US Government
Module 3 Study Guide
There are 3 branches of government. Module 3 will cover the legislative and execute and module 4 will
cover the judicial.
3.01 The Legislative Branch aka Congress
Established in Article I of the Constitution
Their job is to fulfill the needs and wishes of the people who elected them (constituents)
The main goal of this branch is to pass legislation (laws)
There is a bicameral legislature (2 houses):
The House of Representatives
Based on population (US census)
435 members total
2-year terms
The Senate
2 per state- equal representation
100 members total
6 year terms (rolling turnover with 1/3 of the
senators up for re-election every 2 years)
So you want to be a member of congress…..
Qualification requirements for members of the
House
Qualification requirements for members of
Senate
25 years of age
US citizen for 7 years
Live in the state they wish to represent
30 years old
US citizen for 9 years
Live in the state they wish to represent
Differences of the two
House of Representatives
Senate
Leader= Speaker of the House
All bills creating revenue (taxes)
Impeach high officials
Leader= Vice President and President Pro
Tempore
Approves foreign treaties
Conducts trials/convicts impeached federal officials
Confirms presidential appointments
Powers of the Legislative Branch
As stated in Article 1 section 8 of the Constitution "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United
States, or in any department or officer thereof."
Coin and print
money
Declare war
Confirm federal
officials
Approve foreign
treaties
Tax
Make
“necessary and
proper” laws
US Postal
Service
How does a bill become a law?
Constituents- someone who votes to appoint another to act on his or her behalf
Legislation- law passed or in the process of being passed by a lawmaking body, such as Congress
Census- official count of a population carried out at set time intervals
Apportionment- the distribution of seats in the House among the states based on proportion of total
population, calculated after conducting a census every 10 years
Naturalization
Process
Powers of Congress- See lesson 3.01 p3 of 8
Speaker of the House- highest-ranking member of the House, usually the senior member of the majority
party
Presidential succession- the ordered list of federal positions that would take over as acting president if
the president were unable to carry out official duties
President pro tempore- the highest-ranking member of the Senate after the President of the Senate
(who is the vice president), usually the senior member of the majority party
Conference committee- a Congressional committee with members of both houses that creates a
compromise bill between similar bills passed separately by the House and Senate
“Floor Action,” vetoCommittees:
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Standing- a Congressional committee that is permanent and addresses a particular topic
ad hoc- a temporary Congressional committee set up to fulfill a specific purpose
joint- a Congressional committee with members from both houses that makes a single set of
recommendations to the whole Congress on a specific issue
conference- see above
House Rules- This committee, specific to the House, sets rules of debate for particular bills.
Examples include time limits for debate and types of amendments members can add
Joint Economic- (JEC) studies and makes recommendations to the whole Congress regarding
national economic conditions
3.02 Public Policy
What is public policy and how does it affect me?
Public policy is legislation that is aimed to improve the well-being of citizens and the country as a whole.
Types of policy:
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Social welfare- education and health care/insurance
Economic: taxes and spending
Environmental
Defense
It is the right and responsibility of every citizen to monitor public policy (TV news, Internet/social media).
Every policy has costs and benefits. By analyzing these we can see if the policy is a sound choice or if it
need revisions.
Example: seatbelt legislation
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Costs: time for studies and research, money for development of new seatbelts in cars, tests,
more money for cars, training for officers
Benefits: saves lives, less money used for hospital bills paid by taxpayers, more comfortable
experience in cars
Foreign policy- relations with other countries, while domestic policies apply within the country
Domestic policy- decisions can have an affect on each other
Social welfare policy- policies address the well-being of citizens and include programs like education
and health insurance. The goal of these policies is to "promote the general welfare" as described in the
Preamble to the Constitution, meaning to improve citizens' quality of life. Those who benefit from social
welfare programs often must meet certain age, income, or other requirements
Economic policy- policies include the government's budget, which includes government taxing and
spending rules. Economic policy also establishes rules for businesses. The goal of economic policy is to
grow the productive capacity of the economy, while keeping unemployment and inflation low. Inflation is
the general rise of prices over time.
Environmental policy- policies address concerns related to the impact of human activity on Earth. The
goal, of course, is to minimize the negative effects on air, water, wildlife, and land that result from our
activities, such as clearing land for farms and driving gas-burning vehicles. Environmental policies are
often controversial because they can be very expensive for American businesses.
Defense policy- policies include laws and programs related to maintaining the armed forces. The goal of
defense policy is to protect the safety and security of the country and its citizens. Defense policy often
intersects with foreign policy. Like other types of policy, it can be very controversial as people disagree on
what role the United States should take in world affairs as a measure to protect its own peace and
security.
Initiative (referendum)- a process in many U.S. states that allows citizens to introduce ideas for new
laws to the state legislature
Ordinance- a law or rule made by an authority such as a city government
Externalities- unintended costs or benefits to third parties
3.03 The Executive Branch
Established in Article 2 of the Constitution
President, Vice President, Cabinet
Their job is to carry out and enforce the laws of the US
So you want to be president…..
Constitutional requirements
Societal requirements
Must be at least 35 years old
Wealth
Must be a US citizen
Education
Resident of the United States for at least 14 years
Experience
Personality
Note- the Vice President has all the same requirements
for office as the president
The role of the president
The following is a list of presidential duties:
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Approves and carries out laws passed by congress
Has veto power if needed
Meets with foreign leaders and makes agreements
Makes treaties
Spends money as authorized by congress
Appoints Supreme Court Justices, federal judges, and foreign ambassadors
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces (military)
Can grant pardons for federal crimes
State of the Union Address (given yearly)
Note- The 22
nd
amendment limits the president to two terms in office
The Cabinet
The Cabinet is a group of leaders of 15 executive departments that
advise the president.
Under each executive department are various agencies with staff that
carry out the daily work of enforcing policy.
Regulatory Agencies:
Independent regulatory agencies are offices that serve a specific enforcement function. They operate with
much less of the president's direction than executive departments. Like the Cabinet, Congress creates
them and determines through law the powers of the agency. The president appoints their chief leaders
with approval from the Senate, but usually does not have the power to remove officials without cause.
Examples:
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Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
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US Postal Service (USPS)
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The Federal Reserve Bank (The Fed)
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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
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The Social Security Administration (SSA)
Electoral College- the group of people from each state who officially elect the president of the United
States, typically based on the popular vote in each state.
Powers of the PresidentSuccessionVeto
Cabinet- a group of advisers to the president, composed of the heads of the executive departments and
other officials as determined by the president
Bureaucracy- staff, policies, and actions of administrative groups led by nonelected officials to carry out
specific laws and responsibilities
Regulations- an official rule or order that guides behavior related to laws, or the carrying out of a law
Congressional oversight
Authorization bill- permission through legislation to start or continue a government program or agency
Appropriation- permission through legislation to spend funds on a specific program or agency
Subpoena- legal order that requires a witness to appear or provide evidence to a court
“Executive privilege”- the right of the president to refuse to reveal confidential materials if doing so
would interfere with the administration's ability to govern
Influencing policy
There are many ways an individual citizen can make a difference and have their voice heard: vote,
contact local or state representatives, start or sign a petition, post on social media, attend public
meetings, etc.
There is also strength in numbers. For that reason many people choose to join special interest groups or
political parties.
Political Parties
There are 3 major parties: Democrat, Republican, or Independent. People choose a political party based
off of ideologies and beliefs.
Special Interest Groups:
Special interest groups are groups of people who share a common idea or experience and want to
influence a policy.
Smaller in scope
Plan to inform/persuade the public and lawmakers in favor of their interest/position
Very passionate and involved members
They can form, dissolve, and change their policy focus depending on what issues are at the center of
attention at any point in time
Examples: Greenpeace, labor unions
PAC- Political Action Committee and Coalitions
Lobbyists
Political ideology- a set of beliefs, values, and ideas that form the basis for an organization or program
Third party- a political party organized in opposition to the major parties in a two-party system
Independent- a person or candidate who votes and acts in accordance with his or her own judgment
and without regard to the positions taken by any specific party
LiberalModerateConservativeCampaigns- an organized series of events intended to achieve a specific goal, such as selection of a
particular candidate for office
Special interest group
Labor union- an organization of wage earners set up to promote its members' concerns, generally in the
areas of pay, benefits, hours, and conditions
Political action committee- a group set up by an interest group or corporation to raise and spend
donated money on a political campaign
Coalition- an alliance of separate interest groups
INTEREST GROUPS: Citizen’s Flag Alliance, SADD, Greenpeace, AAA
3.05 Media and Politics
What is media? How does the influence of the media play into politics?
Media is anything that relays a message or information to a wide audience of people.
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Print: newspaper, flyers, magazines, books
Radio
Television
Internet: email, websites, advertisements, social media, etc.
Other- billboards, bumper stickers, buttons
Highly televised political events include:
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State of the Union Address
Campaign ads
Debates
Bias is a preference toward a particular belief or attitude
No person is completely free of bias. This includes the media.
Many people do not have time to research policy or information about government and rely on news
outlets or websites to inform them of candidates or policy. This can be dangerous depending on the
amount of bias in the station/report/or analysis they view.
Types of Bias/Persuasive tactics:
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Accuracy: using statistics
Omission: leaving out key information
Emotional appeal: Statements and/or visual images that appeal to our personal values, beliefs,
and desires (either positive or negative)
Symbols- images or text in advertisements that represent something else or have a meaning not
obvious from the picture itself
Propaganda: information an organization or government sends out to promote a policy, idea, or
cause. In general, it means any type of political message with a bias
3.06 Elections and Voting
Does every vote really count?
The Electoral College is the group of people who officially
elect the president of the United States, set up by the
U.S. Constitution.
The number of electors (total of house representatives
plus 2 senators) each state has is determined by
population (US census)
538 total possible votes; a candidate needs 270 to win
the election
Typically goes with popular vote (winner takes all) but not always the case (2000 election- Bush v Gore)
Please view the following video: http://safeshare.tv/w/RsduHWIrxt
Demographics- characteristics about the human population or a part of it, such as size or growth
Socioeconomics traits- characteristic relating to economic or social factors
Voter turnout- the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election
Electoral College- the group of people from each state who officially elect the president of the United
States, typically based on the popular vote in each state.
Popular vote- a vote of the majority of the people in a country, the votes of the people
Gerrymandering- the dividing of a geographic region into representative districts that would give
political advantage to a certain political party or other group
Primary elections (open, closed)- a process where voters choose the candidates who will run for
political office
Caucus- a closed meeting of people from one political party, especially a local meeting to select
delegates or candidates
Midterm elections- U.S. general election held two years after every presidential election where all seats
in the House are up for election as well as one-third of the Senate seats
Voter fraud- interference with an election, such as illegal voter registration, preventing votes being cast
or counted
Disenfranchise- to deprive a person or a group of people of the right to vote
Swing state- a U.S. state where no political party has a significant majority of voter support, making it
possible for the state's electoral votes to go to any candidate
Factors that influence turnout (party identification, type of election, campaign tone, age and gender,
ethnicity, education and income)
Module 3 Review Video