress’s Express powers
15. Implied Powers
16. Eminent Domain
17. President pro tempore
18. Speaker of the House
19. Whips
20. Standing committees
21. Select committees
22. Joint committee and Conference committee
23. Which House has a committee deals with Indian affairs?
24. Which House has a committee deals with taxation?
25. Which House’s has a committee deals with Ways and Means?
26. Which House has a committee deals with Small business?
27. What is a bill?
28. Explain how a bill becomes a law
29. pocket veto
30. pigeonholed
31. cloture
32. Rider
33. Filibuster
Legislative Branch
-A Bicameral Congress Constitution - _________________________________________________________________
Two houses{_____________________________}, known as Congress
 ______________________________________ was necessary, in order to create a compromise for
the Virginia and New Jersey plans of representation.
 The Founding Framers favored a bicameral Congress in order that one _____________________
as a ______________________________________.
Office
Number
House of
At least ____
per state
Representative Based on
population
Senate
________
state
Term
Selection
Requirements
Elected by the _____
of________________
__________________
- Age ____________or over
- Citizen for_________ years
- Resident of state in which elected.
Elected by the voters
of their State.
According to 17th
Amendment.
- Age __________or over
- Citizen for__________ years
- Resident of state in which elected.
 A congressional term starts January 3rd and ends January 3rd - set by the ___________________
 Only the President may call Congress into a _________________________________—a meeting to
deal with some emergency situation.
 Congressional members _____________________________, due to the _____________________
– around $174,000
-The House of Representatives The total number of seats in the House shall be ____________________________{distributed} among
the States on the basis of their respective populations – today ______________________.
 A ___________________ is taken every ten years to ______________________________________.
 Guam, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and American Samoa have _______________________ each.
 There are ___________________________ – set for only two years each, because it forces them to pay
closer attention to their constituents{________________________________________).
 Congressional elections are held on the _____________________________________________
_________________of each even-numbered year.
 Districts that have unusual shapes or even defy description have sometimes been_____________
 Gerrymandering refers to the act of ____________________________________________ to the
advantage of the political party that _________________________________________________.
In Principle, this ____________________________________ is allowed in order to keep ____________
representation in each district.
 Today’s Volusia County’s Member: US Representative ______________________________
of Florida 7th District.
-The Senate The Constitution says that the Senate “shall be composed of _________________________ from each
_______________________.” -Today’s Senate consists of __________________________
 Originally, the Constitution provided that senators were chosen by the State legislatures. Now because
of the ______________________________(1913) the people now directly vote for senators.
 They are voted in for longer terms to deal with the ______________________________________
 To make sure there are always experienced Senators in office - ______________________ of the
entire body is elected every two years.
 Today’s Senators from Florida: ______________________________________ and
_________________________________________________
-Summary-
Congressional Duties
-Membership Privileges Members of Congress are ____________________________________ for noncriminal offenses
_________________________________ in congressional business.
 The Speech and Debate Clause (Article I, Section 6, Clause 1) protects representatives and senators
from __________________________________________________________________.
 They get Special ______________________________.The _________________________________
allows members of Congress to _______________ and other materials postage-free by substituting
their facsimile signature{frank} for the postage.
-Congress has 4 major Duties:
1) Legislators - are elected to vote on bills; Their options on how to vote:
a) As_________________________ - see themselves as agents of the people who elected them directly.
b) As______________________ - vote on a bill’s merit and not their constituency’s opinion back home.
c) As___________________________- Lawmakers who owe their first allegiance to their political party.
2) Committee Membership – Senators & Representatives _____________________ before they are voted on.
3) Constituent Servant - Does ___________________________________ for the people back home.
4) Politician – Keep in touch with ____________________________leaders and prepare for reelection.
-Congressional Powers The Supreme Court & Congressional Power – The Following are Cases that expanded Congresses’ powers:
a) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) - Implied Powers – elastic clause gave Congress power to create federal
banks; It has national ______________________________________ laws.
b) Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) - Commerce Clause - states can’t interfere with Congress’ attempt to regulate
interstate _____________________________________ activities.
 The Constitution grants Congress a number of specific powers in three different ways:
(1) ____________________(Enumerated) powers are ___________________________ in the Constitution.
(2) __________________ powers are granted to _______________________ expressed powers.
a) Implied Powers comes from: Article I section 8, clause 18, which states ________________________
also known as the _________________________, because it _________________congressional power.
The expressed power
To declare War
(3) Inherent powers are not explicitly listed in the Constitution, but granted because they are a gov’t and need
to do it…. Example:_________________________________ – taking private property for public use.
-Strict Versus Liberal Construction listsa) ______________________________________ – believe you can interpret what they meant when
they wrote the constitution. – Advocated by ______________________________________.
b) ____________________________________ – Only do as is written in the constitution and those
implied powers absolutely necessary to run the gov’t - Advocated by _______________________
-Summary-
Congress in Action
-Congress has particular procedures when they are in session:
 The House (________________________)has formal organizational meetings at the
beginning of each term to determine________________________________________
 ___________________. It has the power to bring charges of Impeach against a
president.
 The Senate(________________________), because it is ______________________
__________________________________, has fewer organizational issues to
address at the start of each term. It conducts trials of Impeachment.
 When Congress is ready, the President presents a ____________________________
__________to a joint session of Congress. This message, in which the President
reports on the state of the nation as he sees it, is ____________________________
-The Presiding Leaders Before the New Congress meets each ___________________________ holds a closed
meeting. This ___________________________ is a closed meeting so the leaders can
________________________________________ and pick leaders and committees.
 The ______________________ leader makes all final decisions.
 The ______________________________________________ is the presiding officer of
the ________________________________________________and the acknowledged
_______________________________________________.
 Today it’s __________________________________
a) Main duties are to ______________________ and ____________________in
the House.
b) The Speaker names the ____________________________________________,
and _____________________________ and resolutions passed by the House.
 The job of President of the Senate is assigned by the Constitution to the
____________________________ but they __________________________________
a) The _________________________________________, the leader of the majority
party, is elected from the __________________________________ and serves in
the Vice President’s absence.
 Today it’s _________________________________________________
b) They have many of the _______________________________ as the Speaker of
the House.
 The Floor leaders are _________________________ who make sure laws get passed.
 The ________________________ assist the floor leaders by keeping them informed and
persuading party members __________________ along party lines.
-Summary-
Congressional Committee System
-Congressional Committee System A bill is a proposed law. Members of Congress __________________________ and try to get a
majority of both houses to vote for them. Most of the ____________________________ in
Congressional committees. Congress is really a collection of _______________ that work
together to approve each other’s decisions.
 Standing committees are _____________ groups in Congress that _____________________
____________________________.
 Committee chairmen are the members who _________________________________________
 The seniority rule, ___________________________________, the most important posts will go
to the senor serving members.
 The majority party always ____________________________________________ on each
committee (the lone exception being the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
 _________________________ “Traffic Cops” is the most powerful. It decides whether and under
what _________________________________ the full House will debate and vote to filter all the
bills.
 Select committees are panels established to handle a _____________________________ and
usually exist for a limited time.
 Joint committee is one composed of ____________________________________________ of
congress.
 Conference committee a _______________________________—is created to iron out
________________________ between bills passed by the House and Senate before they are
_____________________________
 ______________________________________________is the process by which Congress,
through its committees, _______________ to see that the agencies of the executive branch are
working effectively.
-Summary-
How a bill becomes law
-Steps One and Two  A Bill is a ________________________________ for the nation or person presented to the House or
Senate for consideration.
 In the House – members introduce a bill by putting a copy in a _______________{A box} by the secretaries desk.
 Then the bill is referred to a ______________________________________ for consideration.
-During a Bill’s Life A Rider deals with an _________________________________________________________, a way of
sneaking a weak proposal into law. Earmark or Pork-Barrel: special projects/programs that are
__________ & intended to benefit a ____________________ district/state.
 A bills can die in a committee by ____________________, to put away for later or never to be acted upon.
 _________________________________ is a statement of position/opinion on a particular subject that
carries _______________________ authority. Congress uses it to regulate the ____________________
_________________ in either the House or the Senate.
- Example: proposing _________________________________
 Concurrent Resolutions are proposals that both houses pass, _____________________, again it’s not a law.
- Example: Foreign affairs
 Joint Resolutions are proposals worked on by both houses together and can act like a law.
- Example: _________________________________________________
-Step Three If the bill makes it through its committee, then it’s sent to the floor, where the ____________________
“Committee of the whole” ________________________________________.
 Majority and minority floor leaders generally decide in advance how they will split the time to be spent
_____________________________________________.
 There are four methods of taking a floor vote in the House:
1. During __________________ the Speaker calls for the “yea
2. ” and then the “no’s.”(Computerized now)
3. In a standing vote, members in favor or opposed to the bill rise and then are counted by the clerk.
4. One fifth of a quorum can demand _____________________, in which the Speaker names two tellers,
for and against, and members pass by each one to be counted.
5. A ____________________________________ may be demanded by one fifth of the members.
- Step Four  Once a bill has been approved at second reading, it is engrossed{__________________________}. It
is then read for a third time and a final vote is taken. Then it’s ______over to the________________
- The Senate passing a Bill Bills are introduced by senators, who are formally recognized for that purpose.
 Most of the _______________________ as the houses, but less strict, because there less members.
 As a general rule, senators may _____________ on the floor for as ____________________________
 __________________________ - term for any attempt to _____________________________ Senate
action on a bill or other matter by speaking at inordinate length.
 If at least ________________________ vote for _________________{A senate rule limiting debates},
no more than another 30 hours may be ______________________________, forcing a vote on a bill.
-Steps Five and Six Any created Bill by Congress, before being sent to the president must have been _________________
houses in __________________________________.
 ___________________________________________ formed to iron out the differences, if one of the
houses doesn’t accept the other’s version of a bill, to make them identical.
 Lastly when it’s finished the bill is sent to the _____________________. The president can either sign it
into law or veto{_____________} it. The President’s veto can be overridden by a ______________ of
the members present in each house. (If president ______________ within 10day’s it becomes law)
 A _______________________________ occurs if Congress adjourns{session ends} within 10 days of
submitting a bill and the President does not sign it. The bill then dies.
-Summary-