Coach: Hang Nguyen

The U.S. Constitution created Congress to be the nation’s legislative branch. Congress is a bicameral
legislature, or a lawmaking body with two houses. One house of Congress is the House of Representatives.
This house currently has 435 members. The number of representatives is determined by each state’s population.
States like California and Florida with large populations have many representatives, but states like Wyoming and
Delaware with small populations have just one. The other house of Congress is the Senate. Each state has two
senators regardless of its population. Both the House and the Senate meet in separate chambers inside the U.S.
Capitol in Washington, D.C. Each Congress is given a number to identify it. The Congress elected in 2016 is the
115th since Congress first met in 1789.
The majority party in the House chooses a leader, known as the Speaker of the House. The Speaker has an
important role in managing the House’s debate over proposed laws. The Speaker also assigns other members of
the House to committees and performs other oversight duties. All members of the House, including the Speaker,
are elected to two-year terms. The official head of the Senate is the vice president, who is also a member of the
executive branch. The vice president normally only takes part in Senate votes in order to break a tie. Members
of the Senate are elected to serve for six years.
The legislative branch is mostly responsible for making laws. It also has checks on the other branches, however.
Congress must approve some actions and decisions made by the executive branch. For example, Congress has
the power to confirm or reject the president’s nominees to certain offices. Congress can use this power to
exercise influence over the judicial branch since the president appoints justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Remember:
Congress is the national legislature—a government body that makes the nation’s laws and decides how the government’s
money is spent. The two chambers of Congress are separate but have an equal role in the creation of laws. Congress also
has the power to declare war and regulate, or control, interstate and foreign commerce.
Key Terms

bicameral legislature: lawmaking body with two houses

Congress: national legislature
Senate: one house of U.S. Congress with two members from each state
Bill: proposed law
House of Representatives: one house of U.S. Congress with many members
Speaker of the House: head of the majority party in the House of Representatives
The Committee of the Whole: includes the entire House of Representatives.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-
government-and-civics/us-gov-interactions-among-
branches/us-gov-structures-powers-and-functions-of-
congress/v/the-house-of-represenatives-in-comparison-
to-the-senate
Congress’s main job is making laws. Every law begins as a proposal called a bill. Members of
Congress debate and vote on bills. If a bill is approved by Congress, it goes to the president for
approval. Many bills never reach this stage, however. A committee can choose to vote down a bill. So
can the general membership of each house of Congress.

Interpreting Sources: A Bill Becomes a Law

Follow the flowchart to see how a bill becomes a law.
Bills can begin in either house
of Congress. Ideas for bills
come from legislators, special
interest groups, the president,
or other citizens.

In the Senate, members can Key Point

slow debate or attempt to The legislative branch of the
prevent a vote by giving United States is Congress.
long speeches called Congress makes laws.
filibusters. Senators do this
when they know a bill they
oppose is likely to pass.

Congress can overturn a

president’s veto with a two-
thirds majority vote. However,
this does not happen often.
1. Select which step should be
added to the empty box. Drag
and drop the correct step to fill
in the chart.
Q2. Emma is using this chart for a presentation
in government class. How can she improve it?
A.She should add an arrow from Step 1 to
Step 6.
B.She should add an explanation of how
Congress checks the president.
C.She should add a definition of the term
special interest group.
D.She should add a step telling what options
the president has.

Test Strategy
Study diagrams and graphic aids carefully to ensure you understand their meaning. Pay careful attention to
information that seems to be missing or incorrect. You can predict answers to questions like this question by
filling in these blanks for yourself as you study a diagram.
Type the correct answer in the box.
Q3. One way a president can stop the passage of a bill is to ________ it when it comes to his or her desk.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-
civics/us-gov-interactions-among-branches/us-gov-structures-
powers-and-functions-of-congress/v/how-a-bill-becomes-a-
law?modal=1