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Legislative Branch Webquest
Review the information contained in this webquest packet. Complete the tasks using the
websites: house.gov and senate.gov. There are also critical thinking questions to answer!
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States which shall consist of a
Senate and House of Representatives. Constitution, Article I, Section 1.
American Bicameralism: legislature divided into two houses
The House
– 435 members, 2 year terms of office
– Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget
– House Rules Committee
– Limited debates
The Senate
– 100 members, 6 year terms of office
– Gives “advice & consent,” more influential on foreign affairs
– Unlimited debates (filibuster)
Congressional Leadership
The House
– Led by Speaker of the House—elected by House members
– Presides over House
– Major role in committee assignments and legislation
– Assisted by majority leader and whips
The Senate
– Formerly lead by Vice President
– Really lead by Majority Leader—chosen by party members
– Assisted by whips
– Must work with Minority Leader
1. List 3 similarities and 3 differences between the House and the Senate using Table 11.2
2.Go to house.gov to identify the following:
Speaker of the House
Majority leader
Minority leader
3.Go to senate.gov to identify the following:
Majority leader
Minority leader
Powers of Congress
Here are a few:
Create rules on how to become a citizen
Collect taxes, pay debts, and borrow money
Regulate commerce (trade) between the states and with other countries
Coin money and punish counterfeiters
Punish pirates (!)
Establish post offices
Protect patents and copyrights
Create lower federal courts
Declare war, raise and support an Army and Navy
Make any other laws that are “necessary and proper” to carry out the powers in this list
4.Which of these do you think is the MOST important power of Congress? Why?
Making Laws
Congress makes a law by introducing an idea, discussing and changing it, voting on it, and
sending it to the president for approval. The rough draft of a law is called a bill. Bills can
start in either chamber of Congress, but the example below starts in the House of
Representatives.
The Proposal: A representative writes a bill and gets support from others in the House.
The Introduction: The bill is assigned a number and is read aloud to the other
Representatives. Then it is sent to a committee for a close review.
The Report: If the committee likes it, it will be sent to the to the whole House for debate.
The Floor Debate: All of the representatives get a chance to read the bill and debate
whether it should be supported or opposed. The bill is read again and changes are
suggested.
The Vote: If changes are made, the bill is read again, and the whole House is called to
vote on the bill. They can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on that
particular bill).
The Delivery: The bill arrives at the Senate, where it goes through the same debate,
changes are made, then another vote is held before it can move on.
To the President: If both chambers of Congress approve, the bill lands on the president’s
desk. If it is signed, it becomes a law. If it is vetoed, it doesn’t.*
*Congress can override a veto if there are enough votes (2/3 of Congress) to do so. The
president can also ignore the bill. If a bill is ignored while Congress is in session, it
automatically becomes a law after ten days. If Congress is not in session, it doesn’t.
5.Evaluate this process.Does it seem too difficult to get laws passed? If so, how could it be
changed to make the system more efficient? If you think it is fine, explain why.
Review the following graph, The Incumbency Factor in Congressional Elections
6.What does the graph indicate about incumbents in Congress?
7.What factors could account for this?
The Committees and Subcommittees
Four types of committees:
1. Standing committees: subject matter committees that handle bills in different policy areas
2. Joint committees: a few subject-matter areas—membership drawn from House and Senate
3. Conference committees: resolve differences in House and Senate bills
4. Select committees: created for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation
Getting Ahead on the Committee: Chairs and the Seniority System
Committee chair: the most important influencer of congressional agenda
– Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee
bills when they are brought before the full house
– Most chairs selected according to seniority system: members who have served on the committee the longest
and whose party controlled Congress become chair
See the following table, Standing Committees in the Senate and in the House.
Select one Committee in the Senate and one in the House. Use house.gov and senate.gov to
identify: (1) the chairman of the committee; (2) important issues that the committee is
presently working on.
8.SENATE COMMITTEE:____________________________________________
CHAIR:___________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT ISSUES:_______________________________________________
9.HOUSE COMMITTEE:____________________________________________
CHAIR:___________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT ISSUES:_______________________________________________
Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress
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Caucus: a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic
About 300 caucuses
Caucuses pressure for committee meetings and hearings and for votes on bills.
Caucuses can be more effective than lobbyists
10.Use house.gov and senate.gov to identify some of the caucuses. If you were a member of
Congress, which caucuses would you like to be a member of? Why?
Congressional Staff
– Personal staff: They work for the member, mainly providing constituent service, but help with legislation too.
– Committee staff: organize hearings, research and write legislation, target of lobbyists
– Staff Agencies: GAO, CBO provide specific information to Congress
11.Go to house.gov and click on Educators & Students. Click on Branches of Government.
Under Legislative, find out what GAO and CBO stand for, and what information they provide
to Congress.
GAO =
CBO =
Party, Constituency, and Ideology
Party Influence:
– Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along
party lines
Constituency versus Ideology
– Prime determinant of member’s vote on most issues is ideology
– On most issues that are not salient, legislators may ignore constituency opinion.
– But on controversial issues, members are wise to heed constituent opinion.
Lobbyists and Interest Groups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTbtKRdYbYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTbtKRdYbYo
12.What is lobbying? Is it beneficial or detrimental to the lawmaking process?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33gHhunzOlE
There are thousands of registered lobbyists trying to influence Congress—the bigger the issue, the more
lobbyists will be working on it.
– Lobbyists try to influence legislators’ votes.
– Lobbyists can be ignored, shunned and even regulated by Congress.
– Ultimately, it is a combination of lobbyists and others that influence legislators’ votes.
* In 1974, 3% of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists. Today, 50% of senators and 42% of House
members do.
13.Go to https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/ to read more about interest groups and their impact on
Congress. Choose 1 interest group from the list in the left hand margin, list the top contributor and how
much they donated, and mention some background info on the issue (listed in the opening paragraphs at the
top)
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