The Bicameral Congress

THE BICAMERAL CONGRESS

BASICSCongress: is a national legislative body, especially that of the US. The US Congress, which meets at the Capitol in Washington DC, was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The United States Congress is called the Bicameral Congress because it is split up into two parts: the senate and the house of representatives.

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESRequirements- You had to be 25 years old- You had to hold citizenship for atleast 7 years- You had to be a legal resident of the state you were running forDescriptionThe number of representatives per state is determined by its population. Representatives are publicly elected government officials.Wyoming, Vermont and Alaska only have one representative. On the other hand, California has 52. There are a total of 435 representatives in the house of representatives.Powers - Impeach federal officials, which means that if an official did something illegal and/or corrupt, then they could sentence them to court- Any bill that deals with taxes is initiated here. This is very important. Otherwise known as the POWER OF THE PURSE

REASONS WHY THE FRAMERS OF CONSTITUTION (FOUNDING FATHERS) MADE THE CONGRESS BICAMERAL HISTORICAL- When the constitution was being drafter, the famers couldn't agree on the type of legislator. Delegates from large, heavily populated states wanted proportional representation, which meant that legislators would be chosen based on population; therefore states with more people would have more legislators, hence more power. However, delegates from smaller, less populated states wanted equal representation, which meant that states would have an equal amount of legislators, thus = power. The compromise was called the "GREAT COMPROMISE". This consisted of an upper house (Senate) with equal representation, and a lower house (house of reps.) with proportional representation.PRACTICAL- The division of the legislator broke up its powers. Also, these branches can limit each other; act as counter balances and checks.

THE SENATERequirements- You had to be at least 30 years old- Had to hold citizenship for 9 years or more- Had to be a legal resident of the state you were running forDescriptionThere are two senators per state. Therefore, the total number of senators is 100. Senators are publicly elected government officials.Powers- If a government official is impeached, then the trial takes place in the senate- Ratify treaties (2/3 vote)- Confirmation power, they vote to confirm the appointments of executive officer (over a 1000 officers). Federal judges are an example of executive officers.

THINKING BEHIND DIVISION OF POWERS AND DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS Senate- Older, more experienced people are generally more immune to other people's desires. Senators serve 6 year terms, which insulates them having to act significantly on public opinion; instead this gives them the freedom to do what they think is best for the nation as whole.House of Reps.- Reps. have to take into consideration the desires and opinions of people in their area; effectively they represent the common interests of the people in their area. Reps. serve 2 year terms, which forces them to be more responsive to changes in public opinion, less they not be re-elected.