Three Government Branches

Three Branches of Government

The United States government is split apart into three separate powers – known as the separation of powers. The reason for this is so no one group of people has total control. This is the system of checks and balances coming into play. The branches are each responsible for a different part in the government. The executive power lies with the President of the United States (U.S.), and it is the authority to execute, enforce, and administer law. Power to make laws and frame public policies is with the legislative branch. The legislative branch contains the House of Representatives and the Senate. Finally, the judicial branch has the power to interpret laws, determine their meaning, and settle disputes that arise in

Every chamber holds its own committee – indicating there are around 250 committees. They all form their own rules based off the standard guideline. The Senate has a standing committee responsible for different affairs. Typically, these standing committees are lasting legislative panels. The committees are presided over by a member of the majority party. Similar to the Senate having committees specific to them, the House does as well. However, the House and the Senate share four joint-committees that deal more so with the economy then unique affairs. Congressional committees cover passing laws. Members of the standing committee of the Senate and House usually constitute conference committees which try to syncretize one chamber’s model of a bill with another’s. The final purpose of the legislative process is turning bills to laws. There are basically fourteen steps before a bill becomes a law. First, the bill must be introduced for consideration – it has to be introduced by a member of Congress. The bill is then referred to a committee that is unique to the bill’s content. If the bill is approved, it then proceeds forward. If it’s rejected, the bill is considered to have “died in committee”. The subcommittee goes on to edit the bill before they recommend it to the full committee. Once the bill reaches the full committee, they plan and vote for its finishing touches to have it ready to be presented to

Basically, the President is responsible for discussing the state of the economy, social programs, health care, education, and military operations. Usually, new ideas are introduced, and the President addresses Congress to request their help. The Union Address updates the people with the process of the United States. The President is privileged with having his closets advisors work with him. The majority of these advisors are in his Cabinet – they were appointed by the President. Their most important function is to advise the President on any topic he may need that correlate with the jobs of each members’ office. The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting laws. It has the ability to deem a law unconstitutional, which ensures a law is not passed – this checks the legislative branch’s power. The judicial branch also checks on the executive branch through judicial review. Judicial review decides if executive decisions are unconstitutional or not. The United States’ Supreme Court is a part of the judicial branch. One of its requirements is to hear cases and then make a ruling on them. The “term” (when cases start to be presented) begins the first Monday of October and carry on until midsummer. The term is separated into “sitting” or “recessed” periods. During the sitting process, the Justices witness arguments and offer opinions.