11. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•The legislative
branch is the
lawmaking body of
government; consists of
a bicameral Congress
12. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•The legislative
branch is bicameral,
meaning has two
houses
13. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•One house is the House of Representatives-
435 members.
•The number of its members is based on a
state’s population
a. Qualifications
1. be at least 25 years old
2. be a U.S. citizen for at Anyone
recognize
least 7 years me?!
3. be a legal resident of the
state he/she represents
b. Term length- 2 years
14. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•The other house of Congress is called
the Senate- 100 members.
•The number of its members is the same
for every state regardless of size (2)
a. Qualifications
1. be at least 30 years old
2. be a U.S. citizen for at least 9
years Anyone
recognize
3. be a legal resident of the state me?!
he/she represents
b. Term length: 6 years
15. SENATE! OR HOUSE!
•Now we are going to do a quick practice with
the qualifications/requirements for each house of
Congress.
•Hold up your red card if the answer is the
Senate, blue card if it’s the House of
Representatives
16. SCENARIO 1
•Ms. Mitchem has been living
in Virginia all of her life.
She’s thinking about running
for an office in Congress.
She’s a little bit too young, so
she has to wait a few years
before she can run. Which
office could she start running
for first?
17. SCENARIO 2
•Joel has always wanted to run for office in California.
He moved there 9 years ago, having lived in Oregon all
of his life. He’s so excited that he can finally run for the
Congressional office of his dreams. Which office does
he want to run for?
18. SCENARIO 3
• Romeo & Juliet, a married couple, have been living in
Florida for 20. Romeo wants to run for Congressional
office. Juliet wants him to think of their future and
would like him to pick the office that would give him a
definite job for at least 5 years. Stability is SO important,
you know? Which office should Romeo pick?
19. SCENARIO 4
• Bob is thinking about running for Congressional office
in California. He meets the age, residence, and
citizenship requirements. He really likes to be the center
of attention, so he doesn’t want a lot of people to have
the same title that he has. Maybe if just one other
person did, that’d be okay. Not ideal, but okay. What
office should he run for?
20. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•The powers granted to Congress can be found
in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
• Expressed/delegated/enumerated powers are
powers specifically listed in the Constitution of
the United States
21. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
a. Expressed powers:
1. Makes the laws of the nation
2. Approves the annual budget
3. Confirms presidential appointments
4. Raises revenue through taxes and other levies
(money collected)
5. Regulates interstate and foreign trade
(commerce)
6. Declares war
22. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•Implied powers are powers used to carry out
expressed powers
•Congress has the power to “make all laws which
shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
execution [carrying out] the foregoing powers.”
>necessary and proper clause/ elastic clause
•Example: creation of national military academies
23. THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
•Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution limits the powers
of Congress.
>passing laws that violate the Bill of Rights
>granting titles of nobility