Our federal government is made up of three branches. What are they?
1) Legislative branch to make laws. Congress creates laws for our whole country.
2) Executive branch to enforce laws. The President approves the laws Congress creates.
3) Judicial branch to interpret laws. They decide if the laws created by Congress are u
The legislative branch is divided into two parts. What are they?
The Senate and the House of Representatives
What are the Senate and House of Representative known as together?
Congress. Congress is bicameral, which means it is made up of two chambers/parts
Where does Congress work?
Congress works in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
Are the two houses of Congress equal or does one house have more power than another?
Neither has more power; they must work together. The senate and the house of representatives both make laws. When the house approves law, the senate has to approve it too, likewise when the senate approves a possible law, the house has to approve it too.
The House of Representatives has how many elected members?
Made up of 435 elected members, which is based on the population of each state. Bigger the state = more representatives in the congress of that state. Ex: California has 53 representatives because it has the largest population of all the states. North Dak
How does the House of Representatives know how many people live in each state?
The U.S. census, which is a population count. It is taken every 10 years.
How many members are in the Senate?
Each state has two senators. So there are 100 senators. Each state has the same for senators.
Why do we have a senate AND a house of representatives?
The Founders of our country made the House of Representatives and the Senate different in order to appease people who wanted different measures for representation. The House of Representatives reflects population which favors bigger states and the Senate
What are the checks and balances?
One branch of gov't or one chamber of Congress checks on the other so that one is not more powerful the other because they have to work together to meet their goals.
What is a bill?
A bill is a suggested law that has yet to be passed by Congress and signed by the President.
Besides making laws, what other powers doses the Senate have?
Approves the president's choices for:
-federal judges
-ambassadors (a person represents the united states in another country)
-cabinet members (people who head several departments like the Department of Defense)
Where do ideas for bills come from?
Citizens, interest groups, (Ex: environmental group, M.A.D.D), state legislatures, and the President
Who can introduce a bill?
Only a representative or senator.