A Member of Congress

To get psyched for the debate, you meet with a fellow representative from Pennsylvania. Believe it or not, there are 18 of you! That’s because states with large populations, like yours, get more reps in the 435-member House. Each state gets two senators, for a total of 100. Overall, this ensures both large and small states are fairly represented.

It’s finally time for the House to hear and debate your bill. A majority of representatives agree with your proposal, and before you know it, it’s time to vote.

Your bill’s next step is a Senate vote. But that could be months away. You text a friend in the Senate to say it’s headed her way. If a majority of senators approve the bill, it’ll go to the president to approve or veto (reject). Only if a bill is passed by Congress and approved by the president does it become law. This system was set up in the Constitution to balance power among the three branches of government—the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch.

You’ve got to eat, but you also have work to do too—so you wolf down a sandwich at the James Madison Memorial Building. It’s home to the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. You head there next to do some research on NASA, the U.S. space agency, for your next meeting.

The House has 20 different committees that consider bills and oversee programs and agencies, such as the FBI and NASA. You’re on the Appropriations Committee, which helps determine what the government should spend money on. Today, you discuss how much to put toward sending astronauts to the moon. 

You and your campaign manager brainstorm a new campaign hashtag for your reelection. House members are elected to two-year terms, so your next election is always right around the corner. (Senators serve six-year terms.) Holding frequent elections is a way to encourage members of Congress to listen to the people they represent.

You invited the students who inspired your climate change bill to travel to D.C. for the vote—and now is your chance to meet them. You’re thrilled to tell them the bill passed in the House! This is why you always wanted to work in Congress: to serve as the voice of Americans, teens included.