House of Representativs
The House of Representatives was created by the Framers to give the power more directly to the states with a larger amount of people. The house alotts a certain number of Representatives based on the population of that state. Total, there are 435 members in the House of Representatives. To be in the house of Representatives, you have to meet many qualifications. You must be;
- 25 years of age
- A citizen for 7 years
- Must reside in the district you represent
After being elected to the House, the representative can serve for two years before having to run for re-election. The leader of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House, who is assigned according to the Majority Party in the House. (Republican control in the house = Republican Speaker of the House).
- 25 years of age
- A citizen for 7 years
- Must reside in the district you represent
After being elected to the House, the representative can serve for two years before having to run for re-election. The leader of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House, who is assigned according to the Majority Party in the House. (Republican control in the house = Republican Speaker of the House).
Senate
The senate, unlike the House of Representatives, was created by the Framers not to give more power to the states, but to give power to the wealthy. Instead of the decision of how many Representatives you have based on the population of the State, the Framers assigned two seats in the Senate for each state, no matter the population or size. This gives every state equal representation, which benefits the smaller states. To be in the Senate, you must be;
- 30 years of age
- A citizen for at least 9 years
- Also must reside in the district you represent.
After being elected to the Senate, you can serve 6 years before having to run for re-election. The leader of the Senate is appointed by the Vice President, which is appointed by the President, as well as the President Pro Tempore, who is the longest serving senator in the Senate.
- 30 years of age
- A citizen for at least 9 years
- Also must reside in the district you represent.
After being elected to the Senate, you can serve 6 years before having to run for re-election. The leader of the Senate is appointed by the Vice President, which is appointed by the President, as well as the President Pro Tempore, who is the longest serving senator in the Senate.
Salaries and Benefits
Members of Congress are in control of their own salaries and benefits. Currently, members of Congress make about $175,000 per year. They pay the same payroll taxes as the average American for Medicaid and Social Security. One thing unique to the Senate is the filibuster, where someone can protest a bill and have the voting on it be postponed. The longest filibuster in History was done by Storm Thurmond, where he stayed standing and spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Congressional Committees
Congressional Committes are groups in the House and the Senate, usually focusing on one issue. There are committees and subcommittees. Throughout Congress, there are large committees, with portions of the people in the committess in the subcommittees. The subcommittees usually focus on a certain aspect pertaining the committee they are in. There are four main types of committees.
- Standing committees are groups that address issues in certain subject areas.
- Joint committees are groups where there are members from the House and the Senate to work on common policy areas.
- Conference committees are groups for when the House and the Senate pass a different version of a Bill, so they come together and work out what they want the Bill to say at the end.
- Select committees are groups created for a specific purpose.
- Standing committees are groups that address issues in certain subject areas.
- Joint committees are groups where there are members from the House and the Senate to work on common policy areas.
- Conference committees are groups for when the House and the Senate pass a different version of a Bill, so they come together and work out what they want the Bill to say at the end.
- Select committees are groups created for a specific purpose.