There are three branches of government at the national level. These branches are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Each branch has a specific job to do. The branch that is responsible for discussing potential laws and then voting on them is the legislative branch.

There are several names that might apply to a member of the legislative branch. Sometimes, these people are called legislators because they are involved in the process of making the laws. At the national level, there are two parts to Congress, which is our lawmaking body. One part of Congress is the House of Representatives. The members of the House of Representatives are called representatives. A state’s population determines the number of representatives that each state will have. Large states have more representatives than small states. The other part of Congress is the Senate. The members of the Senate are called senators. Each state has two senators.