The United States of America is a presidential republic. The main feature of their political system is the separation of powers into three types: executive, legislative and judicial. It is this structure that allows for balance in the country.
History of occurrence
Initially, all power in the country was in the hands of the US Constitutional Congress (1774). There was no separate head of the country at that time, and the US Parliament (Congress) elected from among its members a president whose role, however, was small - he was only the chairman during the vote. Only in 1787, the United States acquired the status of a presidential republic, and the president became the main leader of the country. The head of the United States represented the federal executive in the country. The power of the country's leader was supported and strengthened by the Constitution adopted two years later.
To balance the power system in the United States, it is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. Each structure has the ability to influence the activities of another power, which allows to achieve maximum balance. The first US Congress in its modern form was convened in 1789. A year later, he moved to the Washington State Capitol building.
US Congress (Parliament)
The US Congress, or Parliament, represents the legislature in the country. Its structure includes two links:
- House of Representatives.
- Senate
Elections to both structures are held secretly. Members of structures cannot be dissolved before the expiration of their term of office.
House of Representatives
She is elected for a term of two years, and the number of its members is 435 people. The number of members depends on the number of counties in America, with seats distributed in proportion to the population. A change in the number of state representatives occurs every ten years and only according to the census. There are certain requirements for a member of the House: he must be at least 25 years old, have American citizenship for at least seven years and live in the state of which he wishes to become a representative.
The senate
The Senate is formed for a period of six years, but part of its composition is updated every two years. Representatives are elected by two people from the state, and the number of its population does not play a role. The requirements for senators are more stringent than for representatives of the House. A senator can be a US citizen (having citizenship of at least nine years) who has reached thirty years of age and has been living in the state whose interests he is going to represent.
Member Status
The US National Congress grants its members special status and rights. They have immunity, which is valid only during meetings, on the way to them, and also back. There are exceptions to this privilege: treason, felony, and violation of public order. Members of the US Congress are also not responsible for their statements and votes. But there are exceptions, disciplinary measures can be applied to them, such as reprimand, censure, deprivation of seniority, exclusion from the composition.
The US Parliament gives its members a mandate that does not oblige them to voters, because they represent the interests of the nation. However, in reality, the re-election of members is held by the vote of ordinary citizens, therefore, one has to reckon with their opinion.
The legislature gives its members other privileges. All parliamentarians receive wages, use a large number of medical services, as well as some other services, for free. They are provided with office space for living and pension benefits are assigned. Calculation of the pension of a member of parliament is based on the length of service.
The structure of the chambers. Senate and Congress
Each House of Congress has its own internal structure. The House of Representatives is headed by a speaker, whose election takes place at the first session. The US Parliament gives him an extensive range of powers. The speaker is the third person in the entire state (1st - President, 2nd - President of the Supreme Court). So, he appoints disciplinary measures, determines the main issues of the meeting, gives the right to vote for deputies. The speaker’s vote is decisive in case of equal votes.
The main person of the Senate is the vice president. During his absence, his temporary deputy is elected (in fact, the deputy is the main character). It is the link between the executive and the legislature. The vice president leads some meetings, directs bills to specific committees, signs and approves bills. He also has a casting vote in case of a contentious issue, otherwise the vice president does not vote.
A session is held annually, which begins at the beginning of the year and lasts more than six months, with breaks. As a rule, the meeting of the chambers takes place separately, but there are exceptions. These meetings are most often held openly, which does not preclude holding a secret meeting if necessary. A meeting shall be considered held when a majority vote is reached.
Further links in the structure of the chambers are their committees. There are two types of them:
- Permanent.
- Temporary.
There are 22 standing committees in the House of Representatives and 17 in the Senate. The number of committees is determined by the supreme law of the country (Constitution). Each of the committees deals with a separate issue (medicine, economics, national defense, finance, etc.). The chairpersons of the standing committees are representatives of the majority party with the greatest experience and experience in Congress.
Special committees are created only when necessary. These may be cases of investigating certain issues of government bodies or solving problems. They sit at anytime, anywhere. Witnesses may be invited to meetings and required documents may be required. After resolving all issues, special committees are subject to dissolution.
Party fractions
The US Congress includes two main parties:
- Democratic.
- Republican Party.
Both of these parties form their factions, which are headed by elected leaders. The faction creates committees in various areas, as well as party organizers. They represent the interests of members of the faction and oversee compliance with the rules in the House. The Republican Party and the Democratic Party facilitate the appointment of committees, conduct election campaigns and support the initiatives of members of parliament.
Congressional Powers
The US legislature has a wide range of powers. They can be divided into two groups:
- General.
- Special
General powers are exercised by both houses of parliament. They include: finance (taxes, fees, loans, debts, exchange rates and others), economics (trade, patent and copyright, bankruptcy, science and crafts and others), defense and foreign policy (war, army and others), the maintenance of public order (police, riots and uprisings, and others). General powers also include issues of citizenship, federal courts and some others.
The special powers of Congress are exercised by each of its chambers individually. Chambers have their own functions, and each of them solves its own tasks (for example, the House of Representatives sometimes has the right to elect a president, and the Senate sometimes makes a decision on the guilt and innocence of a citizen).
Legislative process
The legislative process begins by introducing the bill to Congress. In order to expedite its consideration, it is possible to introduce a bill for simultaneous consideration by both chambers. In each of the houses of parliament, the bill goes through three main stages of consideration. Moreover, there is an additional stage - consideration by the committee.
During the first reading, the bill is simply submitted for consideration, then it is submitted to a special committee dealing with this area, or even several committees at once. Here the document is deeply studied, amended and supplemented. If the majority of the committee approves the bill, then it goes for further consideration.
The second reading is the announcement of the text of the bill, the possibility and need for amendments and additions to it.
At the third reading, an improved final version of the bill is announced, after which a vote is announced. If the bill was passed by the first chamber, then it can go to the next instance for consideration. The next chamber undergoes the same review procedure. If there is no consensus between the chambers, a conciliation committee is created to help find a solution that will suit both sides. If even this did not help and a consensus was not formed, the bill should be rejected. With the approval of the bill by both houses, it proceeds to the final stage - the signing by the president. After this procedure, the bill is considered adopted and is subject to publication.
Resolution
The US Parliament has a wide range of powers. His activity is not limited only to the creation and adoption of laws, he is also involved in the adoption of resolutions. These may be simple resolutions, joint and concurring. Simple people determine the activities of the chamber and are accepted only by its members, after which they are subject to approval by the US president. Joint resolutions are subject to review and voting by both houses. Coinciding ones are immediately accepted by the two houses of Congress on issues of their relationship.
