Chapter 4 Study Guide

How do House leaders schedule debate on a bill?

1. A bill is placed into one of five calendars before going to the floor for consideration 2. the Rules Committee must approve that step and set a time for its appearance on the floor

Give 3 specifics about compensation and privileges of members of Congress.

1. Congress set its own pay and averages at $174,000 2. They cannot be arrested for civil crimes while taking part in congressional business 3. They cannot be charged with libel or slander for anything they say while conducting official business in Congress

What are the two main sources of congressional authority in the field of foreign affairs?

1. Expressed powers (war powers, regulate foreign commerce) 2. Sovereignty of the U.S.

Read this excerpt from the text. "... several States used the general ticket system. Under that arrangement, all of the State's seats were filled at-large—that is, elected from the State as a whole, rather than from particular districts. Every voter could vote for a candidate for each one of the State's seats in the House." What is one possible ramification of this system to elect representatives?

A party with even a small majority could control all of the State's seats in the House

What are the similarities and differences of public bills and private bills?

Both are measures introduced by Congress, by public bills apply to the nation as a whole, which private bills only apply to certain people or certain places.

What does this political cartoon suggest about congressional elections in the United States? "I agree with your position completely; you can count on my support."

Candidates mostly tell the public whatever they think constituents want to hear

How do the copyright and patent powers help the American public? Provide an example to support your answer.

Congress issues copyrights and patents to protect the right of the people to profit from their creations. Patents give the inventor exclusive rights to their creation allowing them a certain amount of years to improve their products and "have the market to themself."

Describe the role of the House Rules Committee, whether it is a powerful or a less pivotal committee, and why it has been called the "traffic cop" of the House of Representatives.

Grant a rule to allow bill to reach floor,Rule can authorize limits on debate. Before bills can reach the floor, they must also clear the Rules Committee / Controls "flow of bill and speed of travel" through the House.

List the formal qualifications for election to the House and Senate.

House: 1. 25 years old 2. U.S. citizen for 7 years Senate: 1. 30 years old 2. U.S. citizen for 9 years

Describe the role of conference committees in the legislative process.

If one of the houses will not accept the other's version of a bill, a conference committee is formed to iron out the differences

Explain the process of removing a President from office. What role does the House of Representatives play? What role does the Senate play?

Impeachment is the process of removing the president from office. The House of Representatives proposes it, and the Senate has to agree/disagree with it. The Senate becomes jury and judge, except in the case of presidential impeachment trials when the chief justice of the United States presides. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict, and the penalty for an impeached official is removal from office. The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach an official, and it makes the Senate the sole court for impeachment trials.

Explain why the Framers established a bicameral Congress?

It allowed for fair and equal representation of the states at the national level.

Read the excerpt from the text about the borrowing power of Congress. "Congress has put a statutory ceiling on the public debt, however. The public debt is all of the money borrowed by the Federal Government over the years and not yet repaid, plus the accumulated interest on that money. That legal ceiling has never amounted to much more than a political gesture, however. Congress regularly raises the limit whenever the debt threatens to overtake it. The public debt is approximately $16 trillion." What is the BEST explanation of the debt ceiling?

It can be moved by Congress whenever it seems politically necessary

What are the criticisms of the seniority rule in Congress? Write a summary in your own words.

It ignores the ability of people and hurts the younger members.

What are standing committees in Congress? What duties and functions do they perform? Include examples from the text in your answer.

It is the legislative panels present in the upper and lower houses. They are in charge of considering, approving, and authorizing government operations.

Explain Congress's power of eminent domain in your own words. What is this power and what are the limits on its use?

It is the power to take property for public use. Limitations: 1. Property taken can only be used for public use 2. Advance notice must be given 3. Owner of the property must be given fair compensation

What is the significance of the Supreme Court's decision in the Gibbons v. Ogden case?

It resulted in an expansive interpretation of the Commerce Clause

Read this excerpt from the text. "Most of the thousands of bills introduced in each session of Congress are pigeonholed. That is, they are buried; they die in committee. They are simply put away, never to be acted upon. The term comes from the old-fashioned, roll-top desks with pigeonholes-slots into which papers were put and often soon forgotten." What is the main explanation for this occurrence?

Many bills are introduced on behalf of a constituent and not because the senator or representatives feels strongly about it

How does a senator's term differ from a representative's? What is the reason for this difference?

Senate has a six-year term and every 2 years 1/3 go for reelection and Representatives are elected every 2 years. This adjusts representation to population and lessens the pressures of public opinion and the pleas of special interest groups.

Read this quote from a speech given by Speaker of the House john Boehner about a bill on the floor. " Now, the bill before us still isn't perfect. No member would argue that it is. It's imperfect because it reflects an honest and sincere effort to end this crisis by sending a bill over to the Senate that at one time was agreed to by the bipartisan leadership of the United States Senate. And to my colleagues in the Senate, if they were here, I would say this: if this bill passes, this House has sent you not one, but two different bills to cut spending by trillions of dollars over the next decade while providing an immediate increase in the debt ceiling. And to the American people, I would say: we've tried our level best. We've done everything we can to find a common-sense solution that could pass both houses of Congress and end this crisis. . . ." —Speaker John Boehner. What does this suggest about the Speaker's influence?

Sometimes, a Speaker has to use his or her influence to reach a compromise between both chambers

Use this map of congressional seats across the United States in 2010 to answer the question. What does this map suggest about regional population change?

The South, both west and east, has experienced a slight rise in population

This photo shows President Obama presenting a piece of legislation to the public. Based on the image, what action will most likely happen next?

The bill will become a new law to be implemented

Why might the President threaten to call a special session of Congress? Are members of Congress likely to heed or ignore this threat? Use details from the text in your response.

The president will threaten to call a special session if the 2 chambers do not act on some measure of his legislative agendas. They could also call a special session whenever something serious happens during a recess, such as the bombing at Pearl Harbor, that requires a discussion. Heed for serious occasions and ignore for disagreements-majority of the time

How would a strict constructionist characterize the Federal Government? Which Framer supported this position? Use details from the text to support your answer.

The strict constructionist state that the Federal Government can only do what the Constitution says it can do. This allows the Federal government to have very limited powers. -Thomas Jefferson

Which statements BEST characterizes the implied powers of the Federal Government.

They are sensible assumptions that are made based on the expressed powers.

Congress is called upon to exercise its electoral duties under which of the following circumstances?

When no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes

Use the cartoon to choose the answer that best completes the sentence. This political cartoon suggests that Senate investigations...

are so rigorous and through that the process can be painful

Members of Congress wear many different hats and play many roles during the course of their work. An important role while spending time in their home districts is that of...

constituent servant

Representation in Congress is closest to the general population in terms of...

ethnicity

The War Powers Resolution impacted the power-sharing arrangement between Congress and the President on the issues of war and national defense by...

forbidding the President from declaring war against another nation

Read this excerpt from the U.S. Constitution. "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof." This article of the Constitution allows Congress to...

interpret its expressed powers broadly

If representatives in the House wish to adjourn a session for more than three days, they must seek approval from...

members of the Senate

Compared to the size of the House of Representatives, the Senate is...

much smaller

A filibuster to block a vote on a bill is possible...

only in the Senate, which is almost unrestrained

Read this excerpt from the text. "The clerk calls the chamber to order and checks the roll of representatives elect. Those members-to-be then choose a Speaker, who will be their permanent presiding officer. By custom, the Speaker is a longstanding member of the majority party, and election on the floor is only a formality. The majority party's members in the House have settled the matter beforehand." This excerpt describes...

opening day in the House

This photo shows the President speaking before a joint session of Congress. At such a meeting, the President is most likely...

outlining policies in a State of the Union address.

When a bill is engrossed, it is...

printed in its final form

The BEST way to understand the expressed powers of Congress is to...

read a description of the powers in the Constitution

"The Senate will turn down such a presidential appointment if it is opposed by a senator of the President's party from the State involved. The Senate's observance of this unwritten rule has a significant impact on the President's exercise of the power of appointment; in effect, this rule means that some senators virtually dictate certain presidential appointments." This excerpt from the text refers to...

senatorial courtesy

In both the House and Senate, a bill introduced by a member is next...

sent to a standing committee

Choose the answer that BEST completes the sentence. 'The 2009 government bailout of automotive companies was an example of...'

the implied powers of the Federal Government

Read this quotation from the Constitution. "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each States shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature." This quotation relates to...

the length of service for a representative

Use the quotation to answer the question. "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to [choose] three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three." The number of seats later became redistributed automatically by...

the passage of the Reappointment Act of 1929

Read this quotation from the Constitution. "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; . . ." This section of the Constitution falls under expressed powers related to...

trade and borrowing

Unlike a joint committee, a conference committee...

works out a compromise bill between the House and Senate versions of a bill.