Denison Middle - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Denison Middle 7th Grade Civics

Chapter 11: Lawmakers and Legislatures Slide2

Florida Standards

SS.7.C.3.8

Analyze

the structure, function, and processes of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

SS.7.C.1.7

Describe

how the Constitution limits the powers of government through the separation of powers and checks and balances.

SS.7.C.2.9

Evaluate

candidates for political office by analyzing their qualifications, experience, issue-based platforms, debates, and political ads.

LACC.68.RH.2.4

Determine

the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.Slide3

Preview

Analyze the

following information

of Congressman Joe

Schwarz and

read about his background.Slide4

Preview

A

nswer

these questions

:

1. From the photograph and biography, what facts

do you

know about Congressman Schwarz?

2. What things about Joe Schwarz do you think are typical for a member of Congress? What things might be atypical?3. What aspects of his background do you think would help make Joe Schwarz an effective legislator? Explain.4. What things do you think Congressman Schwarz and his staff will need to do, or learn to do, to help him be an effective legislator?Slide5

Preview

In the Preview you identified things that might make someone an effective legislator.

In this lesson, you will learn more about the powers and functions of the legislative branch and what a legislator needs to do and know in order to be effective.Slide6

11.1: Introduction

Read Section 1, Introduction, in your Student Text

.

Then respond to this question:

Which qualities described in this section do you think are most important for an effective legislator? Why? Slide7

11.2: Legislators and Their Constituents

Most legislators start out in local politics.

E.g.:

city council

Once they have gathered experience, they may try for a seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

As lawmakers move upward on the legislative path, they serve an ever-widening group of

constituents

(

people in their home districts or states).Slide8

Formal Qualifications: Age and Citizenship Requirements

The Constitution established formal qualifications for members of Congress.

Members of both Houses (

i.e.:

Senate and House of Representatives

) must be residents of the state in which they are elected.

Members must also meet certain age and citizenship requirements.

House members must be 25 years old and a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years.Senators must be at least 30 years old and a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years.Slide9

Informal Qualifications: Race, Gender, Education, and Occupation

For some 200 years Congress was made up of lawmakers who were white, male, and middle to upper class.

By the late 1960s, a few hundred women had won election to their state legislatures and Congress.

By 2006, that number had increased to more than 1,650 women serving as state or national lawmakersSlide10

Informal Qualifications: Race, Gender, Education, and Occupation

In 1971, a combined total of 21 African Americans and Latinos held seats in Congress.

By 2007, that number had increased to 73.

Beyond race and gender, at least 2 other informal qualifications still exist: education and occupation.

Most legislators have a college degree.

The majority of lawmakers have a background in business or law.Slide11

Apportionment: Achieving Equal Representation

The U.S. Senate has 100 seats. (

50 states x 2 senators = 100 seats

)

The House of Representatives has 435 seats, with each seat representing one congressional district.Slide12

Apportionment: Achieving Equal Representation

House seats are apportioned (divided) among the states according to each state’s

population.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the nation’s

population.

The results of the census are used to determine how seats are distributed among the

states.

Based on the 2010 Census apportionment, each member of the U.S. House of Representatives will represent an average population of 710,767.Slide13

Apportionment: Achieving Equal Representation

The constitutional principle behind apportionment is equal representation, “one person, one vote”.

The idea also applies to the apportionment of seats in state legislatures.

The principle

does not apply

to the U.S. Senate.

As a result, the nation’s least populous state, Wyoming, has as much power in the Senate as does the most populous state, California

2010 U.S. Census

California= 37,341,989 Wyoming= 568,300Slide14

How Legislators See Their Jobs: Delegates Versus Trustees

Legislators see themselves as fulfilling one of two distinct roles:

delegate

or

trustee.

Delegates

seek to represent their districts by responding directly to the wishes or needs of their constituents.

First-time lawmakersTrustees try to represent their districts by exercising their best independent judgment.More experienced lawmakersSlide15

Getting Elected: Turnover and the Power of Incumbency

Once elected, many legislators stay in office as long as voters keep reelecting them.

Term limits only affect state legislators.

In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that the terms of members of Congress cannot be limited

except

by a constitutional amendment.Slide16

Getting Elected: Turnover and the Power of Incumbency

Lawmakers that run for office, term after term, stand a good chance of being reelected.

Since 1945, representatives running for office won reelection approximately 90% of the time.

Around 80%of incumbent senators have won their reelection bids.Slide17

Getting Elected: Turnover and the Power of Incumbency

Incumbents have four main advantages over their challengers:

Name recognition.

Voters are familiar with incumbents.

Office resources.

Incumbents can use benefits of their office, such as staff, mailing privileges, and travel allowances to keep in touch with voters in their districts.

Campaign funds.

Individuals and organizations give money in larger amounts to incumbents than to challengers.

Bragging rights. Incumbents can point to federal projects - from roads and bridges to defense contracts - that they have won for their districts.These projects are known as pork, because the money for them comes from the federal “pork barrel,” or treasury. Slide18

11.3: The Organization of Congress

The framers of the Constitution viewed Congress as “ the first branch of government”.Slide19

A Bicameral Legislature: The House and Senate

The Constitution establishes Congress as a bicameral legislature, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The framers expected the House, with its larger size and more frequent elections, to act as the “people’s body”.

The Senate, whose members serve longer terms and were originally chosen by state legislatures, was meant to be a more elite chamber that would act as a steadying influence on Congress

.Slide20

Leadership Roles in the House

Since the 1800s, Congress has based its organization on the two major political parties.

In each house, the

majority party

-

the one with the most seats- controls the agenda

.Slide21

Leadership Roles in the House

There are 3 leadership roles in the House:

Speaker of the House-

Has more power and prestige then any other leader in Congress.

Nominated by the majority party but wins the position through a vote of the entire House.

The speaker presides over the House, assigns bills to committees, and appoints members to special committees and commissions.

Majority and minority leaders-

Are elected by their respective parties.

Their duty is to manage legislation on the House floor.The majority leader is the majority party’s second in command.Majority and minority whips- assistant floor leaders are responsible for keeping the leadership informed and persuading party members to vote along party lines.Slide22

Leadership Roles in the Senate

There are 5 main leadership positions in the Senate:

President of the Senate.

The Constitution assigns this position to the vice president of the U.S.

President of the Senate pro tempore.

Is the most senior senator of the majority party and may preside over Senate sessions when the vice president is not there.

Majority leader.

Serves as the spokesperson for the party that holds the most seats in the Senate. The majority leader must work with party members and the minority leader to move legislation to a vote.

Minority leader. This leader helps shape minority party policy and devise strategies for stopping majority-sponsored bills opposed by the minority party.Majority and minority whips. The main duty of these assistant floor leaders is to stand in for the majority and minority leaders.Slide23

Congressional LeadershipSlide24

The Congressional Committee System

Congress has 5 types of committees that help assist in the lawmaking process:

Standing committees.

Permanent committees that handle most legislative business

.

Each standing committee has its own broad area of responsibility

, such as homeland security of foreign affairs. Another key

duty is to gather information through hearings and investigations.Slide25

The Congressional Committee System

Subcommittees.

Do the work of reviewing all proposed legislation

.

Select or special committees.

Formed occasionally by both houses to investigate specific problems

. These committees are

usually temporary. Joint committees. Permanent joint committees made up of members of both the House and Senate. Congress has a small number of these.Conference Committees. It is a temporary kind of joint committee used to iron out (work out differences) versions of a bill passed by both the House and the Senate.Slide26

Congressional CommitteesSlide27

Staff and Support Agencies

The House and Senate each employ around 1,000 committee staffers to support the work of their various committees.

Representatives average about 16 staffers apiece, while senators average about 40 staff members each.

Personal staff members perform tasks such as answering constituents questions to writing speeches and drafting bills.Slide28

Caucuses and Coalitions

Members of Congress have formed over 100 unofficial groups called caucuses to peruse particular goals and interests.Slide29

11.4: The Work of Congress

Members of Congress have two distinct but interrelated jobs:

they must represent their constituents in their districts or states, and;

they must perform their constitutional duties as national legislators.Slide30

The Powers of Congress

Read subsection “

The Powers of Congress

” (

pages 212 – 213

), on section 11.4 and answer the following questions in your worksheet.

According

to Article I of the Constitution,

what are the specific, or enumerated, powers of Congress?What part of the Constitution allows Congress to broaden its power beyond those enumerated powers?Slide31

The Powers of Congress

Article I of the Constitution states that Congress shall have “all legislative powers”.

What

are the specific, or enumerated, powers of Congress?

The specific powers given to Congress include the authority to:

Levy

taxes

Borrow

money

Regulate interstate commerce

Coin money

Declare war

(

We call all of these “enumerated powers

”

)Slide32

The Powers of Congress

The Constitution authorizes Congress to “make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper” for carrying out those -

enumerated powers

-. This is known as the

Elastic Clause

because it broadens Congress’s power, allowing them to deal with future needs that could not be anticipated when the Constitution was written.

What part of the Constitution allows Congress to broaden its power beyond those enumerated powers

?

The only catch is that these “future needs” (deemed as -implied powers-) must be linked to those enumerated powers.Slide33

How Congress Checks the Other Branches

Complete

the diagram in your worksheet,

by using page 213,

showing the

six ways

in which

Congress checks the other two branches

of government. Label each check, and indicate which other branch each check applies to.Congress was given powers to check on the other 2 branches of government (executive and judicial branches).Slide34

How Congress Checks the Other Branches

Checking powers include the following:

Oversight.

Congress oversees executive agencies.

Confirmation.

The senate must confirm, or approve, key officials appointed to office by the president.

Impeachment.

The House of Representatives can impeach a federal official, including the president.

Ratification. The Senate must approve all treaties negotiated by the president before they become law.Override. Congress can reverse a president’s veto of legislation.Amendment. Congress can propose an amendment to the Constitution.Slide35

How Congress Checks the Other Branches

Page 213Slide36

Enacting Laws

The checking powers of Congress also apply with the legislative

branch.

Both houses of Congress must agree on a bill offered by the

house.

A bill may be introduced in either house of

Congress.

Upon introduction, they are labeled with

the initials H.R. for the House of Representatives and S. for the SenateMost new bills are sent to a committee, where they are studied and reviewed.If it survives, it is sent back to Congress for a debate and a vote.Slide37

Page 215Slide38

Levying Taxes

Some of the bills that go through Congress are tax bills

The power to tax is one of the most important powers of Congress

Tax bills can only originate in the House

Article I, Section 7Slide39

Levying TaxesOriginally, government

revenue -the

money coming into the treasury- came from taxes on imported

goods.

Today, the federal government relies largely on income

taxes.Tax dollars fund many important government programs and services that Americans depend on. For example:

National highway system

National law enforcement

Public education National defense systemSlide40

The Power of the Purse

In addition to taxation, Congress has another important financial power: the power to spend

Article I, Section 9

Appropriations

are

public funds allocated for a particular purpose by a legislature

.

To fund any federal project, the government needs money, and Congress must approve this money.Slide41

Declaring War Congress

has

the power to declare

war.

As commander in chief, the president also has a constitutional duty related to military

conflicts.U.S. soldiers have been sent into action abroad more than 200 times (act of president

).

Congress has only officially declared war 5

times.The last time Congress declared war was in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed.Slide42

Declaring War Congress passed the War Powers Act (1973) which requires approval by Congress for any overseas troop deployment lasting longer than 90

days.

Congress can stop short of issuing a formal declaration of war by authorizing military action by passing a

joint

resolution

, or

an official statement from both houses of Congress

.Slide43

Complete the diagram provided in your worksheet with a key power of Congress.

Include a brief explanation for each power of Congress.

Pages 214 - 216Slide44

Enacting laws:

New bills are first sent to a

committee for

review. If different versions of

the same

bill pass the House and Senate, a

conference committee

reconciles the differences.

Levying taxes:

According to the

Constitution, tax

bills can originate only

in the

House.

The federal government relies

largely

on income taxes

for revenue.

Power of the purse:

Congress gets its power

to spend from the Constitution

. Congress

must appropriate money for

any

federal project

.

Declaring war:

Congress and the

president share

war-making powers,

which sometimes causes

tension between the two branches.Slide45

Casework: The Care and Feeding of Constituents

Members of Congress must find time for

casework

, or

helping their constituents solve problems that involve the federal government

.

Citizens often need assistance in dealing with the complexities of federal agencies.

For example, they may have not received their Social Security checks.Slide46

Casework: The Care and Feeding of Constituents

Casework is a burden for many legislators, but it is a key part of representative government.

Voters often reelect legislators that have listened to their needs.

Legislators open offices in their district with staff that answer constituents questions.Slide47

Congressional CaseworkSlide48

11.5: How State Legislatures Compare to Congress

Complete the Venn

diagram

provided in your worksheet comparing

state legislatures with Congress. Identify at least three significant similarities and at least four important differences between the two. Be specific

.

(Fill it up as we go through the presentation)

Differences Similarities Differences

Congress StateSlide49

How State Legislatures Compare to Congress

Like Congress, state legislatures make laws and represent the voters in each state.

Every state

except

Nebraska has a bicameral legislature.Slide50

Shorter Sessions, Smaller Staff, and Lower Pay

In general, state legislators meet for less time, have smaller staff members, and receive lower salaries than members of Congress.

State legislatures can be divided into 3 types:

Citizen legislatures.

Members spend about half of their time as lawmakers. Used mainly in small population states.

Professional legislatures.

Full-time lawmakers. Common in states with larger populations.

Hybrid legislatures.

A mixture of the other 2 types of legislatures. Members spend 2/3 of their time on legislative business.Slide51

State LegislatorsSlide52

Shorter Sessions, Smaller Staff, and Lower Pay

Out of

these 3 types, professional legislatures are

the most

like

Congress.The amount of work that the U.S. Congress does is more though.

Most sessions of Congress run from January

into December.

Members of Congress spent more than 300 days a year performing legislative duties.Professional state legislators an average of 9 staff assistants each compared to 16 in the House and 40 in the Senate.Members of Congress receive larger salaries.Slide53

Turnover and Term Limits

Another main difference is term limits.

Unlike Congress, where legislators may serve an unlimited number of terms, many states limit the number of years legislators can remain in office.

As of 2007, voters in 15 states had imposed term limits of various kinds on their lawmakers.Slide54

Turnover and Term Limits

Advocates of term limits say that turnover in a legislature is

beneficial.

It

eliminates career politicians who may lose touch with

their constituency (people).

New faces, bring new

ideas.

Critics of term limits argue that term limits are undemocratic.It restricts the choices given to voters.It removes experienced lawmakers from office.Opponents of term limits claim that such a loss of experience can devastate a legislature.Slide55

Congress Similarities State Legislatures

-Both

make

laws.

-

Both

represent

the voters

in the state or district. -Except for Nebraska, both are bicameral.-Congress meet for more time each year than State legislatures does.-In Congress, representatives average 16 for

members of

the U.S. House and 40 for U.S.

senators.

-Members

of

Congress

are

paid significantly more than members of state legislatures.

-There

are

no term

limits for members of Congress.

-State

legislatures meet for less time each year than Congress does

.

-In

state legislatures, representatives average from one to nine

staff

members.

-Members

of state legislatures are paid significantly

less than members of Congress.

-In many states

, legislators have term

limits.