Topic_4_Lesson_1_Notes_Completed

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Oct 30, 2023

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Name:_________________________________ Period:_____ Date:___________ Topic 4 Lesson 1 Notes: The Role of Congress in a Democracy  Representative Assemblies o Because of this distrust of a powerful executive, coupled with an emerging view that just governments derive their powers from the will of the people, the colonists put great stock in representative assemblies. o "no taxation without representation"  National Government o The individual colonies (and later, States) put their faith in this representative body to guide them o Framers worried about vesting too much power in a body chosen directly by the people. o The average citizen can be overly passionate and driven by self‐interest, they argued. o So, they designed a National Government that couched the legislature's powers within both a broader system of checks and balances  and a federal system where a good deal would be left to the States. Congress: The Job  Congress has a split personality. On the one hand, it is a lawmaking institution and makes policy for the entire nation. In this capacity, all the members are expected to set aside their personal ambitions and perhaps even the concerns of their constituencies. Yet Congress is also a representative assembly, made up of 535 elected officials who serve as links between their constituents and the National Government. The dual roles of making laws and responding to constituents’ demands forces members to balance national concerns against the specific interests of their States or districts.—James M. Burns, et al., Government by the People  Members of both houses of Congress fulfill five major roles. They are most importantly (1) legislators and (2) representatives of their constituents. Beyond those roles, they are also (3) committee members, (4) servants of their constituents, and (5) politicians.  Representatives of the people o In broadest terms, each lawmaker has four voting options. He or she can vote as a delegate, a trustee, a partisan, or a politico. o Delegate: members of Congress who cast votes based on the wishes of their constituents o Trustees: lawmakers who vote based on their conscience and judgment, not the views of their constituents o Partisans: lawmakers who owe their first allegiance to their political party and vote according to the party line

Name:_________________________________ Period:_____ Date:___________ o Politicos: lawmakers who attempt to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles  Current Trends o Scholars generally agree that a growing number of legislators adhere to the delegate model. o This fact is largely due to the marvels of modern-day polling, which gives legislators, the media, and voters a much clearer picture of "the will of the people" than was possible in the past. o today's senators and representatives often enter Congress with the goal of remaining in Washington for years to come.  "rise of career legislators."  Committee Members o Bills: proposed laws presented to a legislative body for consideration o Bills are referred to the various committees in each chamber. o As committee members, senators and representatives must screen those proposals. They decide, in committee, which measures will go on to floor consideration  the process by which proposed laws are considered and acted upon by the full membership of the House or Senate o Although Congress enacts laws and appropriates the money to implement them, the Constitution assigns the task of executing those laws to the executive branch.  Oversight function: review by legislative committees of the policies and programs of the executive branch  Servants of the people o Members of both the House and the Senate act as servants of their constituents. o Most often, they do this as they (and their staff aides) try to help people in various dealings with the federal bureaucracy. o Most members of Congress know that to deny or fail to respond to most of these requests would mean to lose votes in the next election.  Personal and Political Background o 535 members of congress o the “average” member is a white male in his late 50s. The average age of the members of the House is 57 and about 62 for those in the Senate. o 113th Congress included the largest number of women in history. Eighty-one women served in the House of Representatives  The 113th Congress was also notable for its inclusion of the first two women combat veterans to be elected to office. o In addition, the Congress included 42 African Americans and 35 Hispanics in the House, as well as 11 Asian Americans, 2 Native Americans, and one Pacific Islander. o Three Hispanics and one Asian sat in the Senate, including the first ever Asian American woman.

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