Name: DanielTehrani

_____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________

American Citizenship Notes:
Chapter 10 Notes
Congress

Section 1
a. The National Legislature

B. A Bicameral Congress
a. The U.S. is considered a Representative ________________________ Democracy
i. _______________________________________
Representatives of the people are responsible for the day-to-day work of government.

_______________________________________
ii. Article
_________ 1 of the constitution sets down the
guidelines for the U.S. Representative
Democracy
1. Known
__________________________________
as Congress
b. Historical
i. Learned about bicameral congress from ___________
Britain
c. Practical
i. _______________________________________
Framers created the bicameral also in order to appease both the big states (Virginia Plan)

_______________________________________
and the small States (New Jersey Plan).

_______________________________________
d. Theoretical
i. Bicameral also helped to help keep the
Legislative branch from ________________________
becoming powerful

C. Terms and Sessions

a. Terms of Congress
i. Each term of Congress lasts for two years and
numbered consecutively
1. Changed with the 20th Amendment
2. ___________________________________
Now Congress terms begin noon of the 3rd day of January, and last for two

___________________________________
years.

ii. _______________________________________
A session of Congress is when Congress assembles and conducts business.

_______________________________________

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 1

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
1. Congress adjourns until ___________________
nextsession Notes:
a. ______________________________
However, in order for one house to adjourn, the other must approve.

______________________________
b. President can prorogue, or adjourn
Congress if they cannot come to
agreement on date to adjourn
iii. Special Sessions
1. Only the President can call Congress into a
special session
a. ______________________________
Meetingto dealwithsomeemergency
b. The President can also call each house
separately into special session

Section 2
b. The House of Representatives

D. Size and Terms

a. ____________________________________________
The Exact size of the House is not xed by the constitution.

____________________________________________
i. Currently it is 435 ___________________________
members
b. ____________________________________________
However each seat in the House must be apportioned among the states on the asks of their

____________________________________________
respective populations

____________________________________________
i. Distributed
1. Could change with the coming Census in
2010
c. Representative must be chosen every second year
i. Thus
_______________________________________
theyservefortwoyearterms
d. No term-limit for members of Congress

E. Reapportionment
a. ____________________________________________
Redistribute the seats in the House after each decennial census.

____________________________________________
i. Originally there were 65 House Seats in the
1790’s

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 2

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
b. A Growing Nation Notes:
i. The census of 1910 brought the number of House
members to 435
c. The Reapportionment Act of 1929
i. Created
_______________________________________
the permanent size oftheHouseto435
1. However they could still change it
ii. After each census, the Census
__________________
Bureau
determines the apportionment
iii. Once
_______________________________________
theplanisreadythePresidentsends it Congress
_______________________________________
iv. If no action is taken on it within 60 days, it
becomes law

F. Congressional Elections
a. Constitution allows each state to determine it’s date for
congressional elections
b. Date
i. _______________________________________
However, since 1872, Congress required that the elections be held on the Tuesday

_______________________________________
following the rst Monday in November in even number years.

_______________________________________
c. Off-Year Elections
i. _______________________________________
Those congressional elections that occur in the non presidential years.

_______________________________________
ii. Party-in-power tends to lose power in the off-
year elections
1. Party
___________________________________
thatholdsthepresidency
d. Districts
i. The Constitution does not call for congressional
districts
ii. _______________________________________
Today all congressional districts are single-member districts.

_______________________________________
1. Only
___________________________________
onepersonisvotedforthedistrict
iii. Congress allowed each state to determine their
own size of their congressional district
1. ___________________________________
However it needed to be appropriate in size and population.

___________________________________

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 3

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
e. Gerrymandering Notes:
i. _______________________________________
Congressional districts that have been drawn to the advantage of the political party that

_______________________________________
controls the state’s legislature.

_______________________________________
1. Very prevalent today
ii. Two major ways used
1. ___________________________________
To concentrate opposing voters into a few districts.

___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
Spread the opposing voters thin throughout all districts.

___________________________________
iii. Could even use Gerrymandering on the urban
versus rural population of states
f. Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964
i. _______________________________________
Supreme Court ruled that the population di erences among congressional districts were

_______________________________________
so great as to violate the Constitution.

_______________________________________
1. Did not stop Gerrymandering, but forced a
little more representative of each individual

G. Qualifications of House Members

a. Formal Qualifications
i. Must be at least 25 __________________________
years ofage
ii. Must
_______________________________________
havebeen a citizenoftheU.s
for at least 7 years
iii. Must
_______________________________________
beaninhabitantofthestate
from which they are elected
1. ___________________________________
Generally speaking, they must also live in the district for which they are elected.

___________________________________
iv. The House is responsible for judging elections of
member-elects
1. The House can also punish members for
“disorderly behavior”
b. Informal Qualifications
i. _______________________________________
Have to do with a candidates vote getting abilities.

_______________________________________

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 4

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
1. ___________________________________
Party identi cation, name familiarity, gender, ethnic characteristics, and political Notes:
___________________________________
experience.

___________________________________

Section 3
c. The Senate

H. Size, Election and Terms

a. The Senate is often called the “_________________” UpperHouse
b. Size
i. The Constitution calls of their to be ________
senators for every state
two
ii. Today the U.S. has 100 senators
c. Election
i. Originally the Constitution provided that the
members of the Senate were to be chose by the
_____________________________
State legislatures
ii. 17th amendment changed it to be popular vote for
Senate positions
d. Term
i. _______________________________________
Senatorsserveforsixyeartermswithnotermlimits
_______________________________________
ii. The Senate is a continuous body
1. ___________________________________
Alltheseatsareneverupforelection atthesametime
___________________________________
a. Only a third of senator seats are
elected for every two years
iii. _______________________________________
With the six-year term, less likely to be persuaded by public opinion and more likely to

_______________________________________
see the “big picture”.

_______________________________________
1. In recent history, the Senate has provided a
great deal of president candidates

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 5

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
I. Qualifications for Senators Notes:
a. A senator must be at least _______________________
30yearsofage
b. Must
__________________________________least
havebeen acitizen oftheU.Sforat 9 years
c. Must
____________________________________ from
beaninhabitantofthestate
which they are elected
i. Like the House, the Senate can punish
individuals for “disorderly conduct”

Section 4
d. The Members of Congress

J. Personal and Political Backgrounds

a. There is a variety of different cultures represented in
the Congress
i. However they tend to be White males, over the
age of 50

K. The Job
a. They play five major roles
i. Legislators
________________________________
ii. Representatives
______________________________
oftheirconstituents
iii. Committee members
iv. Servants of their constituents
v. Politicians
_________________________________
b. Representatives of the People
i. Trustees
1. Believe
___________________________________
thateachquestiontheyfacemustbedecidedon
__________________________________
itsmerits
a. make decisions based on independent
judgment, and not on views held by
their constituents
ii. Delegates
1. see themselves as agents of those who
elected them
a. Tend
______________________________
tovoteontheviewsheldbytheirconstituents
______________________________

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 6

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
iii. Partisans Notes:
1. They
___________________________________
feeldutyboundtovoteinlinewiththeparty
___________________________________
platformandwishesoftheirparty'sleaders
___________________________________
a. Most prevalent today
iv. Politicos
1. attempt to combine the basic elements of
the previous three
c. Committee Members
i. Proposed laws (bills) are referred to committees
in each chamber
1. ___________________________________
Ascommitteememberstheyscreentheproposals
___________________________________
ii. Also serve an oversight function
1. check to see that various agencies in the
executive branch are working effectively
and legally
d. Servants
i. Meet
_______________________________________
theneeds oftheirconstituentsonafederallevel
_______________________________________

L. Compensation
a. Salary
i. Senators and representatives are paid a salary of
______________________
155,000a year
1. Speaker of the House makes ___________
193,500 a year
a year
2. President Pro Tem and the majority and
minority floor leaders in both houses
receive ___________________
167,500 a year
b. Nonsalary Compensation
i. Each member receives a special tax deduction
ii. Generous travel allowances
iii. Good life and health insurance
iv. Retirement
_________________________________

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 7

Name: _____________________________ Date: ________ Block: __________
v. Receive an office in either House or Senate Notes:
office building near the Capitol
vi. Given
_______________________________________
fundstohirestaff andoperationcosts
vii. Franking privilege
1. ___________________________________
allows them to mail letters and other materials postage-free by substituting their

___________________________________
facsimile signature (frank) for the postage.

___________________________________
viii. Also gymnasiums, pools, parking, advertisement,
etc.
c. The Politics of Pay
i. Very difficult for Congress to increase their pay
1. ___________________________________
President veto, and unhappiness from constituents

___________________________________
d. Membership Privileges
i. _______________________________________
Cannot be arrested while their branch is in session.

_______________________________________
ii. _______________________________________
Also maintain legislative immunity.

Chapter 10 Notes: Page 8