Congressman Adam Putnam

Congressman Adam Putnam's
               Kids Page

Welcome to Congressman Adam Putnam's web page for kids!

Congressman Putnam was sworn into Congress as the youngest member of the 107th and 108th Congresses when he was 26. He continues to represent the 12th Congressional District of Florida during the current 109th Congress.

Facts about Congressman Putnam:

4Youngest Member in the 107th and 108th Congress, youngest Member ever from Florida
4Favorite Food - Steak
4Favorite Drink - Orange Juice
4Serves on the Rules and Budget Committees
4Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census for the 108th Congress, and is the youngest Chairman of any subcommittee since World War II
4Born and raised in Bartow, Florida: graduated from Bartow High School, active in 4-H, FFA, and played baseball
4Graduated from the University of Florida
4Resides in Bartow with his wife and three children.

Contact Congressman Putnam!
(Click Here)

Or you can write Congressman Putnam at:
Congressman Adam Putnam
1213 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-0912

Facts about the Congress:
4The United States Congress is divided into the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate
4Congressman Putnam is one of the 435 Members in Congress
4Each Member of the US House is elected to two year terms and Members of the US Senate are elected to six year terms
4The current Speaker of the US House is Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and is addressed as "Mr. Speaker"
4You must be at least 25 years old to be elected to the US House of Representatives
4There are 100 Senators in the US Senate and there are 2 from each state
4The US Senators from Florida are Senator Mel Martinez and Senator Bill Nelson
4You must be at least 30 years old to be elected to the US Senate

Our Nation

North America The United States of America is located on the continent of North America. There are 50 states in the U.S. Forty-eight of the states form the continental United States. The continental U.S. borders on Canada to the north, and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. On the east coast, the U.S. is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west coast it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.

To the northwest of Canada is the state of Alaska. The state of Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of California.

In addition to the 50 states, the U.S. has several territories and possessions, located in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Branches of Government

The Founding Fathers, the framers of the Constitution, wanted to form a government that did not allow one person to have too much authority or control. While under the rule of the British king they learned that this could be a bad system. Yet government under the Articles of Confederation taught them that there was a need for a strong centralized government.

With this in mind the framers wrote the Constitution to provide for a separation of powers, or three separate branches of government. Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed. This is done through checks and balances. A branch may use its powers to check the powers of the other two in order to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government.

The three branches of the U.S. Government are the legislative, executive, and judicial.

How A Bill Becomes A Law!

(Click on Bill to hear his song!)

How Laws Are Made

A bill mandating seat belts on school buses. Let's pretend the voters from Representative Jones' state constituents want a law requiring seatbelts on school buses. He and his staff write a bill, which is a draft (early version) of the proposed law. The bill is then passed out to each Representative. A Standing Committee (a small, permanent group made up of legislators who studies and reports on bills) reviews the bill and does one of three things:

1. Sends the bill back with no changes.
2. Makes changes and sends it back.
3. Tables the bill -- In other words, they can do nothing.

If the committee sends it back with no changes, then the bill goes on the House's calendar to be voted on. When that day comes, the bill is voted on and a majority of the representatives (218 of 435) must vote yes to pass it.

The Senate must vote in favor of the bill in order for it to move on to the House.

If the bill is passed by the House, it then moves to the other branch of Congress, the United States Senate. The bill goes to a Senate committee, which studies the bill, and then is voted on by the senators. Just as in the House, over half of the senators (51 of 100) must vote yes to pass the bill.

After being passed by the Senate, the bill moves through the House of Representatives for approval.

If the bill is passed in both the House and Senate, the bill goes to the President of the United States. If the president signs the bill, it then becomes a law. It may also become law if the president does not sign it for 10 days. If the president rejects vetoes the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate then vote in favor of the bill.

A bill may begin in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. So, Senator Smith could introduce a bill of her own just like Representative Jones. This bill would take the same steps only it would begin in the Senate instead of the House of Representatives.

Click Here to learn about the State of Florida!