Basics about the Legislative Branch
The legislative branch has the most members. It is composed of two separate sections, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The main job of the legislative branch is to create, and pass laws.
The House
The House of Representatives consists of 435 members. Each state gets at least one representative. The number of Representatives is determined by the population of the state. States like California get a large representation, while low population states, like Wyoming get fewer representatives. The Representatives are elected to 2 year terms. There are several leaders in the House, such as: The Speaker of the House (Currently John Boehner), The Majority Leader (currently Eric Cantor), Majority Whip (Currently Kevin McCarthy), Minority Leader (Currently Nancy Pelosi), and Minority Whip (currently Steny Hoyer). To be a Representative, one must be 25 years old, a resident of the state they represent, and be a US citizen for 7 years.
The Senate
The Senate consists of only 100 members. Each state gets 2 senators. Senators are elected to 6 year terms. There are several leaders in the Senate. They include, The Vice President (acting as President of the Senate), the Majority Leader (Currently Harry Reid), The Minority Leader (Currently Mitch McConnell), Majority Whip (currently Richard Durbin), Minority Whip (Currently John Cornyn
Salary and Benefits
The annual salary of a Representative is $174,000 with the Speaker of the House earning $223,500, and the Majority and Minority Leaders earning $193,400. The annual salary of a Senator is $174,000 with the party leaders earning $193,400. Benefits to being a Congressperson include franking priveliges, a government pension, and free health insurance.
Congressional Committees
Congressional committees are groups of Representatives or Senators that meet with each other to discuss specific aspects of policy and possible related legislation. There are many Congressional committees, including Agriculture, Intelligence, Rules, Finance, Judiciary, and Taxes. The House and Senate also have Joint Committees, which allows them to communicate with each other.