Congress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Congress - Essay Example The US Congress consists of 435 voting members in the House of Representatives and 100 voting members in the US Senate, totaling to 535 members of the legislature. This paper will seek to discuss the organization and structure of Congress, membership of Congress, general Congressional authority, and modern problems facing Congress. Organization and Structure of Congress The United States Congress’ organizational structure is based on the Constitution, enacted legislation with presidential assent, and rules created by Senate and the House of Representatives. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning it is made up of 2 bodies with legislative power; Senate and the House of Representatives (Smith et al, 2011). Prior to being sent to the executive, legislation has to pass through both chambers and approved. The Senate has one hundred members with the US Vice President being the chamber’s president and being the only official ion government who serves in two government br anches, although in a largely ceremonial role and votes when there is a tie. The actual functional leader is the majority Leader of Senate who is selected by either party depending on which has the most members (Smith et al, 2011), while the minority leader is head of the other party. The lower chamber of Congress is the House of Representatives made up of some 435 members with voting privileges. This chamber is led by the House Speaker elected by members of the party with a majority (Smith et al, 2011). The second most powerful member in this chamber is the majority leader of the house whose selection is also carried out by the party with the majority, while the party with the minority is headed by the Minority leader. Because of these differences in organizational structure, the voting rules in both houses are also different. For the House of Representatives, majority vote of those present is considered in passing legislation, while a supermajority of 60 is used in Senate. Subcomm ittees and committees do most of the duties carried out in both chambers of Congress where legislation under proposal is first considered (Smith et al, 2011). If a committee approves legislation, it becomes a bill and moves to the Senate or House of Representatives to be considered and ultimately voted on. Membership in Congress In the House of Representatives, members represent people living in a district and serve for a term of two years. The results of the US Census are used to apportion Congressional Districts to states with each state having at least one congressman or woman. Regardless of census results, every state has two Senators, each of whom serves six years (Bianco, 2010). Election of Senate members is staggered to ensure that a third of the house is up for election after two years. These groups of Senators are referred to as classes and each state has senators from different classes. The House of Representatives, as suggested by its name, is considered the most represen tative for the American population. Tied to their election, members of Congress work for periods of two years, each of which is referred to as a Congress, beginning from the start of the year after an election (Bianco, 2010). In order to become a member of the House of Representatives, one must be 25 years of age, while a Senator must be at least thirty years of age. With regards to citizenship, the US Constitution holds that hopefuls for membership to the House of