Introduction

branchesThe The states spent eight long years of desperate fighting for independence from 1775 to 1783. By 1789, the Founding Fathers had set up near constructing a government "congenital on the cardinal conviction of revolutionary-era republicanism: that no central authority empowered to coerce or discipline the citizenry was permissible , since it merely duplicated the monarchical and aristocratic principles that the American Revolution had been fought to escape. The United States is now the oldest enduring republic in earth history, with a set up of political institutions and traditions that have stood the examination of time."

According to House.gov , "To ensure a separation of powers, the U.S. Federal Government is made up of 3 branches: legislative, executive and judicial. To ensure the government is effective and citizens' rights are protected, each branch has its own powers and responsibilities, including working with the other branches." This is often referred to as " checks and balances ," and prevents any 1 part of authorities from wielding too much political power.

Why it Matters

America benefits from a judicial branch positioned to halt executive branch overreach. The President of the United States cannot stay in ability indefinitely and is unable to forcefulness the U.South. Congress to pass laws. From the very beginning, and withal to today, the American people have access to and influence over their elected representatives.

The House of Representatives about directly reflects the desires of the American public due to the ratio of American citizens to U.S. Representatives and the constant ballot bike every 2 years. Much of the deadlock of the U.S. regime that we witness today reflects a divided American people.

This brief focuses on the Legislative co-operative of the U.S. government, in particular the Firm of Representatives, including the nuts and bolts of how its inner workings, and how everyday citizens tin influence the legislative procedure. For a cursory on the U.S. Senate, click hither .

Save Salve

What is the Legislative Branch?

The legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate , known collectively as the Congress. Amongst other powers, the legislative branch "makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce and controls taxing and spending policies."

CrashCourse U.S. Government and Politics, produced in collaboration with PBS, explains the Bicameral Congress (ix min):

Of all federal government institutions, the House of Representatives is designed to exist closest to American voters, most closely reflecting the individual cares and concerns of American taxpayers. In fact, the House is the only establishment that has been straight elected by American voters since its formation in 1789.

"'If proportional representation takes place, the minor States contend that their liberties volition be in danger. If an equality of votes is to be put in its place, the big States say their money will be in danger,'" explained Benjamin Franklin . What somewhen "emerged from weeks of stalemate was called the 'Not bad Compromise' and created a bicameral legislature with a House, where membership was determined past state population, and a Senate, where each land had two seats regardless of population."

Size and Construction of the Business firm

There are 435 representatives in the Business firm , and have been since the number was fixed by constabulary in 1911. Each Firm representative is elected to a two-yr term serving the people of a specific congressional district in a country. "Each land receives representation in the House in proportion to the size of its population but is entitled to at least one representative." This means that states with large populations accept more representatives than pocket-size states have. Representation based on population was "1 of the most of import components of the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787," equally one of the founders' greatest concerns was designing a system of government that would ameliorate represent the public than did the British model from which they had won independence.

In addition to the 435 representatives from u.s., in that location is a Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and Delegates from Washington D.C., American Samoa, Guam, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. The Resident Commissioner and Delegates are able to serve and vote on committees, but practise not have the same full voting rights as the 435 land representatives.

The Role of the Census

Specifically, seats in the Firm " are apportioned based on land population according to the constitutionally mandated Census."  The Census, which occurs every 10 years and is overseen by the Agency of the Census, part of the U.Due south. Department of Commerce. Tying representation to Demography data allows the number of each state'southward representatives to increase or decrease forth with fluctuations in country population. The Census data is then used to determine congressional districts, areas in the country from which representatives are elected to the Firm. This procedure is called redistricting. For more than on redistricting and the Demography, meet The Policy Circle'due south Decennial Census Cursory.

Elections

Members of the House of Representatives " must stand for ballot every two years , afterwards which information technology convenes for a new session and essentially reconstitutes itself – electing a Speaker, swearing-in the Members-elect, and approving a slate of officers to administer the institution." Biennial elections are held in November, and the Congress commences in the post-obit January. To exist elected, a representative must be at to the lowest degree 25 years quondam, a United states of america citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state he or she represents. U.S. House candidates are not required to live in the congressional district they stand for.

The Life of a Representative

According to Congressional Direction Foundation'southward Life in Congress study , when representatives are in Washington, D.C., they report spending their fourth dimension as follows:

  • 35% on "Legislative/Policy Piece of work"
  • 17% on "Elective Services Piece of work"
  • 17% on "Political/Campaign Work"
  • nine% on "Press/Media Relations"
  • 9% on "Family/Friends"
  • seven% on "Administrative/Managerial Work"
  • six% on "Personal Time"

When in their home district, they reported spending time equally follows:

  • 32% on "Constituent Services Work"
  • 18%  on "Political/Entrada Work"
  • 14% on "Press/Media Relations"
  • 12%  on "Legislative/Policy Work"
  • 9% with "Family/Friends"
  • 8% on "Personal Time"
  • 7% on "Administrative/Managerial Work"

Compensation

Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires Congress to determine its own pay. Congress's " current automatic adjustment formula , which is based on changes in private sector wages," was established by the Ethics Reform Act of 1989. The last pay aligning was in January 2009. Since, most representatives earn $174,000 annually, while the majority and minority leaders make $193,400. The Speaker earns the largest salary at $223,500. Additionally, representatives "are discipline to some specific laws and regulations regarding the acceptance of gifts ," peculiarly gifts from registered lobbyists or from private entities that retain or employ a lobbyist.

What does the Firm of Representatives do?

Responsibilities of the House

Per the Constitution , the Firm and Senate together make and pass federal laws, introduce bills and resolutions, offering amendments, and serve on committees that enable members to develop specialized knowledge on the matters under that committee'southward jurisdiction. Though both brand up Congress, at that place are a few distinctions betwixt the two. In particular, the Constitution "provides that merely the House of Representatives may originate revenue bills, " and by tradition information technology also originates appropriation bills.

Additionally, while the Constitution does not specifically mention investigations and oversight , "the authorisation to behave investigations is unsaid since Congress possesses 'all legislative powers'." The House initiates impeachment proceedings and passes manufactures of impeachment (the Senate sits as a courtroom to attempt the impeachment).

Finally, during a presidential election, the House of Representatives steps in if no candidate receives a bulk of the total electoral votes. Each state delegation has i vote to choose the President from among the meridian three candidates with the largest number of electoral votes.

Leadership in the House

Later each ballot, the political party that wins the virtually representatives is designated the " Majority ." The other party is the " Minority. " The majority political party holds key leadership positions, such as Speaker of the Business firm. The same political party can have the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or the chambers tin be carve up. Third parties rarely have enough members to elect their own leadership, so independents by and large join 1 of the larger party organizations to receive committee assignments.

The Firm is run by majority rule.  When a majority of members vote to do something in the House, information technology gets done. Bulk rule makes passing legislation relatively efficient, and that ways that the party in the minority has less power to set the calendar or pass its proposals. This contrasts with the Senate, where a unmarried senator – in the majority or the minority – can more often than not forcefulness a vote or stop a bill in its tracks.

House Leadership includes the Speaker of the House, Majority and Minority Leaders, and Bulk and Minority Whips.

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House, and is elected by the members of the Business firm. The Speaker administers the Oath of Part to House members, chairs certain committees or nominates committee chairs (namely the chairs of the House Assistants Committee and the Rules Committee ), and appoints members of various committees and House staff. Afterwards the Vice President, the Speaker is second in line to succeed the Vice President.

Majority and Minority Leaders represent their respective parties on the Business firm flooring. Each is elected by his or her respective party. The majority leader is second to the Speaker and schedules legislative business, planning legislative agendas rather than serving on committees. The minority leader serves as the minority party'southward spokesperson, essentially the minority political party'south counterpart to the Speaker. He or she also chairs the minority party'south committee assignment panel.

Majority and Minority Whips serve as middlemen to between their party leaders and members. They "maintain communication between the leadership of the party and its members, marshal support for political party positions on the floor, count votes on central legislation, and persuade wavering Members to vote for the party position."

The Speaker of the Firm is elected past the unabridged House of Representatives, while the Republican Briefing and Democratic Caucus elect the other leadership positions. The Republican Conference is the formal organization of Republican Members in the House, and the Autonomous Caucus is that of the Democratic Members.

Run into current Business firm Leadership positions here.

The Office of Committees

Committees " are permanent panels governed by House bedroom rules, with responsibility to consider bills and bug and to have full general oversight relating to their areas of jurisdiction." Committees take different legislative jurisdictions, merely each considers, shapes, and passes laws related to its jurisdiction, and monitors agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdiction. Each committee has a chair that leads the total committee, and a ranking member who leads the minority members of the commission. Committee consignment directly affects a representative's piece of work in Congress. Afterwards a Congressional ballot, political parties assign newly elected representatives to standing committees

Crash Course U.S. Regime & Politics explains what Congressional committees do (eight min):

Some of the about well-known committees include:

  • The House Commission on Ways and Means , which oversees all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures.
  • The House Commission on Appropriations , which has jurisdiction over setting specific government expenditures.
  • The House Committee on Foreign Affairs , which has jurisdiction over foreign assistance and oversees national security developments affecting foreign policy.
  • The House Committee on the Judiciary, which oversees the judiciary and civil and criminal proceedings.

Most committees are regular standing committees, which continue from one Congress to the next. In that location are too select committees, special committees formed for a short catamenia of time for a specific purpose such as an investigation, and at that place are several articulation committees with the Senate. Run into a full listing of all House Committees hither .

Legislation in the House

Legislation begins with an idea . Information technology may come from a Congressman, a staffer, a constituent, or a thought leader or skillful on a given subject field. You may remember the School House Rock video , which walks through the legislative process in an accessible manner and is bang-up to share with your kids (iii min):

Drafting Legislation

Working with Business firm parliamentarians —  lawyers and clerks who provide nonpartisan guidance on rules and procedures — and other Congressional staff on Capitol Colina, the Congressional representative'due south staff drafts the bill. The parliamentarians have specific expertise; they work closely with staff in a non-partisan manner to typhoon the specific language of the beak. Staff works to build sponsors and cosponsors before the bill is introduced.

Introducing a Neb

Any Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner can introduce a bill when the firm is in session by " placing information technology in the 'hopper, '" a box on the House Clerk's desk-bound in the Capitol building. The Fellow member who introduces the pecker is known as the primary sponsor. The neb is and then formally assigned a number past the Clerk. A bill originating in the House will get-go with "H.R." (for the House of Representatives, as opposed to "S." for the Senate). The Speaker's role then assigns that bill to its commission(south) of jurisdiction, which then assigns the bill to a subcommittee(s).

Committee Procedure

The Subcommittee seeks input from relevant departments and agencies and holds public hearings. Later on hearings, there is a markup on the legislation , in which "views of both sides are studied in item and at the conclusion of deliberation a vote is taken to determine" whether or not the subcommittee recommends the pecker to the full committee. In the total commission, the subcommittee reports on the bill; this coming together provides an opportunity for Members to meliorate the legislation. There is as well the possibility that the committee tables the bill or fails to take activeness , which prevents the bill from reaching the total House. Yous tin can lookout House Commission hearing videos hither .

To get to the total House, the committee staff writes a report describing the purpose of the bill, why the bill is recommended, and an analysis of each part of the neb and how the bill may bear on existing police. A full committee marking-up and the determination of what legislation makes it to the Business firm floor is tightly controlled by the Commission Chairman's function and leadership. When the legislation is reported favorably out of the full committee it awaits a decision by leadership to schedule time for it to exist debated on the Business firm floor. This decision is a negotiation based on priorities of the committee and of leadership.

Subsequently a committee has reported a bill, the pecker is placed on the calendar . This means the bill is eligible for floor consideration, but not that it volition necessarily make it to the floor. In the House, it is upwards to the majority party leadership to determine which bills the House volition consider on the floor, and in what order.

Committee on Rules

In one case leadership has decided that a specific piece of legislation volition receive floortime, the House Majority Leader alerts the committee of jurisdiction that the pecker will exist considered on the House Floor, and this kicks off the Rules Committee procedure.

The Committee on Rules , or Rules Committee, is one of the oldest continuing committees in the House. The Committee is commonly known every bit "The Speaker'southward Commission" – prior to 1910, the Speaker chaired the Rules Committee, and today it is the mechanism by which the Speaker maintains control of the House Floor. The Rules Committee is sometimes also referred to equally " the traffic cop of the Firm ," as information technology determines how much time will be allowed for debate on each piece of legislation considered on the House floor, and if whatever (and which) amendments will exist allowed to be considered during the debate.

Most bills are considered nether a procedure known as interruption of the rules , "which limits debate to xl minutes and does not allow amendments to be offered past members on the floor." Otherwise, the neb is considered nether terms tailored for the particular nib. In this example, the House adopts a resolution chosen a special rule from the Rules Commission. Afterwards the Rules Committee reports the rule for considering the neb and the House votes to adopt the rule, the House can then keep to the floor argue.

Floor Debate

Once the rule has been adopted, the House commonly considers the bill "in a procedural setting called the Commission of the Whole , which is essentially "the House assembled in a unlike class; it is a committee of the Firm composed of every Representative that meets in the House bedroom." This process "allows members an efficient fashion to consider and vote on amendments."

Later on the floor contend on amendments and the underlying legislation, the Commission of the Whole reports to the full House, which and so votes on the pecker. The beak passes the House by a unproblematic bulk , 218 votes of the 435 total. It then goes to the Senate and waits to be scheduled for floor time.

Come across The Policy Circle'due south Senate Cursory to see how the procedure continues.

Additional Resources

Glossary of terms

Different types of legislation

Alternative legislative procedures in the Firm

Ways to Get Involved/What You Tin can Practice

Measure out & Place : Who are the influencers in your state, county, or community? Learn nigh their priorities and consider how to contact them

  • Do you know who your Congressional Representative is ? What near your state elected officials ?
  • Rail your representatives' votes with GovTrack .

Reach out: You lot are a catalyst. Finding a mutual cause is a bang-up opportunity to develop relationships with people who may be outside of your immediate network. All it takes is a modest team of ii or iii people to set a path for existent improvement. The Policy Circle is your platform to convene with experts yous want to hear from.

  • Notice allies in your community or in nearby towns and elsewhere in the state.
  • Foster collaborative relationships with colleagues, neighbors, friends, and local organizations to mobilize an effort to bring attention to your issue to your local Congressional part. Likewise achieve out to community leaders to brainwash them and request their engagement on the upshot.

Plan: Set some milestones based on your land's legislative agenda .

  • Yous can find the legislative calendar for the House of Representatives hither .
  • Don't hesitate to contact The Policy Circle squad, communications@thepolicycircle.org , for connections to the broader network, advice, insights on how to build rapport with policy makers and establish yourself as a civic leader.

Execute: Requite it your best shot. Yous tin can:

  • Research: Brand certain you know the facts about the issue you are raising. Government agencies, recall tanks, and media outlets can all be good resource. Retrieve to research all sides of the consequence to brand certain yous understand various angles. Yous can also talk with people who are affected by the issue with which you are concerned; anecdotal information combined with measured data tin exist powerful.
  • Write: Although nosotros may exist more inclined to e-mail in the digital age, writing an quondam-fashioned letter to your local elected representatives or to members of Congress is still i of the well-nigh constructive means to influence lawmakers.
      • See these tips for stride-by-pace instructions to write letters to elected officials, including how to address your representative, reference specific legislation, and properly send your correspondence.
  • Organize: Organize people to call in, follow-up on written material, and reach out to other community members to brainwash them on the event. Demonstrating broad support tin can exist very effective in influencing a legislator to support your position.

Working with others, you lot may create something smashing for your community. Hither are some tools to learn how to contact your representatives and write an op-ed .