The legislative branch consists of the U.S. Congress and the state legislatures. Both houses are called Congress, but only one is in session at any given time. The other is in recess.
The role of the legislative branch is to legislate, or create laws. This can be through proposing bills in both houses, or passing them into law.
There are two main reasons for legislation: raising funds for government agencies and individual citizens requesting something specific. Since many issues arise every year, most people know what matters to them.
Some issues that get significant attention are social security and Medicare/Medicaid benefits, retirement benefits, and health care policy tend to become national issues quickly.
Contents:
Represent your district
Your legislator works hard to earn your trust. You can go into any conversation with them feeling confident they will listen and take action.
This is big for you, because if you have a problem or question, you want your legislator to be able to respond to you! If they do not, they may not feel like they are doing their job correctly.
It is important to your trust that they know what areas of their job they should focus on and what other professionals’ issues They should spend time on those issues because people rely on them for guidance and knowledge.
Having a relationship of trust means being willing to say and do things that could compromise their integrity. It also means that when they get feedback or something doesn’t seem right, they can respond quickly and fully.
Represent the nation
The national legislature does a lot of things. It passes laws, it accepts presidential appointments, and it votes on legislation. There are more laws in this country than there are people to make them.
Lawmakers work in their own chambers and with other lawmakers in their districts and across the country to pass laws that help people. Some of those laws might not be very Popular, but they matter to some people and that’s what they want!
Many law makers receive money from outside sources to help them pass the law more effectively. This helps retain legislators support for the job they do, but also puts them in the position where they have to accept new rules or legislation if they do not get support from their home state government.
The national legislature can change with time, places or individuals.
Hear cases
The legislative branch helps ensure that people with civil rights injuries or wrongful death claims have access to the courts. This includes helping set rules and setting deadlines for cases to be filed.
To do this, the legislative branch sets court deadlines and rules such as who can file a case, how they can prove their claim, and whether or not they will get a judgment or award.
It also sets law-related guidelines, such as filing requirements deadlines, proof requirements, and anonymity requests. It also makes sure that judges have the resources to handle all of these cases.
Finally, it oversees the courts themselves to make sure that cases are being heard on an equal basis and that no one is getting an unfair advantage over another.
These roles play a huge role in establishing credibility in the courts and creating fair rulings for all parties.
Commitee hearings
A hearing is a formal way for a government body to discuss an issue that is important to you. A committee hearing is used for issues that are very important to many people, such as the environment.
At a committee hearing, members of the public can come and speak with other people about the issue. This can be helpful because other people can point out what is best for the community in their words!
A lot of issues have hearings, so it is important to know how to do a good hearing. People should keep their questions short and clear, listen attentively to everyone else’s comments, and make sure your answer was answered properly.
When doing a Congressional Hearing, you should use microphones and take turns saying what you want said.
Vote on bills
The legislature does not vote on bills. Instead, the governor presents them to the legislature and they vote on whether to pass them or not.
The governor can also present bills to the legislature, but they must be passed before he can sign them into law.
If a bill does not pass, it is either modified or voided by the courts. If a bill passes that addresses an important public issue, such as education or healthcare, then it is very likely that it will be passed into law and signed by the president.
That is what happened with North Carolina’s recently passed education bill. It will now be up to President Trump and Congress to work out any kinks in it before it becomes law.
Maintain order
The legislative branch is responsible for maintaining order in the legislature. This includes preventing mob rule, ensuring fair and honest debate, and protecting members from constituents.
Mob rule occurs when one group of people rules over the other groups. In a legislature, this happens when one side of the aisle controls the rules of the legislature and how legislation is voted on.
In a democracy, there are two sides to an issue: those who believe in it and those who prove it works. When enough evidence is not present to support an issue, it can be lost.
Proving an issue works is determining if people support it through voting or attendance at meetings.
Judge presidential elections
Although most Americans don’t do this, they should. Every four years, a group of us in the U.S. Senate elect a president and Congress votes who is president for the next four weeks. It is our job to make that decision for the people!
As part of our job as legislators, we have to decide when an election is too close to call and whether one person should be elected president or if there should be multiple presidents.
This all stems from the fact that we, as citizens, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to elections. We have responsibility to support those who win their presidential nominations, but once they are elected, we have to decide whether they deserve the job or not.
We can’t just say one person is right and the other one is wrong because of our responsibilities as citizens.
Advisor to the president
The legislative branch serves a couple of basic functions. The first is to make laws, the second is to pass them into law.
Both functions are important, and both can be done by one person or team.
Lawyers create laws, and teams of lawyers can pass laws together. Community organizers create laws and organize communities together. Politicians organize groups of people and implement policies that work with the population as a whole.
The second function of the legislative branch is to approve new laws before they go into effect. This role is called law-giving or passing or legislation-getting.
Most countries have specialized committees within the legislature that look into new bills and report them to the full assembly for review. Usually these committees include members from both sides of the issue so that there is meaningful discussion and input.