What Are Two Ways the Legislative Branch Can Check the Power of the Supreme Court?ã¢â‚¬â€¹

The The states Congress is made up of the Business firm of Representatives and the Senate. Acquire more than about the powers of the Legislative Branch of the federal government of the United States.

Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together course 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.

The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. In addition, there are vi non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and 4 other territories of the United States. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the Firm, elected past the Representatives. He or she is third in the line of succession to the Presidency.

Members of the House are elected every two years and must be 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at to the lowest degree seven years, and a resident of the state (but not necessarily the district) they represent.

The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an electoral college tie.

The Senate is equanimous of 100 Senators, two for each state. Until the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, Senators were called by state legislatures, not by popular vote. Since and then, they have been elected to six-year terms by the people of each state. Senator'south terms are staggered then that well-nigh one-tertiary of the Senate is up for reelection every ii years. Senators must exist 30 years of historic period, U.S. citizens for at least ix years, and residents of the country they stand for.

The Vice President of the Us serves as President of the Senate and may cast the decisive vote in the event of a tie in the Senate.

The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President's appointments that require consent, and to ratify treaties. There are, nevertheless, two exceptions to this rule: the House must likewise corroborate appointments to the Vice Presidency and whatsoever treaty that involves foreign trade. The Senate too tries impeachment cases for federal officials referred to information technology by the House.

In order to pass legislation and send it to the President for his signature, both the House and the Senate must pass the aforementioned nib past bulk vote. If the President vetoes a bill, they may override his veto by passing the bill again in each chamber with at least two-thirds of each body voting in favor.

The Legislative Process | Powers of Congress | Regime Oversight

The Legislative Process

The first stride in the legislative procedure is the introduction of a neb to Congress. Anyone can write it, simply only members of Congress tin can introduce legislation. Some important bills are traditionally introduced at the request of the President, such as the annual federal upkeep. During the legislative process, however, the initial pecker can undergo drastic changes.

Afterwards beingness introduced, a nib is referred to the appropriate commission for review. In that location are 17 Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 Firm committees, with 104 subcommittees. The committees are non fix in stone, just change in number and form with each new Congress as required for the efficient consideration of legislation. Each commission oversees a specific policy area, and the subcommittees take on more specialized policy areas. For instance, the House Commission on Means and Means includes subcommittees on Social Security and Merchandise.

A bill is first considered in a subcommittee, where it may be accustomed, amended, or rejected entirely. If the members of the subcommittee concur to move a beak forward, it is reported to the full commission, where the process is repeated once again. Throughout this stage of the process, the committees and subcommittees call hearings to investigate the merits and flaws of the pecker. They invite experts, advocates, and opponents to appear before the commission and provide testimony, and can compel people to announced using subpoena power if necessary.

If the full commission votes to corroborate the bill, it is reported to the flooring of the Firm or Senate, and the bulk political party leadership decides when to place the neb on the agenda for consideration. If a neb is particularly pressing, information technology may exist considered right away. Others may wait for months or never be scheduled at all.

When the bill comes up for consideration, the House has a very structured contend process. Each member who wishes to speak only has a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments are usually limited. In the Senate, contend on almost bills is unlimited — Senators may speak to problems other than the neb nether consideration during their speeches, and whatever amendment can be introduced. Senators tin can use this to filibuster bills nether consideration, a procedure by which a Senator delays a vote on a nib — and by extension its passage — by refusing to stand up down. A supermajority of 60 Senators can break a filibuster by invoking cloture, or the cession of debate on the bill, and forcing a vote. Once debate is over, the votes of a simple majority passes the bill.

A bill must laissez passer both houses of Congress before information technology goes to the President for consideration. Though the Constitution requires that the two bills have the exact same wording, this rarely happens in practise. To bring the bills into alignment, a Conference Committee is convened, consisting of members from both chambers. The members of the commission produce a conference written report, intended every bit the final version of the bill. Each chamber then votes once again to approve the conference written report. Depending on where the bill originated, the final text is so enrolled by either the Clerk of the House or the Secretarial assistant of the Senate, and presented to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for their signatures. The bill is then sent to the President.

When receiving a bill from Congress, the President has several options. If the President agrees substantially with the bill, he or she may sign it into law, and the bill is so printed in the Statutes at Large. If the President believes the law to be bad policy, he may veto it and send information technology back to Congress. Congress may override the veto with a ii-thirds vote of each bedroom, at which point the nib becomes law and is printed.

At that place are two other options that the President may exercise. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action inside ten days, the bill becomes police force. If Congress adjourns before ten days are up and the President takes no action, then the neb dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and if Congress still wants to pass the legislation, they must brainstorm the entire procedure anew.

Powers of Congress

Congress, as ane of the 3 coequal branches of authorities, is ascribed significant powers past the Constitution. All legislative ability in the government is vested in Congress, meaning that information technology is the merely part of the government that tin make new laws or alter existing laws. Executive Branch agencies result regulations with the full strength of law, simply these are only under the authority of laws enacted by Congress. The President may veto bills Congress passes, but Congress may too override a veto by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the Firm of Representatives.

Commodity I of the Constitution enumerates the powers of Congress and the specific areas in which it may legislate. Congress is besides empowered to enact laws deemed "necessary and proper" for the execution of the powers given to whatsoever part of the regime under the Constitution.

Role of Congress'southward practice of legislative authority is the institution of an almanac budget for the government. To this finish, Congress levies taxes and tariffs to provide funding for essential government services. If plenty money cannot be raised to fund the authorities, then Congress may also authorize borrowing to make upwardly the departure. Congress can also mandate spending on specific items: legislatively directed spending, commonly known every bit "earmarks," specifies funds for a particular projection, rather than for a authorities agency.

Both chambers of Congress take all-encompassing investigative powers, and may compel the product of testify or testimony toward any end they deem necessary. Members of Congress spend much of their time holding hearings and investigations in committee. Refusal to cooperate with a Congressional subpoena can result in charges of contempt of Congress, which could issue in a prison term.

The Senate maintains several powers to itself: It ratifies treaties by a 2-thirds supermajority vote and confirms the appointments of the President by a majority vote. The consent of the House of Representatives is also necessary for the ratification of trade agreements and the confirmation of the Vice President.

Congress also holds the sole ability to declare war.

Government Oversight

Oversight of the executive co-operative is an important Congressional bank check on the President's ability and a balance against his discretion in implementing laws and making regulations.

A major way that Congress conducts oversight is through hearings. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Diplomacy are both devoted to overseeing and reforming government operations, and each committee conducts oversight in its policy surface area.

Congress as well maintains an investigative organization, the Authorities Accountability Office (GAO). Founded in 1921 as the General Accounting Office, its original mission was to audit the budgets and financial statements sent to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Manager of the Office of Management and Budget. Today, the GAO audits and generates reports on every aspect of the authorities, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent with the effectiveness and efficiency that the American people deserve.

The executive co-operative too polices itself: Sixty-four Inspectors Full general, each responsible for a different agency, regularly audit and written report on the agencies to which they are attached.

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Source: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/legislative-branch

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