FREE ESSAY ON BOB MARLEY

BOB MARLEY

Bicameral legislature- A congress made up of two houses. In the U.S. it is the senate and
the House of Representatives. Constitutional convention agreed to a bicameral
legislation. Congressional Sessions- Each term of congress starts on January 3 of odd
numbered years and lasts for two years. Sessions- a meeting that takes place twice in
congress and usually lasts for most of the year. Congress remains in session until its
members vote to adjourn. After adjournment the president may call congress back into
meeting as a special session. Membership of the House- a total of 435 members make up the
house of representatives. Seats are allotted to each state and the number of seats that
state is allowed to have is based on its population. Every state is entitled to at least
one seat no matter how small the population is. To qualify to be a member of the house
you must be at least 25 years of age, a resident of the US for 7 years and a legal
resident of the state you represent.(Usually live in the district they represent.) Terms
of the house are for two years. Representation and reapportionment- the census bureau
takes a national census, or population count, every 10 years to assign representation
according to population. The population of each state determines the new number of
representatives, which is called reapportionment. Congressional Redistricting- The
process of setting up new district lines after reapportionment has been completed.
Gerrymandering- means that the political party controlling the state government draws a
districts boundaries to gain an advantage in elections. The term gerrymandering can be
traced to Elbridge Gerry, a governor of Massachusetts. Membership of the Senate- The
senate is composed of two senators from each state, thus each state is represented
equally. Today's senators includes 100 members-2 from each of the 50 states. To qualify
as a senator you must at least 30 years old, a citizen of the US for 9 years, and a legal
resident of the State they represent. All voters of each state elect senators at-large,
or statewide. Unlike a representative of the house a senator serves his or her term for
six years, inducting a new senator every two years. A congressman's pay must follow the
27 amendment, which says that the salary voted on by congress will not be in effect till
the next session. Exclusion- the right of congress not to seat a member inducted by a
majority vote. Censure- a formal disapproval of a member's actions. Characteristics- most
of the members of congress are lawyers. The others usually in business, banking, and
education. Incumbents- Those already in office that win reelection. Political action
committees- Provide substantial campaign funds, usually supporting incumbents. Incumbents
are successful in reelection because it is easier to raise funds, can represent districts
that have been gerrymandered in their party's favor, incumbents are better known to
voters, and they use their position and office staff to help solve problems for voters.
Constituents- the people in a district represented. Caucus- a closed meeting. Majority
Leaders- The speakers top assistant. Their job is to help plan the party's legislative
program, steer important bills through the house, and make sure the chairpersons of the
many committees finish work on bills important to the party. Whips are assistant floor
leaders. The whips job is to watch how majority-party-members intend to vote on bills, to
persuade them to vote as their party wishes, and to see that party members are present to
vote. Bills- A proposed law. Not actually a law until congress votes and passes it, then
the president must sign it. To introduce a bill members drop their idea into a box called
a Hopper. After the bill is introduced the speaker of the house sends it to the
appropriate committee for study, discussion, and review. Bills are then put onto the
house calendars. Calendars- list bills that are up for consideration. 5 different
calendars. Union calendar (bills for consideration, house calendar(public bills), private
calendar(bills that deal with individual people or places, consent calendar(bills with a
unanimous consent to debate out of regular order) , and discharge calendar(Petitions to
discharge a bill from committee).Rules committee serves as the traffic officer in the
house, helping to direct the flow of major legislation. Quorum- the minimum number of
members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action. House
is led by the Speaker of the house. The senate is composed of 100 members, 2 from every
state. To qualify as a senator you must be at least 35 years of age, a resident of the US
for 9 years, and a legal resident of the state they represent. In the event that the vice
president is unavailable to oversee the senate a pro tempore is elected by the members of
the senate, usually the most senior member. A standing committee is a permanent committee
in congress that oversees bills that deal with certain kinds of issues. A sub-committee
is a group within a standing committee that specialized in a subcategory of it's standing
committees responsibility. A Joint committee is a committee comprised of the house and
senate that usually acts as a study group and report its findings back to the house and
senate. Select committees study one specific issue and report their findings to the house
or senate. Conference committees are temporary committees set up when the house and
senate have passed different versions of the same bill. The seniority system gave the
member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular
committee the leadership of that committee. Congress has two types of staffs, a personal
staff and a committee staff. The Personal Staff members work directly for individual
senators and representatives. Committee staff members work for the many house and senate
committees. Administrative assistant- is a very important legislative aide. The AA runs
the lawmakers office, supervises the lawmaker's schedule, and gives advice on political
matters. 
Legislative assistant- are a second type of personal staff member. An LA makes certain
that the lawmaker is well informed about the many bills with which she or he must deal.
An LA does research, drafts bills, studies bills currently in congress, and writes
speeches and articles for the lawmaker. Some personal staff members are called
caseworkers because they handle the many requests for help from people in a lawmaker's
state or congressional district. Support Agencies- Library of congress, congressional
budget office, general accounting office, and government printing office. The legislative
powers of congress is stated in article I, section 8. Expressed powers are also known as
Enumerated powers. Implied powers allow congress to expand its role to meet the needs of
a growing nation, creating the elastic clause. The elastic clause is another name for the
necessary and proper clause, #18, which implies that congress has powers beyond those
expressed in the first 17 clauses. The Writ of Habeas corpus is a court order to release
a person accused of a crime to court to determine whether he or she has been legally
detained. Powers of congress- money powers, commerce powers, military and foreign policy
powers, and other legislative powers. Appropriations bills are proposed laws to authorize
spending money. Interstate commerce- is commerce among the states. Copyright- the
exclusive right to publish and sell a literary, musical, or artistic work for a specified
period of time. A patent is the exclusive right of an inventor to manufacture, use, and
sell his or her invention for a specific period, currently 17 years, and can be renewed.
Impeachment- A formal accusation of misconduct in office against a public official. Only
a charge of wrong doing, not a determination of guilt.