Chapter 8: The Legislative Branch

1. Chapter 8: The Legislative Branch SECTION 1: The Members of Congress

2. Focus • Congress = Legislative Branch = Lawmaking Branch • Consists of 2 houses – Senate & House of Representatives • Most important job – MAKE LAWS • LAWS – say what you can and cannot do and establish policy

3. The Responsibilities of Lawmaking • Local versus National Needs • Each member represents a small group called constituents. • Each member all represents the nation as a whole • Sometimes needs of constituents conflict with those of the entire nation. • Political Parties • Members are responsible to their parties. • Parties work to get certain people into Congress, therefore, they expect those people to represent the party’s idea in government. • This can also cause conflict between party needs and constituents' needs.

4. The Responsibilities of Lawmaking (continued) • Interest Groups (IG) • To get re-elected members run campaigns and raise money for certain groups • Members gain support from certain interests groups • IG= Votes & Money • IG work to convince Congress to support certain bills and reject other bills. • Lobbyists - people who represent certain IGs and inform members of Congress about their position on certain bills.

5. The Responsibilities of Lawmaking (continued) • Factors in Decision Making • Members vote on 100s of bills • To make a decision: • Members must weigh conflicting information presented by constituents, party members and lobbyists. • Members must use conscience and values. • Servants of the People • 2nd Most important role is to serve the people • Must give information and help constituents with special needs or interests • Serving their constituents makes it more likely that the constituents will vote for them again if the Congress member decides to run again.

6. Members of Congress at Work • Too much work and too little time to do it all • Almost impossible to complete all the work • Members spend a great deal learning about issues on which they must vote. • Members try to be present on the floor of Congress as much as possible. They attend meetings, give and listen to speeches, and ultimately vote on a bill. • Congressional Staff • 12000 members • Legislative assistants – study bills • Caseworkers – respond to constituents’ requests • Try to link local offices to offices in Washington, DC.

7. Representatives • Census – taken every 10 years to see distribution of representatives (Reps) in the House (how many Reps each state should have). States can gain or lose Reps. • 435 Reps total • Congressional District (CD) – Area that a Rep represents – each CD must have about the same number of people (647,000) • Drawing districts may cause controversy (can be drawn to have more members of certain parties)

8. Senators • Each state has 2 Senators • Serve 6 year terms – with 1/3 of Senators are elected every 2 years • Senators pays attention to the needs of the state they represent as a whole • Longer, overlapping terms makes senators less likely to make quick, unwise changes in the law

9. Requirements, Benefits and Salary • Representatives – must be at least 25 years old and be a citizen for 7 years. • Senators – must be at least 30 years old and be a citizen for 9 years. • BOTH – must live in the state they represent. • Salary - $145,100 (in 2001) • Benefits – allowance to pay for expenses and their staff; free use of the postal service.

10. ATTENTION!!!!!! • THESE NOTES ARE ONLY ON CHAPTER 8: SECTION 1 • THE QUIZ WILL CONSISTS OF ALL OF CHAPTER 8 (Sections 1, 2, 3, & 4) • I posted these notes to make sure you copied all notes from other students (remember each group was assigned a section to take notes on and share with the rest of the class).