two houses of a legislative body

Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and Senate

2 year terms

no term limits

must be 25 and a citized for 7 years

must live in disctrict they are representing

6 year terms

no term limits

must be 30 and a citizen for 9 years

must be from the state they are representing

gridlock, political compromise, and checks and balances

Connecticut Compromse

combined the New Jersey plan and Virginia plan to create a bicamerial congress with one house based on equal representation and the other based on population

incumbency, for example, franking privilege!

All revenue (tax raising) and appropriation (spending/funding) bills must originate in the House
Only the House can impeach (bring charges against) the President
Only the House elects the President if no candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote.

power to try the president for impeachment

power to ratify treaties

power to review Presidential appointments

Both have the power to pass bills, considered for law if passed in other chamber and signed by the President. both can regulate and oversee federal agencies, and investigate with hearings, both can over ride presidential veto's, both can Censure the President, or other elected officials, both can declare war

delegate

system for selecting convention delegates

used in rural states

voters must show up at a set time and attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference

a rule used by the senate to end or limit debate, for example, a fillibuster

members of Congress are assigned to committees to investigate the merits and problems with suggested bills

joint committee to appease differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill

Congressional Budget Office

agency of budget experts who assess the feasibility of the president's plan

help create Congress's version of the federal budget

Congressional Research Service

politically neutral body

looks up information for Congressman's inquiries

any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor

congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yay" or "nay" to their names

an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking a bill to death

ability of Congressmen to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their signature (frank) for postage

investigates agencies and policies and makes recommendations

provides routine financial audits of the money spent by executive branch departments

an institution unique to the House of Representatives

reviews all bills

(except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills)

coming from a House committee before they go to the full house

the fact that being in office helps a person stay in office

because of a variety of benefits that go with the position

committee held between members from both houses of congress

order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate and forbids a particular bill from being amended on the floor

open rule

an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor

minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it

two-thirds vote in each house can override it

veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it

presides over the Senate when the Vice President is absent

committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation

a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

17th amendment

direct election of Senators

Speaker of the House

one of the most powerful positions in Congress

have to be a long standing member

same party as the majority party

John A Boehner

first and last place where bills go

a permanent committee of each house with the power to consider bills

a smaller committee within a committee, for example, the subcommittee of Defense within the House Committee of Appropriations

assistants to floor leaders

count votes

rally support

House committee that works with the Senate Finance Committee to write tax codes

unrelated amendments added to a bill, for example, a tax break amendment on a bill for abortion

unsuccessful act stating that Presidents must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops

troops remain for 60 days and if war is not declared, troops return home

political districts in which candidates elected to the House win in close elections, typically with less than 55 percent of the vote

an alliance between conservative Democrats and Republicans on certain issues, for example, gun control

an association of Congressmen and women created to advance black ethnic interest

party polarization

a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators, for example, gay rights

tax bills to raise money for the government

must originate from the House

a document in which such an agreement is set down, for example, the Treaties of Paris

must be reviewed by the Senate, for example, chiefs of staff

legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support in his or hers

provision allowing funds to be spent on a specific project, for example, a bridge on highway 123

Christmas tree bill

presidency is controlled by one party and Congress is controlled by the other

common occurrence (split ticket voting)

unified government

the same party controlls the legislative and executive branches

one of Congress's most importat tasks

investigation and evaluation executive agencies

check the power of the executive branch

unwritten tradition whereby nominations for state-level federal judicial posts are not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator from the state in which the nominee will serve

tradition also applies to courts of appeal when there is opposition from the nominee's state senator

alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better known candidate, such as the president

an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection

an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement, or that continues or changes such programs

an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the President

reconciliation bill

inspired by Nixon's impounding

goal of reforms were to decrease power of the president to impound and budget better

shows checks and balances, was passed of Nixon's veto

the party leader elected by the minority party in the House

congressional comittee that deals with federal spending

one of the most powerful Senate committees

jurisdiction over the US armed forces

a bill proposed in the House is given to a clerk

bill is assigned to a committee

standing committee/subcommittee studies the bill and can revise it, release it, or table it

released bills are put on a calendar for the House Rules Committee to vote upon

the floor of the House reads the bill, it can be passed with a simple majority

passed bills go to senate

bill must be announced by a senator

signed to a committee, which releases or tables the bill

released bills go to the senate floor for consideration

simple majority passes bill

conference committee works out different versions of the bill

approved bills are printed by the Government Printing Office

enrolled bill is signed by Sp[eaker of the House, vice president, and the president

power to govern is shared between national and state governments

both bicameral, consisting of two chambers, with an elected House of Representatives and Senate

prime minister vs president

Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

committee created in congress to make a 10 year plan to reduce US foreign debt, failed to work, and was terminated