Congress

Allows House and Senate to confirm the Vice President

25th Amendment

Power of Congress to regulate interstate trade as well as foreign trade

Commerce Power

Power to investigate government action

Conduct investigations

The government spends more than it takes in one year

Deficit Financing

D

Enumerated powers of the federal government include all of the following EXCEPT the power to A. Coin money B. Declare war C. Regulate interstate commerce D. tax

1. Members want committee assignments that will help them get reelected, gain influence, and make policy 2. New members express their committee preferences to the party leaders 3. Support of the party is important in getting on the right committee 4. Parties try to grant committee preferences

How do members get on a committee?

435 members, 2 year terms

How many members are in the House of Representatives and how long do they serve for?

100 members, 6 year terms

How many members are in the Senate and how long do they serve for?

Powers no specifically mentioned in the Constitution

Implied Powers

Hearings and other methods of checking the actions of the executive branch

Oversight

Party Influence

Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along party lines.

grants a person the sole right to manufacture, use, or sell any new and useful art, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof

Patent

Denied Powers

Reserves powers not mentioned with the states

D

The power of the Rules Committee int eh House of Representatives rests on its authority to A. choose the chairs of other standing committees and issue rules for the selection of subcommittee chairs B. initiate all spending legislation and hold budget hearings C. place a bill on the legislative calendar, limit time fore debate and determine the type of amendments allowed D. determine the procedures by white nominations by the President will be approved by the House E. Choose ether President if no candidate wins a majority in the electoral college

True

True or False: as the size of government grows, oversight grows as well

House of Representatives

Which house has more rules?

E

Which of the following statements about Congress is true? A. Members of Congress only occasionally are interested in and pay attention to constituents B. the legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining C. Lobbyists and political action committees (PAC's) successfully induce most members of Congress to track campaign contributions D. The growth in the size of Congress as an organization is the principal cause of growth int he federal budget E. Debate in both house is structured by elaborate rules enacted by leaders of the majority party

D

Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true? A. They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it B. They are applied to bills that failed int he previous session of Congress C. They are applied only to appropriation bills D. They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote E. They occur whenever a bill is reported out of committee

Senate

Who approves all executive appointments?

Whips

Who assists the Majority Leader in the Senate?

Majority leader and whips

Who assists the Speaker of the House?

Anyone

Who can draft a bill?

Majority Leader, chosen by the party

Who really leads the Senate and how are they elected?

Necessary and Proper Clause

What lets Congress have implied powers?

Legislature divided into two houses

Bicameral legislature

Organize hearings, research & write legislation, target of lobbyists

Committee Staff

Resolve differences in House and Senate bills

Conference Committee

Limited debates

Does the House have limited or unlimited debates?

B

"Pork barrel" legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because such legislation A. Gives the member of Congress national standing and coverage on national television news B. Helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district C. Attracts campaign contributions form ideological political action committees (PACs) D. Prevents other candidates from claiming that the member of Congress is too liberal for his or her district E. Requires the member of Congress to travel extensively

B

A "cloture motion" passed in the Senate does which of the following? A. Returns a bill to committee B. Cuts off debate on a bill Criticizes a senator guilty of improprieties D. Removes a President who has been impeached by the House E. Brings a bill directly to a vote without formal committee approval

D

A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always A. The member with the longest service on the committee B. The member with the longest service in the House C. A representative of the Speaker D. A member of the majority party in the chamber E. A trusted ally of the President

D

A member of the House of Representatives who wishes to be influential in the House itself would most likely seek a place on which of the following committees? A. Agriculture B. International Relations C. Transportation and Infrastructure D. Rules E. Veterans' Affairs

A proposed law

Bill

C

Congressional legislative powers include all of the following EXCEPT A. legislating federal appropriations B. approval of treaties C. establishing a lower-court system D. passing federal laws E. pardoning felons

B

Debate of a bill in the House of Representatives under a "closed rule" means that A. the bill can only be amended by section B. debate on the bill will consist of five-minute speeches, pro and con C. only senior members are allowed to participate D. amendments to the bill cannot be offered E. the bill must be approved by tow-thirds of the House

Approvement center

Executive powers

Powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution

Expressed Powers

C

Federal spending for which of the following is determined by laws that lie outside the regular budgetary process? A. Military procurement B. Regulatory agency funding C. Government-subsidized housing programs D. Educational assistance programs such as student loans E. Entitlement programs such as Social Security

Seniority

How are committee chairs chosen?

E

If legislation passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate but each version is slightly different, the conflicting behavior is A. a standing committee of each house for a vote B. an ad hoc committee for judicial review C. the Rules Committee of each house for reconciliation and compromise D. the majority and minority leaders of both houses for compromise E. a conference committee for review and compromise

A

If the following statements accurately summarizes the reasoning for the reasoning for the decision in Baker v. Carr (1962)? A. Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law B. To ensure equal protection under the law, there should be an equal number of rural and urban districts in a state C. There should be redistricting every ten years at the federal level, but the state can choose not to redistrict at the local levels D. Congressional redistricting must involve traditionally excluded groups in the process or it violates the equal protection clause

Few policy areas = made up of House & Senate members

Joint Committee

Power to establish the courts Define crimes and set punishments

Judicial Powers

Work for the member, mainly providing constituent service, but help with legislation too

Personal Staff

Created for a specific purpose

Select Committee

CRS, GAO, CBO provide specific information to Congress

Staff Agencies

Subject matter committees handle different policy areas

Standing Committee

A charge levied by the government on persons or property to meet public needs

Tax

D

The Constitution states that all revenue bill must originate in A. a White House budget resolution B. the Congressional Budget Office C. the United States Senate D. the United States House of Representatives E. the Office of Management and Budget

A

The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because A. the seniority system plays no role in the House and therefore committees must play a larger role B. the Constitution mandates the type of committee structure in the House C. committee members are appointed by the President D. the House is so large that more work can b e accomplished in committees than on the floor E. the majority party in the House prefers to give priority to the work of the committees

E

The details fo legislation are usually worked out in which of the following settings? A. a party caucus B. the majority leader's office C. the floor of the House D. legislative hearings E. subcommittee

C

The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B votes for Representative A's legislation, is referred to as A. personal casework and services B. partisan discipline C. logrolling D. pork barrel legislation E. filibustering

D

The voting patterns of members of Congress correlate most strongly with A. the population density of their districts B. their economic background C. their educational level D. their political party affiliation E. the location of their districts

Power to tax Borrowing Power Commerce Power Judicial Powers Copy Rights and Patens

What are some expressed powers?

Declare war Conduct foreign policy Coin money

What are the expressed powers given to Congress?

May only tax for public purpose May not tax exports Direct taxes Indirect taxes

What are the limitations on taxes?

House - formally brings charges Senate - act as a jury Supreme Court Justice - judge

What are the roles of the House, Senate, and Supreme Court Justice during impeachment?

Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget

What does the House of Representatives do?

Gives "advice & consent", more influential on foreign affairs

What does the Senate do?

The House will select a winner

What happens if no candidate receives a majority in the electoral college?

Major role in committee assignments and legislation

What is the House's part in making legislation?

The chair

What is the most important position for controlling legislation

A

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate? A. House - debate is unlimited; Senate - Debate is unlimited B. House - members can filibuster Senate - members cannot filibuster C. House - debate is limited Senate - members can filibuster D. House - members cannot filibuster Senate - only the majority leader can filibuster

E

Which of the following is true of the seniority system of Congress in relation to committee leadership and committee staffing? A. Members of Congress with the longest continuous service are assured the chairmanship of major congressional committee B. Members of Congress must be elected form safe seats to accrue committee seniority C. Members of congressional committees are the most senior members fo the body's majority party D. the oldest members of Congress have the most seniority E. the chairs of congressional committees tend to be senior members of the body's majority party

B

Which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress? A. The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party B. The Vice President is responsible for creating and setting the legislative agenda for the Senate C. The Speaker of the House has very little power to control members of the majority party in the House of Representatives D. The majority leaders in borsht chambers work to ensure that a bipartisan agenda is passed in the Congress

E

Which of the following powers is shared by the House of Representatives and the Senate? A. holding trials of impeachment B. Establishing federal courts C. Approving treaties D. holding confirmation hearings E. approving major presidential appointments

C

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation? A. A senator form a coal-producing state voting against a job-training program for coal miners B. A member of the House voting for urban renewal in exchange for increasing funding for roads C. A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state D. A member of the House Armed Services Committee marking up a bill that will increase funding for military bases

VIce President

Who formally leads the Senate?

Congress

Who has the power to impeach a Federal Official?

Speaker of the House, by the House members

Who leads the House and how are they voted in?

Minority Leader

Who must work with the Majority Leader?

Party leaders

Who plays a vital role in steering bills through both houses?

Begin process to amend the Constitution

Amendments

C

Congressional standing committees are best described as A. specially appointed investigative bodies B. going committees of the two houses of Congress C. committees created for each session D. permanent subject-matter committees E. advisory staff agencies

The exclusive right of an author to reproduce, publish, and sell his or her creative work

Copyright

Unlimited debates (filibuster)

Does the Senate have limited or unlimited debates?

States commerce is also traffic and intercourse

Gibbons v Ogden

Constituency versus Ideology

Most constituents are uninformed about their member. It is difficult for constituents to influence their member, but on controversial issues members can not ignore constituents.

C

Most of the bill introduced in the House and the Senate are then A. passed by one chamber but not the other B. passed by both chambers but vetoed by the President C. referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress D. voted down during the amendment stage of the floor debate E. killed in the Rules Committee

The total amount of money borrowed by the government over time, plus accumulated interest

National Debt

B

Of the following, which is the most powerful figure in Congress? A. the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee B. The Speaker of the House C. The Minority Whip of the Senate D. The majority Whip of the House E. The Chair of the Senate Finance Committee

10th Amendment

What amendment gives denied powers?