The legislative branch of the U.S. government is super important. It was mainly set up in Article I of the Constitution. Here are the main roles it plays:
Lawmaking: The legislative branch makes the laws. It all starts when someone proposes a bill. This bill can come from either the House of Representatives or the Senate. In recent years, Congress has passed about 200 laws each year, but this number changes a lot depending on what’s happening in politics.
Representation: Congress represents the people of America. The House of Representatives has 435 members. Each member is in charge of about 760,000 people. Senators serve for six years, and each state has two Senators, making a total of 100 Senators.
Oversight and Investigation: The legislative branch checks on the executive branch to make sure laws are being followed. They do this by holding hearings and investigations. Recently, Congress has held over 100 hearings each year on different topics to keep everything in check.
Budgeting and Spending: The legislative branch is responsible for the government’s money. All plans to raise money start in the House, where they talk about and approve budgets. For 2023, the federal budget is around $6 trillion, showing just how big the money responsibility is for Congress.
Advice and Consent: This is a special job for the Senate. They can approve or reject appointments made by the president and treaties (agreements with other countries). For example, since 1789, the Senate has approved about 2,000 judges from many judicial nominations by the presidents.
Changing the Constitution: Congress can suggest changes to the Constitution, but it needs at least two-thirds of the votes from both the House and the Senate to do this. Since the Constitution was accepted, only 27 amendments (changes) have been made. This shows that changing important laws isn’t done lightly.
In short, the legislative branch plays key roles that help protect democracy and make sure the government works well according to the Constitution.
The legislative branch of the U.S. government is super important. It was mainly set up in Article I of the Constitution. Here are the main roles it plays:
Lawmaking: The legislative branch makes the laws. It all starts when someone proposes a bill. This bill can come from either the House of Representatives or the Senate. In recent years, Congress has passed about 200 laws each year, but this number changes a lot depending on what’s happening in politics.
Representation: Congress represents the people of America. The House of Representatives has 435 members. Each member is in charge of about 760,000 people. Senators serve for six years, and each state has two Senators, making a total of 100 Senators.
Oversight and Investigation: The legislative branch checks on the executive branch to make sure laws are being followed. They do this by holding hearings and investigations. Recently, Congress has held over 100 hearings each year on different topics to keep everything in check.
Budgeting and Spending: The legislative branch is responsible for the government’s money. All plans to raise money start in the House, where they talk about and approve budgets. For 2023, the federal budget is around $6 trillion, showing just how big the money responsibility is for Congress.
Advice and Consent: This is a special job for the Senate. They can approve or reject appointments made by the president and treaties (agreements with other countries). For example, since 1789, the Senate has approved about 2,000 judges from many judicial nominations by the presidents.
Changing the Constitution: Congress can suggest changes to the Constitution, but it needs at least two-thirds of the votes from both the House and the Senate to do this. Since the Constitution was accepted, only 27 amendments (changes) have been made. This shows that changing important laws isn’t done lightly.
In short, the legislative branch plays key roles that help protect democracy and make sure the government works well according to the Constitution.