Read the text and find answers to the following questions.

1. What are the two chambers in US Congress?

2. What are the main functions of Congress?

Article 1 of the Constitution grants all legislative powers of the federal government to a Congress which is made up of two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The upper chamber, the Senate, is composed of two members for each state as provided by the Constitution. Membership in the House is based on population and its size and is therefore not specified in the Constitution.

For more than 100 years after the adoption of the Constitution, senators were not elected by direct vote of the people but were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were looked on as representatives of their home states. Their duty was to ensure that their states were treated equally in all legislation. While there was intense debate in the Convention over the makeup and powers of Congress, many delegates believed that the legislative branch would be relatively unimportant. A few believed that the Congress would concern itself largely with external affairs, leaving domestic matters to state and local governments. In fact, the Congress has proved to be exceedingly active, with broad powers and authority in all matters of national concern. While its strength was waxed at different periods of American history, the Congress has never been impotent or a rubber stamp for presidential decisions.

The upper chamber of Congress is the Senate which comprises 100 Senators,. The Constitution requires that US senators must be at least 30 years old of age, citizens of the United States for at least 9 years, and residents of the states from which they are elected. Each state is entitled to two senators. Thus, Rhode Island, the smallest one, has the same senatorial representation as Alaska, the biggest state.

Senators are chosen in statewide elections held in even-numbered years. The senatorial term is 6 years, and every 2 years one-third of the chamber stands for election. Hence, two-thirds of the senators are always persons with some legislative experience at the national level.

The lower chamber is represented by the House of Representatives. Its members must be at least 25, citizens of the USA for seven years, and residents of the states which send them to Congress. The sates may also set additional requirements for election to Congress, but the Constitution gives each house the power to determine the qualifications of its members.

The total number of the House of Representatives has been determined by Congress (there are 435 members at present). That number is further divided among the states according to number of their population. Regardless of its population every state is guaranteed at least one member in the chamber. At present six states (Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming) have only one representative. On the other hand, six states have more than 20 representatives – California, for example, has 45.

State legislatures divide the states into congressional districts, which must be substantially equal in population. Every 2 years, the voters of each district choose a representative for Congress. Almost all elections in the USA follow “the winner –take-it-all” principle, i.e. the candidate who wins the largest number of votes in a Congressional district is the winner.

The Constitution provides that the Vice-President shall be the head of the Senate. He or She has no vote except in the case of a tie. The Senate chooses a president pro tempore to preside when the vice-president is absent. The House of Representatives chooses its own presiding officer – the Speaker of the House. The Speaker and the President pro tempore are always members of the political party with the largest representation in each house.

Being the main legislative body of the country, Congress makes all laws, and each house has the right to introduce legislation on any subject except revenue bills, which must originate in the House of Representatives. Each can also vote against legislation passed by the other. Since legislation becomes law if both houses agree, compromise between them is essential.

The broad powers of the whole Congress are spelled out in the eighth section of the first Article of the Constitution. They are:

- to levy and collect taxes;

- to borrow money for the public treasury;

- to make rules and regulations governing commerce among the states and with foreign countries;

- to make uniform rules for the naturalization of foreign citizens;

- to coin money;

- to establish post offices and post roads;

- to set up a system of federal courts;

- to declare war;

- to raise and support armies.

However, both the upper and lower chambers of Congress have some special powers and responsibilities which are within the jurisdiction of each chamber.

The Senate has the right

- to approve presidential nominations to the federal courts (including the Supreme Court, by majority vote);

- to approve presidential appointments to federal positions (by a majority vote);

- to approve treaties (by 2/3 vote);

- to serve as jury in impeachment trials;

- to select a Vice-President if the electoral college fails to.

The House of Representatives has the right

- to originate all spending bills

- to serve as prosecution in impeachment trial

- to select a President if the Electoral College fails to.

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