Structure
Congress is the law making body of the United States Government. This branch of government is detailed in Article 1 of the Constitution. The Legislative Brach is made up of The House of Representatives and The Senate. Together they are known as Congress.
Hierarchy of the House
This graphic organizer shows the structure of the House of Representatives. The leader is the Speaker of the House, John Boehner. Then the House is divided among party lines. Which ever party has more members becomes the majority and those with the lesser amount of members is the minority. The Majority and Minority Leaders are the heads of legislative activity for their party and the Whips are the ones who make sure everyone in their respective parties votes with the interestes of the party. The current majority in The House is the Republican Party. The Majority Leader is Eric Cantor and his Whip is Kevin McCarthy. The Minority Leader is Nancy Pelosi and her Whip is Steny Hoyer.
Hierarchy of the Senate
This graphic organizer shows the structure of the Senate. The leader is the President of the Senate, which is the Vice President- Joe Biden. The next in the chain of command is the President Pro Tempore, which steps in and acts as the leader of the Senate whenever the President of the Senate is absent. The position of President Pro Tempore is held by Daniel Inouye. Then the Senate in divided among party lines. The party that has more members becomes the majority and those with the lesser amount of members is the minority. The current Majority in the Senate is the Democratic party. The Majority and Minority Leaders are the heads of legislative activity for their party and the Whips are the ones who make sure everyone in their respective parties votes with the interestes of the party. The Majority Leader is Harry Reid and his Whip is Dick Durbin. The Minority Leader is Mitch McConnell and his Whip is Jon Kyl.
Powers of Congress
Expressed PowersThese are the powers directly given to Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution and are as follows:
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Implied PowersThese are powers granted to Congress though what is know as the "Elastic Clause" of the Constitution (Also in Article 1, Section 8). This Elastic Clause grants Congress power to pass unspecified laws that are "necessary and proper" for the exercise of its expressed powers. Some of the powers expressed through this Clause have been debated as the definition of "necessary and proper" can be stretched pretty far, depending upon the dominant political trends.
Take the expressed power to regulate interstate commerce for example. Now it is "necessary and proper" for the government to also set a minimum wage for all states to follow. Today, most would say yes as it secures some financial stability but back in the day the Supreme Court argued that it was unconstitutional. This just shows how the definition of "necessary and proper" can change over the years and how much power the Elastic Clause really gives to Congress. |
Requirements for Office
Senate
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House of Representatives
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