The Legislative Branch

The legislative branch of the United States government, commonly referred to as Congress, consists of representatives from every state. A session of Congress begins each January. There is usually a recess in August, after which the session resumes until Thanksgiving. The United States Constitution divides the representatives to Congress into two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The U.S. Constitution grants all legislative powers and the following other main powers to Congress:

to lay and collect taxes
to pay the debts of the federal government
to borrow money on the credit of the United States
to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states
to establish a uniform rule of naturalization and uniform laws on bankruptcies
to coin money, regulate its value, and fix the standard of weights and measures
to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting
to establish post offices and post roads
to secure copyright and patent right protections to authors and inventors
to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court
to declare war, raise and support an army, provide and maintain a navy, and make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces
to provide for a militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions
to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over the nation’s Capitol

Legislative Resources
Your elected officials
Key Votes
Search Legislation
U.S. Senate Web site
U.S. House of Representatives Web site

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The Legislative Branch