comparison

Question 1

role and powers of the HOC vs HOR similarities

Answer 1

-Legislation: Vote on/amend bills
-Initiate money bills; vote on executive’s budget

-Representation: Main house representing ‘the people’
-elected using single member
constituencies

-Oversight: Initiate removal from office of executive
-Investigate executive in committees

Question 2

role and powers of the HOC vs HOR differences

Answer 2

-Legislation: HoC dominates legislative process, HoR co-equal with Senate
-HoR can be vetoed by President, (and can override presidential veto), no vetoes in UK
- HoC controlled by executive (majority, whips, timetable), HoR separate, especially with divided gov

-Representation: HoC elected every 5 years, HoR every 2 years
-HoC has more party discipline, so representing constituencies less than HoR.

-Oversight: HoR can only remove executive in case of crime, HoC for any reason
-HoR has power to declare war, in UK that’s
executive power

Question 3

role and powers of the HOL vs Senate similarities

Answer 3

-Legislation: Vote on/amend bills

-Representation: More long-term focus on the
national interest than the other house

-Oversight: Relatively independent from the
executive

Question 4

role and powers of the HOL vs Senate

Answer 4

-Legislation: Senate is co-equal to HoR in legislative process, HoL subordinate to HoC
- Senate can filibuster bills, HoL cannot (and HoC only private members bills)
- Senate can vote against money bills, HoL not

-Representation: -HoL not elected (electoral mandate), Senate is
-Oversight: Senate can block executive’s appointments and treaties, HoL can’t
- Senate can remove executive from office
(in case of crime), HoL can’t
- Senate can block president’s legislative agenda, HoL cannot
- Senate can block executive’s budget, HoL cannot

Question 5

balance of power between both houses similarities

Answer 5

Both have two houses
In both countries a bill has to go through the legislative process in both houses
In both countries both houses can amend bills
In both countries both houses have committees to
hold the executive to account
In both countries one house more focused on
long-term national interest (Senate and HoL), and one on short-term local interest (HoR and HoC)

Question 6

balamce of power between both houses differences

Answer 6

One dominant house (UK) vs. houses in balance (US)

In UK only HoC can remove the executive from office vs. both having that power in the US

In the UK neither house can block executive’s appointments, in the only the Senate can

Question 7

analyse the different legislative powers of the uk parl and US congress

Answer 7

Within Congress both houses have co-equal legislative powers, in Parliament the HoC dominates

Congress introduces and passes bills separate from the executive, in Parliament the process is largely controlled by the executive

Within Congress both houses have power to pass money bills, in Parliament only the HoC

The Senate can filibuster any bill, in Parliament only private members bills can be filibustered

Parliament has power to pass bills reforming the constitution on its own, Congress can amend the constitution only jointly with the
states

Congress can override a presidential veto, Parliament cannot change a withheld Royal Assent