congress and impeachment

Congress and Impeachment

April 22 , 2007

Introduction

The United States ' founding fathers` created several institutions to serve as the embodiment of national sentiments as well as its protection and to check the abuses made by federal public officials

The Federal Constitution 's framer established a House of Representatives which will serve as the people 's House ' where public opinion is duly and equally represented . Among the powers vested by the House of Representatives is the sole power to initiate impeachment cases subject to the Senate 's role as an impeachment

court . Alexander Hamilton 's Federalist No . 65 called impeachment as a method of national inquest into the conduct of public officers

This will answer the questions on : the House of Representatives Qualifications and Privileges foreign relation committee chairperson 's power and influence on any proposed measures and the impeachment as an institution in American political dynamics

The United States House of Representatives

Simply named the House ' the United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress . With 435 members elected from each state 's district based on the proportional representation , as determined by a census , a House member will serve for a term of three years and can be re-elected for the next succeeding elections until a member opt to retire or drop his re-election bid . The House ' meets in the Capitol in Washington D .C , during its sessions

The current regular House member is receiving 165 ,200 per annum . On the other , the House Speaker as well as the Majority and Minority Leaders earn more than any other regular member earns . For January 4 2005 to January 3 , 2007 or the 109th Congress , the Speaker earned 212 ,100 annually and 183 ,500 for both the Majority and Minority Leaders . By virtue of a public law , the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA for House members effect annually unless the leadership and the House as a whole opt to disregard this increase . This provision is in line with the provisions under the Twenty-Seventh Amendment which prohibits the effectivity of a wage increase for two years after its passage into a law

The U .S . Federal Constitution Article I , Section 2 provides for the qualifications of House ' members to wit : at least twenty-five years old a citizen of the United States for the past seven years and a resident of the State they represent

The Chairperson of the Foreign Relations Committee

The United States Congress has a unique way of choosing its respective house leaders and committee chairpersons . For the US Congress , committee chair 's selection is based on the seniority rule in the committee . Thus in the event of vacancy or changes in party dominance in the House , the senior majority member or the ranking minority member automatically sit as the Chairperson of the committee-in this case the foreign relations committee . In some cases the house leadership opt to set aside the seniority rule in the committee system

Committee chairperson 's power...