The Legislative Branch
The legislative branch is made up of the congress. Its primary responsibility is to create and pass laws. The congress has two houses, the senate and the house of representatives. The senate is the upper house, and the House of Representatives is the lower house. Together, they propose laws and bills and vote to pass them. The congress can keep the other two branches in check by deciding whether laws or changes they make get passed. The Constitution explains the powers of this branch in Article I.
The SenateThe senate is the upper house of the congress. It consists of two senators for each state. There are a total of 100 senators. Each senator represents the interests of the whole state. To become a senator, the person must be thirty years old or older, must be a citizen for 9 years, and must live in the state they are representing. Senators serve 6 year terms and can serve an unlimited number of terms. The senator who has served longer of the two is considered the senior senator. The leader of the senate is the Vice President. He only votes to settle ties.
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The House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is the lower house and has more representatives. The number of representatives form a state depends on the state's population. There are a total of 435 representatives in the house. If one state gains a representative, another state loses one. To be a representative, the person must be 25 years old or older, must be a citizen for 7 years, and must live in the state. Members serve two year terms and can serve an unlimited number of terms. The leader of the house is called the Speaker of the House and is usually the longest serving member of the majority party.
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