http://pinoytutorial.com/lifebytes/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/us-congress.jpeg http://interkulti.eu/Junglelaw/images/stories/us-congress.jpg žRepresents the legislative branch of government žIs made up of two houses: - House of Representatives - Senate žThis two house system is known as a bicameral legislature žThe primary duty of Congress is to write, debate, and pass bills, which are then passed on to the president for approval žLower of the two legislative bodies ž435 members – every two years voters get to choose all of them žNumber of representatives per state depend upon that state’s population žEach member represents an area of a state, known as a congressional district žThe number of representatives is based on the number of districts in a state žEach state is guaranteed one seat žEvery ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the population of the states to determine the number of districts in each state žAlaska, North Dakota, South Dakota Montana and Wyoming are sparsely populated states -> 1 representative žCalifornia: 53 žTexas: 32 žNew York: 29 žElected for two-year terms žMust be 25 years old žCitizen for at least seven years žResident of the state from which they are elected žFive additional members from Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia represent their constituencies in the House. While they may participate in the debates, they cannot vote. žUpper legislative chamber in the federal government ž100 members – each state is granted 2 senators who represent the state žVoters get to choose one third every two years žMore powerful body žElected for six-year terms žMust be 30 years old žCitizen for at least nine years žResident of the state from which they are elected žIs charged with drafting, debating and sending bills to the president to be signed into law žEach Congress has usually two sessions, one per each year, since members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms žThere are different types of sessions, during which either one or both chambers of Congress meet žThe Constitution requires a quorum, or majority, to be present in order for the chambers to conduct business žTypes: ¡Regular session ¡Closed session ¡Joint session ¡“Lame Duck” session ¡Special session ž žIntoduction ¡Only a member of Congress (House or Senate) can introduce the bill for consideration ¡The Representative or Senator who introduces the bill becomes its "sponsor" ¡Other legislators who support the bill or work on its preparation can ask to be listed as "co-sponsors“ ¡Important bills usually have several co-sponsors ¡Co-sponsors are not required to sign the bill ¡A bill or resolution has officially been introduced when it has been assigned a number (H.R. # for House Bills or S. # for Senate Bills), and printed in the Congressional Record by the Government Printing Office žCommittee Consideration ¡Committee considers the bill in detail žCommittee Action žSubcommittee Review ¡The committee sends some bills to a subcommittee for further study and public hearings žMark Up ¡If the subcommittee decides to report a bill back to the full committee for approval, they may first make changes and amendments to it žCommittee Action – Reporting a Bill ¡The full committee now reviews the deliberations and recommendations of the subcommittee žPublication of Committee Report ¡Once a bill has been reported a report about the bill is written and published. The report will include the purpose of the bill and its impact on existing laws žFloor Action – Legislative Calendar ¡The bill will now be placed on the legislative calendar of the House or Senate žDebate ¡Debate for and against the bill proceeds before the full House and Senate according to strict rules of consideration and debate žVoting ¡Once debate has ended and any amendments to the bill have been approved, the full membership will vote for or against the bill žBill Referred to Other Chamber ¡Bills approved by one chamber of Congress (House or Senate) are now sent to the other chamber. The other chamber may approve, reject, ignore, or amend the bill. žConference Committee ¡If the bill is changed, a conference committee made up of members of both chambers will be formed. The conference committee works to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. žFinal Action – Enrollment ¡Once both the House and Senate have approved the bill in identical form, it becomes enrolled and sent to the President of the United States. The President may sign the bill into law. The President can also take no action on the bill for ten days while Congress is in session and the bill will automatically become law. If the President is opposed to the bill, he can veto it. If he takes no action on the bill for ten days after Congress has adjourned their second session, the bill dies. This action is called a "pocket veto." žOverriding the Veto ¡Congress can attempt to override a presidential veto of a bill and force it into law, but doing so requires a 2/3 vote by a quorum of members in both the House and Senate. ž žBicameral - consisting of two chambers žBill - a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet enacted or passed and made law žAmendment - an addition, alteration, or improvement to a motion, document, etc. žReconcile - to bring into agreement or harmony žAdjourned - to suspend a session or meeting till another time or indefinitely Thank You!