Cameron Miranda
The United States Congress is the federal government's lawmaking branch. It is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together have the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, as well as the power to confirm or reject Presidential appointments. Article I of the Constitution grants Congress the power to make laws, outlining the separation of powers between branches of government, the election of Senators and Representatives, the lawmaking process, and the powers that Congress holds.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Legislative powers | Vested in the Congress of the United States, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives |
| Legislative functions | Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have equal legislative functions and powers |
| Legislative process | Bills can be proposed by sitting members of the Senate or House of Representatives, during election campaigns, or by citizen groups |
| Legislative sessions | Congress must assemble at least once a year, with each Congress lasting two years |
| Legislative rules | Each House determines the rules of its proceedings |
| Legislative authority | Congress has the sole authority to enact legislation, declare war, and confirm or reject Presidential appointments |
| Legislative oversight | Congress maintains oversight of the executive branch through hearings and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) |
| Legislative powers | Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, and excises |
| Legislative appropriations | Congress can authorize borrowing if funds cannot be raised through taxation |
| Legislative spending | Congress can mandate spending on specific items through "earmarks" |
| Legislative investigations | Congress has extensive investigative powers, including the ability to compel evidence and testimony |
| Legislative impeachment | The House of Representatives has the sole power of impeachment, while the Senate has the sole power to try impeachments |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution grants Congress the power to make laws
- Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate
- Bills are proposed by members of the House or Senate, or by citizens
- Bills are assigned to a committee for research, discussion and changes
- The President can approve or veto a bill, but Congress can override a veto
The US Constitution grants Congress the power to make laws
The Constitution outlines the specific areas in which Congress may legislate, and it grants Congress the authority to enact legislation and declare war, confirm or reject Presidential appointments, and conduct investigations. Congress also has the power to levy taxes and tariffs to fund essential government services and authorize borrowing if necessary.
The process of law-making in Congress involves the introduction of a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. A bill can be proposed by a sitting member of Congress or during an election campaign, or it can be petitioned by citizens or groups who recommend a new or amended law. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. The bill then goes through a process of voting, discussion, and potential amendment in both the House and the Senate. If a bill passes both houses, any differences between the two versions must be reconciled.
While the President can veto a bill passed by Congress, Congress has the power to override this veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This highlights the system of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches of the US government.
In summary, the US Constitution establishes Congress as the law-making branch of the federal government, granting it the sole authority to create and change laws. The Constitution outlines the specific powers and processes by which Congress can legislate, ensuring a balanced and effective law-making process in the United States.
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Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate
Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. It is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as outlined in Article I of the Constitution. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, and the right to confirm or reject many presidential appointments. It also has substantial investigative powers.
The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. There are also six non-voting members, representing Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and four other U.S. territories. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, elected by the Representatives. The House of Representatives is responsible for initiating tax and revenue-related legislation. It also has the sole power of impeachment.
The Senate is composed of 100 members, with two senators representing each state, regardless of population size. Senators are elected by the people, and each has one vote. The Senate has the function of advising and consenting to treaties and certain presidential nominations. It also has the sole power to try impeachments.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have equal legislative functions and powers, with some procedural differences. While the House processes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate operates through deliberation and debate prior to voting.
The process of how a bill becomes a law differs slightly between the House of Representatives and the Senate. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. It can be introduced by a sitting member of either the House or the Senate, or it can be proposed during an election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies accept a bill, they must work together to reconcile any differences between the two versions.
Congress must assemble at least once a year, and a Congress lasts for two years, divided into two regular sessions. Each House determines the rules of its proceedings. The House of Representatives adopts its rules anew each Congress, while the Senate considers itself a continuing body and operates under standing rules that it amends from time to time.
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Bills are proposed by members of the House or Senate, or by citizens
The process of how a bill becomes a law starts with a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Bills can be proposed by sitting members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or during their election campaign. Bills can also be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.
The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. There are also 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the United States. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, elected by the Representatives. The Senate is composed of 100 Members—two from each state, regardless of population or area—elected by the people in accordance with the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.
If a bill passes both bodies of Congress, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law. Or the president can refuse to approve a bill, which is called a veto. If Congress is in session and the president takes no action within 10 days, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the president takes no action, then the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.
The House and the Senate have some procedural differences. While both are equal in how they function, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. And only the Senate can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. While the House processes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting.
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Bills are assigned to a committee for research, discussion and changes
The United States Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, established by Article I of the Constitution. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers. Congress is the lawmaking branch of the federal government.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. The referral decision is usually made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it.
Bills can be referred to more than one committee and they may be split so that parts are sent to different committees. In the House, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes.
Committees hold hearings, which are generally open to the public, although in rare cases, a committee will meet behind closed doors to discuss national security issues. Shortly after a hearing takes place, most committees post witness testimony on their websites. Committees also provide access to the webcast of the hearing, which shows the hearing in its entirety. Committees also produce written reports explaining why they favor a bill and why they wish to see their amendments adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report.
After the committee has completed its research and discussions, it will hold a "mark-up" session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" that will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.
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The President can approve or veto a bill, but Congress can override a veto
Congress is the law-making branch of the US federal government. The US Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers. Article I, Section 1, of the United States Constitution, provides that: "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."
The President can approve a bill and sign it into law. Or the President can refuse to approve a bill. This is called a veto. If the President chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.
If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within ten days, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before the ten days are up and the President takes no action, then the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is also called a pocket veto, and if Congress still wants to pass the legislation, they must begin the entire process anew.
To override a veto, a two-thirds majority is required in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions.
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Frequently asked questions
Article I of the US Constitution establishes the Legislative Branch of the federal government, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, together forming the United States Congress. Article I also enumerates the powers of Congress and the specific areas in which it may legislate.
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the US Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies accept a bill, they must work out any differences between their versions. The president then considers the bill. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can usually vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.
Congress has the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers. Congress also has the power to levy taxes and tariffs to provide funding for essential government services, as well as to authorize borrowing if necessary.
