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Lesson

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives was established as a result of the Great Compromise. The House is larger than the Senate.

The Constitution gave Congress the power to determine the size of the House and to divide representation according to state population. States with large populations have more representatives than small states.

The Constitution provided for at least one representative for each state. Originally, there was one representative for every 30,000 people. Today, there is one representative per several hundred thousand people. There are six states with just one representative per state. They are Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. California has the most representatives, a total of 53.

U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia have more limited representation.

The Constitution requires a census to be taken every 10 years. If a state's population increases, that state's number of representatives can increase too. There were 59 members at the first session of the House of Representatives. Today there are 435 members. Representatives are elected to serve for a period of 2 years.

Only the House can introduce spending bills.

The Constitution states the qualifications for being a Representative. To be a Representative a person must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, and when elected, must be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.

The Senate

Our country's legislative branch, or Congress, includes another lawmaking body called the Senate. Voters elect two senators from each state, regardless of population size. There is equal representation from each state in the Senate. It doesn't matter if the state is big or small, densely or sparsely populated, or where it is located. Senators are elected every 6 years. The elections are staggered so that both senators from a state are not elected at the same time.

Only the Senate can approve or reject treaties and presidential nominations for government offices.

The Constitution states the qualifications for being a senator. To be a senator a person must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and have fulfilled the requirements for residency in the state that person wishes to represent.

Making Laws

A "bill" is introduced when a member of Congress decides to create a new law. Any member of Congress can introduce a bill. Only members of the House may introduce bills that deal with taxes or spending. Before a bill can become a law, both houses of Congress must pass identical versions of the bill.

Once a bill is introduced in either house, it goes through almost the same process. Each bill is first assigned to a committee for review. The bill is tabled, or set aside, if the committee decides the bill is not worthy. The bill is sent to the entire house for debate if the committee decides the bill is worthy of further action.

If the bill passes, it is sent to the other house. A joint committee works out any differences the two houses of Congress have concerning a bill. When both houses agree on a bill, the Speaker of the House and the vice president sign it. The bill must be signed before being sent to the president.

In each two-year session, thousands of bills come before Congress. Almost twelve thousand bills were introduced in Congress in one recent session. Less than five hundred were enacted into law.

The Veto

A bill becomes law if the president signs it. The president doesn't always wish to sign the bill. He may choose to say "no" by vetoing it. If this happens, the bill is sent back to Congress. If two-thirds of all the members of Congress vote "yes," the bill can still become law. The bill dies when there are not enough votes to override the President. For example, when George Bush was president, Congress tried to override his vetoes thirty-six times but was successful only once. Sometimes a president decides to do nothing. He may decide neither to sign nor veto a bill. If Congress is in session, the bill becomes law after ten days without the president's signature. Otherwise, the bill suffers a pocket veto and does not become law.