Chapter 8: The Legislative Branch Civics
The Legislative Branch (Chapter 8)
Study Guide
Chapter 8: The Legislative Branch Civics
Vocabulary and Important Concepts
§ Policy - a plan of action designed to achieve a certain goal
§ Bill - a proposed law
§ Census - an official population count made every ten years; the number of representatives a state has can change after a census
§ Pocket Veto - a way the President can prevent a bill from becoming law by keeping it until Congress ends its session
§ Filibuster - the use of long speeches to prevent a Senate vote
§ Speaker of the House - presides over House, decides who may speak, appoints committee members
§ President Pro Tempore - presides over the Senate when the Vice President is not present
§ Floor Leader - guides bills through Congress and is chief officer of his/her party in the House or Senate
§ Whip - aids the floor leader and tries to persuade members to support party positions
§ President of the Senate - this person is also the Vice President of the United States, currently this person is Richard Cheney
§ Cloture - the Senate has agreed to end debate on a bill
§ Committees - this is where most of the work in Congress is done
Political Parties
§ Democratic Party
ü Oldest political party
ü More likely to favor social programs that benefit low income and poor families
ü Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy are famous Democrats
ü Believe that the government should take an active role in people’s lives
ü Symbol is the Donkey
§ Republican Party
ü More likely to favor lower taxes
ü Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush are famous Republicans
ü Believe that the government should stay out of people’s lives
ü Symbol is the Elephant
Chapter 8: The Legislative Branch Civics
How a Bill Becomes A Law
§ Study your How a Bill Becomes a Law Flow Chart
§ Understand the steps in the lawmaking process:
1. The bill is introduced and assigned a number
2. The bill is refereed to House or Senate committee
3. The bill is referred to a House or Senate sub committee for hearings and debate
4. The bill is sent to the floor of the House or Senate to be debated and voted on
5. The bill goes to the other House and goes through the same process again
6. The bills from both houses are then sent to the conference committee to work out the differences and create one bill
7. The bill is then sent to the President for his/her approval or veto
House vs. Senate
§ Study your House vs. Senate Comparison Chart
§ House of Representatives:
ü 435 members
ü Must be 25 years old to be a member
ü Must be a U.S. citizen for 7 years
ü Must live in the State and district you represent
ü 2 year terms
ü Responsibilities: serve their constituents, help their political party, help interest groups they support, and try to get themselves reelected during the next election
§ Senate:
ü 100 members
ü Must be 30 years old to be a member
ü Must be a U.S. citizen for 9 years
ü Must live in the State you represent
ü 6 year terms
ü Responsibilities: serve their constituents, help their political party, help interest groups they support, and try to get themselves reelected during the next election
Influences on Congress:
§ Constituents – These are people a member of Congress represents; constituents influence members of Congress by making phone calls, as well as sending letters, post cards, emails, and petitions
§ Political Parties – An organization of people who share certain ideas about what government should do; they help a Congressmen get elected and they can provide financial support
§ Interest Groups – Groups of people who work together for similar interests or goals; can offer financial support, as well as present facts and information on legislation
§ Personal Beliefs – has to weigh conflicting information, it’s what you believe is right; based on things like your personal values, conscience, and maybe religious beliefs
Congressional Leaders and Your Representatives
§ Your U.S. Senators: Cory Booker and Robert Menendez
§ Your U.S. House Representative: Scott Garrett
§ President of the Senate: Joe Biden; also the U.S. Vice President
§ Speaker of the House: Paul Ryan; highest ranking House member
Bills of Congress
§ Be able to read and identify important parts of a bill, such as:
ü What house of Congress the Bill was introduced in
ü Who wrote the bill
ü When was the bill introduced
ü The title of the bill
ü Where was the bill sent after it was introduced; what happened to the bill
ü What is the purpose of the bill