Legislative branch
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · Civics
Definition
The branch that writes laws: Congress.
Legislative branch in plain English
The legislative branch is the part of the U.S. government that actually writes and passes the country's laws, and in America that branch is Congress. Congress is split into two groups — the House of Representatives and the Senate — and both generally have to agree before an idea becomes a law. It's one of the three branches, and it holds the "power of the pen" while the executive branch enforces laws and the courts interpret them. Picture Congress as the writers' room where the nation's rules get proposed, argued over, and finally approved before anyone else acts on them.
Learn these first
Practice Legislative branch
Related U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) terms
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) practice questions · U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) flashcards · U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) study guide