Part Three: The Legislative Branch

The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. is the meeting place of the U.S. Congress and one of the most familiar landmarks on Capitol Hill. The Senate meets in a chamber in the north wing of the Capitol and the House of Representatives in a similar chamber in the south wing.

The Capitol has been the legislative center of the nation since 1800. It was William Thornton, a young physician, painter, and amateur architect, whose design for the Capitol was accepted on April 5, 1793. It is built of sandstone and marble and its architecture is primarily Roman with Greek and Renaissance details.

President Washington gave his approval on July 25, and work on construction began that same month. On Sept. 18, 1793, the cornerstone was laid by the President. The building is 213.76 m long and 106.68 m wide. The Capitol's height, to the top of the 6-meter bronze statue of Freedom on the great dome, is 87.65 meters. It contains 6-2/3 hectares of floor space and provides 540 rooms. The dome which is one of the largest in the world was based on Michelangelo's dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

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1. Facts about the United States Congress:
   • The Congress is the legislative branch of the national government.
   • It consists of two houses - The Senate and the House of Representatives. This is called a bicameral legislature.
   • It is tasked to make and pass laws to govern the nation.
   • Under terms of the 20th Amendment, adopted in 1933, The Congress must meet annually at noon on January 3, unless it has, by law, appointed a different day.
   • One session of Congress extends continuously until adjournment (Congress usually remains in session until its business for the year is completed).
   • Once a session or a Congress adjourns, sine die (indefinitely), it meets again only if the president calls a special session of one or both houses.
   • Elections for both houses are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years or on special dates set by state laws to fill seats that become vacant between terms.

2. Powers of Congress: Congress has the power to declare war. The President of the United States may recommend that war be declared, but it is Congress alone who can declare war. Congress has also the power to: establish post offices, establish courts, regulate money and trade, regulate the system of weights and measures, provide for national defense, grant patents and copyrights, raise money for national expenses, and make laws for the naturalization of foreigners.

3. Limits on Powers of Congress: Congress cannot tax exports, pass trade laws which do not treat all states equally, spend tax money without a law to authorize it, authorize any title of nobility, pass a law to punish someone for an act which was legal when the person did it, and pass any law which deprives a person of his/her right to a trial in court.

4. Passing a Law. Bills in Congress become laws in three ways:
   • By a majority vote of both houses of Congress and the signature of the President.
   • By a two-thirds majority vote of both houses of Congress over the President's veto.
   • By the President keeping the bill ten days.

5. The Senate is composed of 100 members, two from each state (Note: You will be expected to know the names of the two U.S. senators who represent your state.)

6. To be eligible for the U.S. Senate, a person must be:
   • At least 30 years of age.
   • A citizen of the United States for at least 9 years.
   • A resident of the state from which he or she is chosen.

7. The Constitution designates the vice president of the United States as president of the Senate. He or she is permitted to vote only when senators' vote are equally divided.

8. Senators are elected by popular vote for six years with one-third of the terms expiring every two years. They receive an annual salary of $133,600.

9. Members of the Senate are divided into Classes I, II, and III with one class facing re-election every two years. Currently, those under Class I will have their re-election in 2000; Class II in 2002 (just elected); and Class III in 1998.

10. There is no limit to the number of times a member of the Senate may be re-elected and the same is true with members of the House of Representatives.

11. The House of Representatives is composed of 435 members. The number representing each state is determined by a count of the population every 10 years; every state is entitled to at least one representative (Note: You will be expected to know the names of the representatives who represent the different districts in your state.).

12. The Constitution provides that the House shall elect a speaker and preside over it. The Speaker is the leader of the party having the greater membership in the House.

13. Members of the House of Representatives are elected by popular vote for two-year terms, all terms running for the same period. They receive an annual salary of $133,600.

14. To be eligible for membership in the House of Representatives, a person must be:
    • At least 25 years of age.
    • A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years.
    • A resident of the state from which he or she is chosen.