American Government

©2020 Page 14 of 32 Article I section four covers the role of states and how they run and control the elections and all the details surrounding elections. Also, this sections of article I describes how Congress establishes its own schedule but over time it has been modi�ied b y the twentieth amendment. Congress also deter mines the legitimacy of their members when they are elected. They also have the power to establish their own rules within each house, punish members when they are out of line, and expel members with a two-thirds vote in whatever house in which they serve. They can also call a quorum , which is a vote when the majority of members are present. So all mem- bers of Congress don’t have to be there to have a vote cast. Lastly, all sessions of Congress are rec orded for the public unless they deem it necessary to be classi�ied, however; if one - �ifth of the mem- bers want it recorded, it will be. Article I section seven details how a bill becomes a law and how all revenue bills must start in the House of Representatives. The process of a bill to become a law can seem arduous, but to ensure that the representatives get things correct, the process jumps back and forth between both houses of Con gress until they agree upon a �inal draft to be sent to the President of the United States. The president then has three courses of actions. The �irst is to sign the bill into law, the second is to veto the bill or deny it and send it back to Congress, or the third and least frequently used option is known as the pocket veto which involves the president waiting ten days at the end of a legislative term and letting it veto naturally. However, if a bill is vetoed, Congress can override the president’s veto with a two- thirds vote in both houses of Congress. This is a good example of the checks and balances that exist in the Constitution. Article I section eight expresses the powers that have been bestowed upon the legislative branch. Arguably, the most important power that ultimately keeps the executive branch in check is the power to control the budget/money for the government. So no matter what the presidential action or initi- ative may be, it must have congressional approval to receive money. Congress also has the power to raise a military, regulate commerce, and anything that relates to economic matters in the United States. Article I section nine details limitations on the legislative branch as far as laws they cannot create. First, Congress cannot pass laws that violate the Writ of Habeas Corpus or laws that deny a pris- oner’s right to have their day in court. So, Congress cannot prevent someone from understanding and being heard as to why they are imprisoned. Secondly, they cannot pass Bills of Attainder or laws that target a speci�ic group making who they are or what they do guilty of a crime. Laws can’t be created to target speci�ic groups of people, they should be designed for the safety of an entire society. Lastly, Ex Post Facto laws or law s targeting speci�ic actions after the fact making someone guilty. Achieve Test Prep