Notes
Two houses
- House: 435 members, 2-year terms, age 25, citizen 7 years, seats by population. Senate: 100 members, 6-year staggered terms, age 30, citizen 9 years, two per state.
- The census every 10 years leads to reapportionment; states redistrict, sometimes by gerrymandering. Districts must follow one person, one vote.
Powers
- Enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8 plus the necessary and proper clause.
- House: starts revenue bills, impeaches. Senate: confirms appointments (majority), ratifies treaties (2/3), tries impeachments (2/3 to convict).
Organization
- Speaker, majority and minority leaders, whips; the vice president breaks Senate ties.
- Standing, select, joint and conference committees; the House Rules Committee controls floor debate.
Lawmaking
- Introduction, committee, floor, both houses pass the same bill, president signs or vetoes. Filibuster and cloture (60 votes) in the Senate; pocket veto; override by 2/3 of both houses.
Representation
- Delegate, trustee, politico models; casework, pork barrel, logrolling, incumbency advantage; oversight and the power of the purse.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
Senators must be 30, citizens for 9 years and residents of their state.
Impeachment is a formal charge; removal requires conviction by two-thirds of the Senate.
Cracking spreads voters out to weaken their influence.
Two-thirds of 100 is about 66.7, so 67 votes are needed.
Mandatory spending continues automatically under existing law.
Control over spending is one of Congress's strongest checks.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
A member of the House introduces a bill to fund new highway safety programs.
(a) Describe TWO steps the bill must go through in the House before it can pass.
Show the answer and scoring guide
The bill is sent to a standing committee, which holds hearings and marks up the bill before voting to send it to the full House. The Rules Committee then sets the terms of floor debate, and the full House votes; a simple majority is needed to pass.
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(b) Explain how Senate rules could stop the bill even if most senators support it.
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A senator can filibuster, using unlimited debate to delay a vote. Ending debate requires cloture, which needs 60 votes, so a bill with only majority support (51 to 59 senators) can be blocked.
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(c) Suppose both houses pass the bill and the president vetoes it. Explain what Congress can do and why this shows checks and balances.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Congress can override the veto if two-thirds of both the House and the Senate vote to pass the bill again, and it then becomes law. The veto lets the president check Congress, and the override lets Congress check the president, so neither branch can act alone.
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