Page 111 - Birmingham City Schools 2020-2021

SOCIAL STUDIES
Legislative Branch
The U.S. Congress
The U.S. Congress is made up of two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress meets at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Its primary duty is to write, debate, and pass bills, which are then passed on to the president for approval.
Other Powers of Congress
• Makes laws controlling trade between states and between the United States and other countries.
• Makes laws about taxes and borrowing money.
• Approves the making of money.
• Can declare war on other countries.
Congress works in two-year sessions. A new session begins in January following an election. We are currently in the 116th Congress which meets from January 2019 to January 2021.
The way that states are represented in the House and the Senate is different. Why is this? Well, when the Founding Fathers were drafting the Constitution, there were debates over how states would be represented. States with larger populations wanted more representation than states
with smaller populations. Meanwhile, states with smaller populations favored equal representation. So, a compromise was made — representation in the Senate would be equal, while representation in the House would be based on population.
The House of Representatives
In the House, representation is based on the number of people living in each state. There are a total of 435 representatives in the House. Each member represents an area of the state, known as a congressional district. The number of representatives is based on the number of districts in a state. Therefore, states with larger populations have more representation than states with smaller populations. Each state has at least one congressional district and one representative in the House.
Each representative serves a term of two years. When the term is over, people from that state may choose to elect a new representative or keep the same one. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative can serve.
Representatives must:
• Be at least 25 years old.
• Be U.S. citizens for the past 7 years. • Live in the state they represent.
The House has special jobs that only it can do. It can:
• Pass laws that make people pay taxes.
• Decide if a government official should be put on trial before the Senate if the person commits a crime against the country.
The Senate
Each of the 50 states sends 2 people to the Senate, so there are a total of 100 senators. This means that each state has equal representation in the Senate. Each senator serves a term of
6 years. When their 6-year term is over, the people from that state may choose to elect a new senator or keep the same one. There is no limit on the number of terms a senator can serve.
Senators must:
• Be at least 30 years old.
• Be U.S. citizens for the past 9 years. • Live in the state they represent.
The Senate has special jobs that only it can do. It can:
• Vote for or against any treaties the president makes.
• Vote for or against any people the president recommends for jobs, such as cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices, and ambassadors.
• Hold a trial for a government official who does something very wrong.
The Legislative Branch of government is made up of the Congress and government agencies, such as the Government Printing Office and Library of Congress, that provide assistance to and support services for the Congress. Article I of the Constitution established this branch and gave Congress the power to make laws.
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