U. S. Government/U. S. Branches/Legislative Branch

Congress, our national legislature, creates the laws of the US. It is bicameral, meaning it has two chambers, or pats: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is made up of one hundred senators, two from each state. The House of Representatives consists of 435 members, often called congressmen and congresswomen. Because representation in the House is based on population, larger states have more representatives than smaller states.

Senators must be at least 30 years old, and they must live in the state that elects them. Also, they must have been a citizen of the US for at least 9 years. Senators are elected for 6 year terms.

Representatives to the House must be at least 25 years old and must have been a citizen for a minimum of 7 years. Usually representatives live in the district that elects them. Like senators, they must live in the state they represent. Representatives serve two year terms.

Each chamber of Congress has a presiding officer. In the Senate, the official presiding officer is the Vice President of the US. However, a president pro tempore (temporary president) generally heads the Senate. The Speaker of the House heads the House of Representatives. The Speaker is nominated by the members of the majority party, the party with more members.