10.4

Question 1

WHat is the average member of congress like? (age, race wise)

Answer 1

He is a white male in his late 50s.

Question 2

What is the median age of the members of the House? Senate?

Answer 2

It is just over 58 for the house and 64 for the Senate

Question 3

How many women are there are in the House?

Answer 3

there are 78 Women in the house and 17 in the SEnate

Question 4

What are other ethnic groups that are present in Congress?

Answer 4

42 African Americs, 25 Hispanics, Seven Asian Americans, One Native American

Question 5

What is the marital/religious status of all the members of Congress?

Answer 5

Nearly all are married (some are divorced), some form of Christianity, 10 are Jewish, 2 are Buddhist, and 2 MUslim

Question 6

What are five roles that members of both houses of Congress play?

Answer 6

1. Legislators
2. Representatives of their constituents
3. Committee Members
4. Servents of their own Constituents
5. Politicians

Question 7

How can each law maker vote?

Answer 7

1. Delegate
2. Trustee
3. Partisan
4. Politico

Question 8

The four voting options for the lawmakers…what question do they answer

Answer 8

How are the lawmakers representing the people?

Question 9

Delegates are…

Answer 9

they seem themselves as the angents of the people who elected them. They believe that they should discover what their constituents think about an issue and vote that way.

Often willing to suppress their own views and ignore their own party’s leadership

Question 10

Trustees believe

Answer 10

that each question they face must be decided on its merits. Conscience and judgement are their guides. They call issues as they see them,regardless of views held by the majority of the constituents

Question 11

Partisans

Answer 11

Believe that they owe a first alleigance to their political party. They feel duty bound to caste their votes in line with party platform

Question 12

Politicos

Answer 12

attempt to combine the basic elements of the delegate, trustee, and partisan roles. THey try to balance these factors: their own views/nation’s/constituents

Question 13

What are bills?

Answer 13

They are propsed laws

Question 14

As committee members, what must senators and representatives do?

Answer 14

They have to screen the proposals. They decide in committee which measures will go on floor consideration

Question 15

What is the oversight functions>

Answer 15

The process by which COngress, through it’s committees checks to see that executive branch agencies are carrying out the policies that Congress set by law

Question 16

How are members of the house and the senate servents of their constituents?

Answer 16

They try to help people in various dealings with the federal bureaucracy. These can include a social security benefits, a passport application, a small business loan, etc.

Question 17

What do most members know about requests?

Answer 17

They could loose votes

Question 18

How much are senators and represetatives paied?

Answer 18

174000

Question 19

HOw much is the Speaker of the House paid?

Answer 19

223500

Question 20

How much is the Vice President paid?

Answer 20

227300

Question 21

Speakers on the floor recieve how much

Answer 21

193400

Question 22

What ar fringe benefits?

Answer 22

Each member has a special tax deduction. That deduction recognizes the fact that most members of Congress must maintain two residences

Question 23

What are other benefits that Congressmen have?

Answer 23

They pay small amounts of life and health insurance, and for outpatient care by medical staff. they can get full medical care at very low rates at any military hospital. THey also have a very generous retirment plan.

Question 24

The retirement lan from Congress is based on what?

Answer 24

It is based on how many years of service a person has put in. They can retire with an income of 15000 or more a year

Question 25

What about offices? Do congressmen have them?

Answer 25

They are provided with offices in one of the several state and house office buildings near the capitol and allowances for offices in their homestate or districts

Question 26

Franking Privilege

Answer 26

A well known benefit that allows them to mail letters and other materials postage free by substituting their facsimile signature

Question 27

What about printing?

Answer 27

Congress has allowed its members to have free printing. Radio and television tapes can be produced

Question 28

what are the two real limits on congressional pay?

Answer 28

1. Presiden’ts veto power
2. Voter backlash, angry reaction by constituents at the ballot box

Question 29

What are other membership privleges of congress?

Answer 29

1. They are exempt from arrest.
2. Shall not be questioned in any place.