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The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch. Of the United States Government. The Legislative Branch. “Though the President is Commander-in-Chief, Congress is his commander.” This is “a government of the people and Congress is the people.” - Thaddeus Stevens

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The Legislative Branch

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  1. The LegislativeBranch Of the United States Government

  2. The LegislativeBranch “Though the President is Commander-in-Chief, Congress is his commander.” This is “a government of the people and Congress is the people.” -Thaddeus Stevens Speech in House of Representatives, January 3, 1867

  3. GOALS FOR LEARNING • To identify the legislative branch as one of the three main branches of the federal government • To explain who can be elected to the Senate and House of Representatives • To describe the work of the Senate and House of • Representatives • To describe how a bill becomes a law • To identify the powers given to Congress by • the Constitution

  4. Congress • The writers of the Constitution did not want one group of officials to become too strong, so they made two parts to Congress • Voters in each state elect the people who work in these two houses of Congress. • Every new law for the nation must be passed by a majority, or more than half, of votes in both houses of Congress

  5. Senate Houses of Congress Each state elects two senators to serve in the Senate. 100 senators serve in the Senate today. The Vice President is the leader of the Senate The Vice President cannot debate questions or vote unless there is a tie A candidate for the Senate must be at least 30 years old, a US citizen for 9 years, and a resident of the state he or she wants to represent. A senator serves a 6 year term.

  6. Houses of CongressHouse of Representatives • Has 435 elected officials • Representatives from each state are based on the population size; states with more people have more representatives • The Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representatives • The Speaker leads sessions, decides who may speak, calls for votes, and sees that rules are followed. • A candidate for the House must be at least 25 years old, a US citizen for 7 years, and a resident of the state and district he or she wants to represent. • Serves a 2 year term.

  7. Vocabulary Checkpoint • Representative: a member of the House of Representatives; a person who is given the power to act for others

  8. Serve: to spend a period of time carrying out a duty • Citizen: a person given certain rights, duties, and privileges because he or she was born in or chooses to live in a certain place • Resident: a person who lives in a place • Term: a period of time something lasts

  9. How CongressDoesItsWork • Eachterm of Congress has two sessions. • The sessions begin in earlyJanuaryeachyear, alternatingeveryotheryear. • Sessions last until the workiscomplete. • When the workiscomplete, Congressadjourns.

  10. Special Sessions • Sometimes, Congressmay have to come back to hold a special session afterthey have adjourned. • For example, in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt called a special session. • The country was in an economicdepression. He wantedCongress to passlawsthatwould help end the depression

  11. What are the duties of Congress? • Most important duty is to make laws • Also to collect taxes, maintain armed forces, regulate trade, and punish certain crimes • Can also check on other two branches of government

  12. House of Representatives can accuse a public official with crime or misconduct. • Senate conducts a trial and convicts or acquits the official. • If convicted, the official is removed from office.

  13. Watergate -In 1973, the Senate formed a committee to investigateactivities of the executivebranch of government. -White House staff wasbeinginvestigatedbecause of a break-in in the Watergate Apartments. -Investigatorsasked for tape recordingsfromPresidentNixon’stalkswith staff about the break-in but Nixon refused. -Supreme Court ordered for tapes to bereleased and the House set to debateNixon’s impeachment. -Nixon resigned in 1974 and charges werelaterdropped.

  14. Vocabulary Checkpoint • Session: the period of time each year when Congress meets. • Adjourn: to bring a meeting to an end • economic depression: a time of low • business activity and high • unemployment

  15. Vocabulary Checkpoint • Regulate: to control or direct • Impeachment: a charge of wrongful conduct of a public official • Resign: to announce that a person is leaving a job • Acquit: to drop the charges of a crime

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