Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Structure of Congress (Organization of Congress (Congressional Sessions…
Structure of Congress
Organization of Congress
Bicameral Legislator
House of Representatives
Must be 25 years old and at least a US Citizen 7 years. 6 year terms.
Senate
Must be 30 years old and a US Citizen for 9 years. 6 years terms.
Congressional Sessions
Representation and Reapportionment
Census every 10 years to decide how many representatives each state gets in the House of Representatives.
Congressional Redistricting
Process after Reapportionment
Redistricting Cases
Federal Courts can decide conflicts over drawing district boundaries.
Salary and Benefits of Congres
Senate and House decide their Salaries. Congress receives $174,000 a year. in addition, Senators and Representatives may be eligible for 80% of their income in pensions and a generous 401K.
Characteristics of Congress and Reelection
Most of Congress are lawyers, as they need to understand complex legal issues and intricacies. Office holders seldom loose reelection so the members rarely change.
Rules of the House and House leadership
Legislators must be able to express their opinions, however rules are necessary. Article 1 Section 51 says that each house may determine the rules of their proceedings. House and Senate each print their rules every two years. The complex rules are geared towards moving legislation through quickly. The house of repetitiveness has more power than the leaders in the senate. The rules of the house allows its leaders to make key decisions about legislative work without consulting other house members.
Senate at work and Senate Leadership
All states are equal in the Senate. Each state has two senators. Senators handle issues that are of specific interest to their committees. Senators are expected to be knowledgeable on a number of topics from national defense to farming.
Purpose and Kinds of Committees
Both House and Senate depend upon committees to consider thousands of bills each session. Committees help ease the work load and is a key part of Congress. Allows Congressmen to divide their work among smaller groups.
Standing Committees