Article 1 of the United States Constitution
1) Section 1 – The Legislature
a) All legislative powers belong to the US Congress
b) Congress will consist of The House of Representatives and the Senate.
2) Section 2 – The House
a) Representatives will be chosen every two years.
b) Representatives must be at least 25, have lived in the US for 7 years, and be a resident of the state they represent.
c) The number of representatives per state will be determined by population.
d) If a vacancy occurs in the House, the state with a vacancy will elect another representative.
e) The House has the power to elect their own officers.
f) The House has the sole power of impeachment.
3) Section 3 – The Senate
a) The Senate will be comprised of 2 Senators from each state, elected by the people.
b) Senators will serve for a period of 6 years, with 1/3 being elected every 2 years.
c) If a vacancy occurs in the Senate, the Executive branch of the state will appoint a new Senator until the people of the state can elect a new one, as directed by the Legislative branch of the state.
d) Senators must be at least 30, have lived in the US for 9 years, and be a resident of the state they represent.
e) The Vice President of the US will be the president of the Senate, but will have no vote other than a tie-breaker.
f) The Senate can vote in their officers, including a President Pro Tempore, or temporary president of the Senate.
g) The Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments. Impeachments may be carried out with a 2/3 vote. Impeachment will not extend further than removal from office and prohibition from holding any other government office.
4) Section 4 – Elections and Meetings
a) The time, place, and way of electing Representatives and Senators will be chosen by the state legislatures, but the Congress can override those decisions.
b) The Congress must meet at least once a year, and that day shall be on the 3rd of January, unless they by law appoint another day.
5) Section 5 – Membership, Rules, Journal, and Adjournment
a) Each House will be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members.*I don’t quite understand this part, so I paraphrased.*
b) A majority of the members of a house is sufficient to hold a meeting, but a smaller amount can meet day by day and can be authorized to make absent members attend a meeting.
c) Each House can determine rules for its meetings, punish unruly members, and expel members with a 2/3 vote.
d) Each House will keep a journal of their proceedings that will be published from time to time, excepting any or all secretive information. The votes of a House will be recorded with a 1/5 vote.
e) No House, during a session of Congress, may meet for more than 3 days or in a location different than the norm without the consent of the other house.
6) Section 6 – Compensation
a) The pay for Senators and Representatives may not be changed by any law until an election of Representatives intervenes. *I don’t quite understand this part, so I paraphrased.*
b) Other than treason, felony, or breach of the peace, Senators and Representatives may not be arrested or questioned in another place for anything said during a meeting.
c) No Senator or Representative can hold any other government position while in office.
7) Section 7 – Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, and Presidential Veto
a) The House of Representatives will be the origin of all bills for raising revenue, but the Senate may propose or agree with amendments, as with other bills.
b) If a bill or law is passed by both houses, it will be passed on to the President who will sign the law into effect or veto it. If he vetoes the law, it goes back to the house where it came from to be revised. If the law is again passed by both houses with a 2/3 vote, the law goes into effect. If the President makes no decision for 10 days (excluding Sundays) the law goes into effect the same as if he had signed it into effect.
c) All resolutions, votes, and orders will be treated as the previous.
8) Section 8 – Powers of Congress
a) The Congress will have power to set and collect taxes, duties, and tariffs, to pay debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. All of these things will be the same throughout the United States.
b) Congress can borrow money on the credit of the United States, regulate commerce with foreign nations, establish laws on bankruptcy, provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the currency of the United States, establish Post Offices, give out copyrights and patents, make tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court, define and punish piracies and felonies committed at sea, and offenses against the Law of Nations, declare war and capture land and sea, raise and support armies, provide and maintain a Navy, make rules for the governing and regulation of the land and naval forces, have exclusive legislature over any and all lands owned by the government (including a district for the seat of the government not to exceed ten miles square), make laws that will be necessary for carrying out all of these powers.
9) Section 9 – Limits on Congress
a) Congress may not restrict immigration until the year 1808, but it may put a tax not exceeding $10 per head on each person..
b) Habeas Corpus cannot be revoked, unless in the case of rebellion or an invasion of public safety.
c) No person can lose their civil rights for conviction of a crime, and no crime may be punished if not formerly outlined by a law.
d) No tax or tariff will be laid on the exports of a state.
e) No state will be favored over another, and duties will not be paid from state to state.
f) No money will be drawn from the National Treasury, unless because of a law, and all expenditures will be published from time to time.
g) No Title of Nobility will be granted by Congress, and no government official can accept a title, office, present, emolument, or anything else from a foreign dignitary except with permission from congress.
10) Section 10 – Limits on States
a) No state may enter into treaties, coin money, grants Titles of Nobility, or emit bills of credit.
b) No state may, without Congress’ permission, put any duties or tariffs on imports or exports.
c) No state may only deploy troops, enter into war, or enter into an agreement with another state if given permission by Congress, invaded outright, or in such imminent danger that Congress would not be able to give permission in time.