Legislative Bodies: Differences Between The House And The Senate

Congress has two leading legislative bodies: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Differences between the House and Senate are varied. This is due to the Founding Fathers intent to create a system of government that was both responsive to the needs of the people and yet careful in its policy development. There was also the need for checks and balances of power and policymaking within the government to avoid one body having more influence than the other.
Similarities include both Representatives and Senators being elected officials who are chosen by the people and without the intervention of the Electoral College. Both the House and Senate must agree when passing bills and other legislation. However, they have somewhat different histories and intents.
Representatives of the House are elected every two years and Senators are elected for six-year terms. House members must be twenty-five years of age and citizens for seven years. Senators must be slightly older--at least thirty years old --and have been United States citizens for at least nine years. Senators represent the State they are elected from as a whole however members of the House represent individual districts within those States, thus Senators are believed to have stronger centralized leadership and represent the long …show more content…
The House has the Speaker in charge of the calendar and this influences the House Rules Committee in deciding the legislation in question. In the Senate, the majority and minority leaders develop a schedule with input from the members. Every two years the entire membership of the House of Representatives changes. The new Representatives then develop and vote on rules that apply for the next two years. Only a third of the Senate is elected every two years and thus focuses more on tradition and