Legislative Branch

US Congress is the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government of the United States of America. It is a bicameral Congress, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. The powers vested in Congress were established under Article I of the Constitution. All legislative power rests with Congress which means that no legislation can be passed without both houses approving the law. Along with the power to create laws, the functions of Congress as determined by The Constitution include, but are not limited to, the power to declare war; the power to coin Money; the power to raise an Army or Navy; the power to regulate Commerce; the power to establish or amend rules regarding immigration and naturalization and the power to establish federal courts other than the Supreme Court and their jurisdictions. All members of Congress are elected directly by citizens of The United States.

Article I of the US Constitution establishing the powers of Congress.Retrieved March, 29, 2015 from: www.teachinghistory.org

The Senate is the first of two chambers which make up of US Congress. It was established under Section 3 of Article I of The US Constitution. There are 100 members of The Senate where each state is equally represented by two Senators. The Senate has the power to ratify treaties, confirm the President’s Appointments and try cases of impeachment against federal officers. Senators are elected to the Senate for six years where the terms overlap such that every two years 1/3 of the Senate is up for re-election.

[The Senate as a court of Impeachment for the trial of Andrew Johnson]. Sketched by Theodore R. Davis. 1868. Retrieved from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/96521681/

The second chamber is The House of Representatives, which was established under Section 2 of Article I of The Constitution. There are 435 Members of the House of Representatives, proportionally representing the 50 states based on their population. There are 6 non-voting Representatives from Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and 4 additional U.S Territories. Representatives serve a two year term. House of Representatives have the power to initiate Revenue Bills, impeach federal officers and elect the president in the event of an Electoral College tie. Each representative serves a two year term. The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is The Speaker of The House.

[The interior view of House of Representatives wing of US Capitol chowing Congress in session and spectators in the gallery.] Lithograph by E. Sachse and Co. Published by Casimi Bohn in 1866. Retrieved March 24, 2015 from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.04078/

Congress divides its tasks into committees and subcommittees due to the complexity and high volume of work. These committees decide which bills or resolution move forward for consideration by the House or Senate as a whole. Members typically serve on a few committees for many years allowing them to become highly knowledgeable in a given policy area.

Delegates of the Constitution established the three branches of government to safeguard our freedoms by creating a system of checks and balances of power, which prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful. Each branch has checks in place on another branch and simultaneously is checked by the other two branches. The image below shows the interaction between the three branches and the separation of powers between them.

Image retrieved 03/29/2015 from: http://theconstitutionpolik6.weebly.com/checks-and-balances.html

Sources

http://theconstitutionpolik6.weebly.com/checks-and-balances.html