cacoe Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 What are the different roles that the US Senate and the House of Representatives have? Could you tell me in stupid people talk please? Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.bin Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm not from the U.S but I use the internet... ----snipped from wiki.answers.com---- The Senate has 100 members, two per state. The House has 435, based roughly on states' population as of the most recent census. Senators serve a six-year term; representatives serve a two-year term, making them more responsive to (and responsible for) voter confidence. According to the U.S. Constitution, senators must be at least 30 years old; representatives can serve starting at age 25. Only the House can propose revenue and taxation bills; only they can determine whether a government official can be tried for crimes against the United States. Only the Senate can confirm treaties, and confirm or reject presidential appointees. Only they can conduct a trial against government officials for crimes against the U.S. (and only after the House authorizes them to do so). The president of the House is known as the Speaker, and is elected by a majority vote of the representatives of the political party in power (known as the majority party) at the time. The Speaker of the House is second in line in matters of presidential succession. The president of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States, who is by definition first in line in matters of presidential succession. However, the Vice President only votes to break a tie. In day-to-day matters, the head of the Senate is known as the President pro tempore of the Senate; and while it is technically an elected position, it is usually reserved for the most senior (longest-serving) senator of the majority party. The President pro tempore is third in line in matters of presidential succession. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_is_the_US_Senate_different_from_the_House_of_Representatives#ixzz2BWwk0arJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacoe Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 I was kind of hoping for a single sentance sort of explination, I guess it's too complex to dumb it down that far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curme Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I was kind of hoping for a single sentance sort of explination, I guess it's too complex to dumb it down that far? It's for checks and balances. In order to pass a law, it has to be approved by both. So it allows debate and compromise so laws don't just get pushed through. If the US just had one body that made laws then a majority would just do what the heck they wanted. With a House and a Senate, it gives the other party a say in the passing of the law. cacoe 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacoe Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 It's for checks and balances. In order to pass a law, it has to be approved by both. So it allows debate and compromise so laws don't just get pushed through. Perfect! You don't hear about The House of Representatives in the UK unless there's a US election so I just wanted a basic understanding as to what it's for and how it differs from the Senete. BTW, is Congress the name for the two as a whole? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curme Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Perfect! You don't hear about The House of Representatives in the UK unless there's a US election so I just wanted a basic understanding as to what it's for and how it differs from the Senete. BTW, is Congress the name for the two as a whole? Yes, Congress is just a word for both of them together. For example, "If the President can get the bill through Congress" means that if he can get the bill passed by both the House and the Senate. cacoe 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacoe Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yes, Congress is just a word for both of them together. For example, "If the President can get the bill through Congress" means that if he can get the bill passed by both the House and the Senate. Thanks, they throw around a whole bunch of terms on the news here, as though everyone knows everything about US political without any sort of explination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pack34 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 What are the different roles that the US Senate and the House of Representatives have? Could you tell me in stupid people talk please? Thanks :) Congress as a whole is the legislative branch of the government that creates laws and regulations. Congress is made up of two houses, the lower house is the House of Representatives and the upper is the Senate. The difference between the two is that in the House the number of congressmen per state is based on population and the number in the senate is fixed number per state. Our government was initially set up this way in order to prevent oppression of the majority. Without the Senate the lesser populous states wouldn't have a voice due to the extremely large difference of population in many of our states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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