Reference no: EM132847979

Congress and the Legislative Process

• "Our intent will not be to create gridlock. Oh, except maybe from time to time." - Bob Dole
• As per Article I, Section 2 and Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, the United States Congress is divided into two parts (bicameral): the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Whereas the U.S. Senate is comprised of two senators per state, the House of Representatives divides 435 representatives among each state, according to U.S. Census data. As per Article I, Section 2, each state has at least one congressional representative. That said, many populous states have over twenty congressional representatives. California, the most populous state in the nation, has over fifty congressional representatives.
• Congressional representatives serve a two-year term. As per Article 1, Section 5, a representative proposes bills, amendments, and resolutions, and serves on a myriad of congressional committees. Yet, in contrast to a U.S. senator, congressional representatives serve a distinct, geographical area - his or her congressional district. Thus, they are charged with representing the political will of the citizens in their district.
• Each member of Congress maintains an official website. You can either access house.gov or senate.gov to look up your Congressional representative or both Senators; or you can look up members of Congress via Congress.gov. Each member of Congress includes within their official website information about the member of Congress, information about the district and/or state, legislative issues, and information regarding constituent services.

Question 1: Identify the constitutional powers of Congress.

Question 2: Select your House of Representative or one of your two Senators.

• Your member of Congress serves on various committees and/or subcommittees in Congress. Identify and describe those committees and/or subcommittees.

Question 3: What political, social, and economic issues are important to your member of Congress?

Attachment:- The Voter Self Defense System.zip