Term
| bicameral legislature; definition and what does it consist of? |
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Definition
| two-house legislature; 2 Senators represent each state and number of House depends on the population of each state |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of allotting congressional seats to each state follwing the decennial census according to their proportion of the population |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the powers of Congress? |
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Definition
- Make laws
- raise and spend revenue
- declare war
- raise an army and navy
- coin money
- regulate commerce
- establish federal courts and their jurisdiction
- establish rules for immigration and naturalization
- House has the power to impeach and charge president, judges, or other officers with treason, bribery, or other crimes
- Senate has the sole authority to approve the appointments and treaties by 2/3 vote
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Term
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Definition
| The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other officers with treason, bribery, or other crimes |
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Term
| incumbency; What are the advantages of it? |
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Definition
already holding an office;
- name is recognized
- credit claiming
- casework
- franking priviledge
- access to media
- ease in fund-raising
- experience in running campaigns
- redistricting
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Term
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Definition
| The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district |
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Term
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Definition
| political party in each house of Congress with the second most members |
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Term
| party caucus or conferference |
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Definition
| A formal gathering of all party members |
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Term
| How are the House of Representatives organized? |
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Definition
- The Speaker of the House is the most powerful; official spokesperson
- Has a majority leader who helps the Speaker of the House schedule proposed legislation for debate; leads the republican conference and republican policy, steering, and congressional campaign committees
- Has minority leader that leads democratic caucus, democratic steering and policy, and congressional campaign committees
- Has a Committe of Rules
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Term
| What are the differences between the House and Senate? |
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Definition
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Term
| How is the Senate organized? |
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Definition
- Preciding officer of the Senate is the Vice President of US
- President pro tempore is the official chair of Senate of the Majority party
- Has a majority leader who is elected by the majority party (not nearly as powerful as Speaker of House)
- Minority leader, Republican and Democratic caucuses, and committees similar to the House of Reps
- Has a Republican Committee on Committees
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Term
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Definition
| party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote countes on key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and act as a communications link within a party |
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Term
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Definition
| proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next |
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Term
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Definition
| standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress; set up to conduct investigations or special studies |
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Term
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Definition
| Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate |
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Term
| Select or Special committees |
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Definition
| Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose |
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Term
| What are the three most significant powers of Congress? |
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Definition
- Law making function
- Budget function
- Oversight function
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Term
| How does a bill become a law? |
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Definition
(Must be approved by one or more standing committees and both chambers)
- A. Approved by committees
- Introduced by a member of Congress
- Clerk of chamber gives it a number and sent to committees for consideration
- Committee usually sends it to a subcommittee
- If subcommittee approve the bill, it is sent to the full committee to be marked-up
- For House, bill is sent to Committee on Rules
- To the floor if not rejected by full committee
(If House and Senate versions differ, each house must accept a conference report resolving differences)
- B. House or Senate floor for debate
- 2 versions of same bill is sent to Conference committee to be compromised
- C. President signs the bill or vetoes it within 10 days
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Term
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Definition
| A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor |
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Term
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Definition
| A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or nomination is brought to the floor. |
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Term
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Definition
| A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate |
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Term
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Definition
| mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate |
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Term
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Definition
| If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without the president's signature |
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Term
| Congressional Budget Act of 1974 |
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Definition
| Act that established the congressional budget process by laying out a plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills. |
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Term
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Definition
| A procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster |
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Term
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Definition
| legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs |
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Term
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Definition
| funds that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects within a state or congressional district |
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Term
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Definition
| Used in oversight function of Congress; Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a 60 day period in pacetime, unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period. |
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Term
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Definition
| Used in oversight function of Congress; A process where Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval |
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Term
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Definition
| A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs. |
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Term
| What are the factors that influence how members of Congress make decisions? |
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Definition
Through...
- political parties
- constituents
- Colleagues and caucuses
- interest groups, lobbyists, and political action committees
- staff and support agencies
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Term
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Definition
| Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents' opinions and then uses hi or her best judgement to make a final decision |
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Term
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Definition
| Role played by an elected representative who votes the way his or her constintuents would wnat him or her to, regardless of his or her own opinions |
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Term
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Definition
| Role played by an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate depending on the issue |
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Term
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Definition
| Vote trading; voting to support a collegue's bill in return for a promise of future support |
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