List and explain at least four major powers of the Legislative Branch.

The legislative branch is one of three divisions of government that works in conjunction with the executive and judicial branches. Its main responsibility is the creation of laws. The United States Constitution outlines the powers of the legislative branch, Congress, which is divided into two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Every state within the country has a legislative branch, which acts in a similar fashion to the federal legislative branch. Article I of the Constitution outlines the federal legislative branch.

The House of Representatives has 435 members from all 50 states. Each state's population decides how many members in the House it will receive. Members of the House serve for a two-year term and must be at least 25 years old. The Senate has 100 members with each state electing two senators apiece. Each member of the Senate must be at least 30 years old.

Each of the 50 states also has legislative branches that create legislation and consider legislation introduced by the state's governor. Forty-nine states have a bicameral (two-house) legislature that is similar to the federal legislature. All of these states refer to their upper house as the Senate, while some states refer to their lower house as either the House of Representatives or the Assembly. Nebraska is the only state that has a unicameral (one-house) legislature.