US Government Module 3 Study Guide There are 3 branches of government. Module 3 will cover the legislative and execute and module 4 will cover the judicial. 3.01 The Legislative Branch aka Congress Established in Article I of the Constitution Their job is to fulfill the needs and wishes of the people who elected them (constituents) The main goal of this branch is to pass legislation (laws) There is a bicameral legislature (2 houses): The House of Representatives The Senate Based on population (US census) 2 per state- equal representation 435 members total 100 members total 2-year terms 6 year terms (rolling turnover with 1/3 of the senators up for re-election every 2 years) So you want to be a member of congress.. Qualification requirements for members of the House Qualification requirements for members of Senate 25 years of age 30 years old US citizen for 7 years US citizen for 9 years Live in the state they wish to represent Live in the state they wish to represent House of Representatives Differences of the two Senate
Leader= Speaker of the House All bills creating revenue (taxes) Impeach high officials Leader= Vice President and President Pro Tempore Approves foreign treaties Conducts trials/convicts impeached federal officials Confirms presidential appointments Powers of the Legislative Branch As stated in Article 1 section 8 of the Constitution "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof." Coin and print money Declare war Confirm federal officials Approve foreign treaties Tax Make necessary and proper laws US Postal Service Naturalization Process How does a bill become a law? Constituents- someone who votes to appoint another to act on his or her behalf Legislation- law passed or in the process of being passed by a lawmaking body, such as Congress Census- official count of a population carried out at set time intervals Apportionment- the distribution of seats in the House among the states based on proportion of total population, calculated after conducting a census every 10 years
Powers of Congress- See lesson 3.01 p3 of 8 Speaker of the House- highest-ranking member of the House, usually the senior member of the majority party Presidential succession- the ordered list of federal positions that would take over as acting president if the president were unable to carry out official duties President pro tempore- the highest-ranking member of the Senate after the President of the Senate (who is the vice president), usually the senior member of the majority party Conference committee- a Congressional committee with members of both houses that creates a compromise bill between similar bills passed separately by the House and Senate Floor Action, veto- Committees: Standing- a Congressional committee that is permanent and addresses a particular topic ad hoc- a temporary Congressional committee set up to fulfill a specific purpose joint- a Congressional committee with members from both houses that makes a single set of recommendations to the whole Congress on a specific issue conference- see above House Rules- This committee, specific to the House, sets rules of debate for particular bills. Examples include time limits for debate and types of amendments members can add Joint Economic- (JEC) studies and makes recommendations to the whole Congress regarding national economic conditions 3.02 Public Policy What is public policy and how does it affect me? Public policy is legislation that is aimed to improve the well-being of citizens and the country as a whole. Types of policy: Social welfare- education and health care/insurance Economic: taxes and spending Environmental Defense It is the right and responsibility of every citizen to monitor public policy (TV news, Internet/social media). Every policy has costs and benefits. By analyzing these we can see if the policy is a sound choice or if it need revisions. Example: seatbelt legislation Costs: time for studies and research, money for development of new seatbelts in cars, tests, more money for cars, training for officers Benefits: saves lives, less money used for hospital bills paid by taxpayers, more comfortable experience in cars
Foreign policy- relations with other countries, while domestic policies apply within the country Domestic policy- decisions can have an affect on each other Social welfare policy- policies address the well-being of citizens and include programs like education and health insurance. The goal of these policies is to "promote the general welfare" as described in the Preamble to the Constitution, meaning to improve citizens' quality of life. Those who benefit from social welfare programs often must meet certain age, income, or other requirements Economic policy- policies include the government's budget, which includes government taxing and spending rules. Economic policy also establishes rules for businesses. The goal of economic policy is to grow the productive capacity of the economy, while keeping unemployment and inflation low. Inflation is the general rise of prices over time. Environmental policy- policies address concerns related to the impact of human activity on Earth. The goal, of course, is to minimize the negative effects on air, water, wildlife, and land that result from our activities, such as clearing land for farms and driving gas-burning vehicles. Environmental policies are often controversial because they can be very expensive for American businesses. Defense policy- policies include laws and programs related to maintaining the armed forces. The goal of defense policy is to protect the safety and security of the country and its citizens. Defense policy often intersects with foreign policy. Like other types of policy, it can be very controversial as people disagree on what role the United States should take in world affairs as a measure to protect its own peace and security. Initiative (referendum)- a process in many U.S. states that allows citizens to introduce ideas for new laws to the state legislature Ordinance- a law or rule made by an authority such as a city government Externalities- unintended costs or benefits to third parties 3.03 The Executive Branch Established in Article 2 of the Constitution President, Vice President, Cabinet Their job is to carry out and enforce the laws of the US So you want to be president.. Constitutional requirements Societal requirements Must be at least 35 years old Wealth Must be a US citizen Education Resident of the United States for at least 14 years Experience Personality Note- the Vice President has all the same requirements for office as the president
The role of the president The following is a list of presidential duties: Approves and carries out laws passed by congress Has veto power if needed Meets with foreign leaders and makes agreements Makes treaties Spends money as authorized by congress Appoints Supreme Court Justices, federal judges, and foreign ambassadors Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces (military) Can grant pardons for federal crimes State of the Union Address (given yearly) Note- The 22 nd amendment limits the president to two terms in office The Cabinet The Cabinet is a group of leaders of 15 executive departments that advise the president. Under each executive department are various agencies with staff that carry out the daily work of enforcing policy. Regulatory Agencies: Independent regulatory agencies are offices that serve a specific enforcement function. They operate with much less of the president's direction than executive departments. Like the Cabinet, Congress creates them and determines through law the powers of the agency. The president appoints their chief leaders with approval from the Senate, but usually does not have the power to remove officials without cause. Examples: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) US Postal Service (USPS) The Federal Reserve Bank (The Fed) The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) The Social Security Administration (SSA)
Electoral College- the group of people from each state who officially elect the president of the United States, typically based on the popular vote in each state. Powers of the President- Succession- Veto Cabinet- a group of advisers to the president, composed of the heads of the executive departments and other officials as determined by the president Bureaucracy- staff, policies, and actions of administrative groups led by nonelected officials to carry out specific laws and responsibilities Regulations- an official rule or order that guides behavior related to laws, or the carrying out of a law Congressional oversight Authorization bill- permission through legislation to start or continue a government program or agency Appropriation- permission through legislation to spend funds on a specific program or agency Subpoena- legal order that requires a witness to appear or provide evidence to a court Executive privilege - the right of the president to refuse to reveal confidential materials if doing so would interfere with the administration's ability to govern Influencing policy There are many ways an individual citizen can make a difference and have their voice heard: vote, contact local or state representatives, start or sign a petition, post on social media, attend public meetings, etc. There is also strength in numbers. For that reason many people choose to join special interest groups or political parties. Political Parties There are 3 major parties: Democrat, Republican, or Independent. People choose a political party based off of ideologies and beliefs.
Special Interest Groups: Special interest groups are groups of people who share a common idea or experience and want to influence a policy. Smaller in scope Plan to inform/persuade the public and lawmakers in favor of their interest/position Very passionate and involved members They can form, dissolve, and change their policy focus depending on what issues are at the center of attention at any point in time Examples: Greenpeace, labor unions PAC- Political Action Committee and Coalitions Lobbyists Political ideology- a set of beliefs, values, and ideas that form the basis for an organization or program Third party- a political party organized in opposition to the major parties in a two-party system Independent- a person or candidate who votes and acts in accordance with his or her own judgment and without regard to the positions taken by any specific party Liberal- Moderate- Conservative- Campaigns- an organized series of events intended to achieve a specific goal, such as selection of a particular candidate for office Special interest group Labor union- an organization of wage earners set up to promote its members' concerns, generally in the areas of pay, benefits, hours, and conditions Political action committee- a group set up by an interest group or corporation to raise and spend donated money on a political campaign Coalition- an alliance of separate interest groups INTEREST GROUPS: Citizen s Flag Alliance, SADD, Greenpeace, AAA
3.05 Media and Politics What is media? How does the influence of the media play into politics? Media is anything that relays a message or information to a wide audience of people. Print: newspaper, flyers, magazines, books Radio Television Internet: email, websites, advertisements, social media, etc. Other- billboards, bumper stickers, buttons Highly televised political events include: State of the Union Address Campaign ads Debates Bias is a preference toward a particular belief or attitude No person is completely free of bias. This includes the media. Many people do not have time to research policy or information about government and rely on news outlets or websites to inform them of candidates or policy. This can be dangerous depending on the amount of bias in the station/report/or analysis they view. Types of Bias/Persuasive tactics: Accuracy: using statistics Omission: leaving out key information Emotional appeal: Statements and/or visual images that appeal to our personal values, beliefs, and desires (either positive or negative) Symbols- images or text in advertisements that represent something else or have a meaning not obvious from the picture itself Propaganda: information an organization or government sends out to promote a policy, idea, or cause. In general, it means any type of political message with a bias 3.06 Elections and Voting Does every vote really count? The Electoral College is the group of people who officially elect the president of the United States, set up by the U.S. Constitution. The number of electors (total of house representatives plus 2 senators) each state has is determined by population (US census) 538 total possible votes; a candidate needs 270 to win the election
Typically goes with popular vote (winner takes all) but not always the case (2000 election- Bush v Gore) Please view the following video: http://safeshare.tv/w/rsduhwirxt Demographics- characteristics about the human population or a part of it, such as size or growth Socioeconomics traits- characteristic relating to economic or social factors Voter turnout- the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election Electoral College- the group of people from each state who officially elect the president of the United States, typically based on the popular vote in each state. Popular vote- a vote of the majority of the people in a country, the votes of the people Gerrymandering- the dividing of a geographic region into representative districts that would give political advantage to a certain political party or other group Primary elections (open, closed)- a process where voters choose the candidates who will run for political office Caucus- a closed meeting of people from one political party, especially a local meeting to select delegates or candidates Midterm elections- U.S. general election held two years after every presidential election where all seats in the House are up for election as well as one-third of the Senate seats Voter fraud- interference with an election, such as illegal voter registration, preventing votes being cast or counted Disenfranchise- to deprive a person or a group of people of the right to vote Swing state- a U.S. state where no political party has a significant majority of voter support, making it possible for the state's electoral votes to go to any candidate Factors that influence turnout (party identification, type of election, campaign tone, age and gender, ethnicity, education and income) Module 3 Review Video