POSC 100 - CH.11

What portion of the Senate is needed to vote to remove a president or civil officer from office?

2/3

How long do members of the House of Representatives serve?

2yrs

11-5 summary

A bill becomes law by progressing through both chambers of Congress and their appropriate standing and joint committees before submission to the president. In some recent cases, however, the majority party leadership has taken full control of important legislation, cutting out the relevant committees. The budget process for a fiscal year begins with the preparation of an executive budget by the president. This is reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget and then sent to Congress, which is supposed to pass a final budget by the end of September. Since 1978, Congress generally has not followed its own time rules.

What happens if the House and Senate pass similar albeit different bills?

A conference committee is formed to help resolve the differences.

seniority system

A custom followed in both chambers of Congress specifying that the member of the majority party with the longest term of continuous service will be given preference when a committee chairperson (or a holder of some other significant post) is selected.

If a bill has been in a House standing committee for longer than 30 days, it can be released for debate by

A discharge petition

Authorization

A formal declaration by a legislative committee that a certain amount of funding may be available to an agency. Some authorizations terminate in a year; others are renewable automatically without further congressional action.

Majority Leader of the House

A leader elected by the majority party in the House to assist the Speaker and foster party cohesion.

joint committee

A legislative committee composed of members from both chambers of Congress

Whips

A member of Congress who aids the majority or minority leader of the House or the Senate.

Constituents

A person represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official

conference committees

A special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two chambers of Congress in different forms.

Reconciliation

A special rule that can be applied to budget bills sent from the House of Representatives to the Senate. Reconciliation measures cannot be filibustered.

Rules Committee

A standing committee of the House of Reps that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the House

Continuing resolution

A temporary funding law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has not been decided by the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1.

select committee

A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose.

Fiscal year (FY)

A twelve-month period that is used for bookkeeping, or accounting, purposes. Usually, the fiscal year does not coincide with the calendar year. For example, the federal government's fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30.

Subpoenas

An order by a court or legislative committee requiring that an individual appear and testify

How is being assigned to committees useful to members in dealing with specific policy problems?

By helping senators develop expertise

Describe the various roles played by Congress and the constitutional basis of its powers.

Congress is divided into two legislative bodies.

Agenda setting

Congress presents a range of viewpoints on pressing national questions. Congress also decides what issues will come up for discussion and decision. This agenda setting is a major facet of its public-education function

How often does the federal budget go through the creation and approval process?

Every year

Regular Order

In Congress, channeling proposed legislation through committee and subcommittee hearings, with solicited testimony and votes on revised language.

Trustees

In a legislature, members who act according to their conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.

Oversight

In a legislature, the process by which it follows up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered as intended

Packing

In gerrymandering, packing as many voters as possible of the opposing party into a single district

Cracking

In gerrymandering, splitting the opposing party's voters into many different districts.

Casework

In the example of Congress, personal work for constituents

What are the two most important functions of Congress?

Lawmaking and representation

Instructed Delegates

Legislators or convention delegates who are agents of the voters who elected them and who vote according to the views of constituents, regardless of personal beliefs.

11-3 summary

Most incumbent representatives and senators who run for reelection are successful. The Supreme Court's "one person, one vote" rule means that the populations of legislative districts must be effectively equal. The process of gerrymandering, however, often lets party leaders determine the political leanings of particular districts.

11-4 summary

Most of the work of legislating is performed by committees and subcommittees within Congress. Legislation introduced into the House or Senate is assigned to standing committees for review. Joint committees are formed by the action of both chambers and consist of members from each. Conference committees are joint committees set up to achieve agreement between the House and the Senate on the exact wording of legislative acts that were passed by the chambers in different forms. The seniority rule, which is usually followed, specifies that the longest-serving member of the majority party will be the chairperson of a committee. The foremost power holder in the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House. Other leaders are the House majority leader, the House minority leader, and the majority and minority whips. Formally, the vice president is the presiding officer of the Senate. Actual leadership in the Senate rests with the majority leader, the minority leader, and their whips.

The representative with the most power in the House is the _______ because he or she is the official leader of the majority party.

Speaker of the House

Who leads the U.S. House of Representatives?

Speaker of the House

Earmarks

Special provisions in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an impartial evaluation by agencies of the executive branch. Also known as pork.

What part of government is the only entity that can begin the process of Impeachment?

The House of Representatives

Reapportionment

The allocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state after each census.

11-1 Summary

The authors of the Constitution believed that the bulk of national power should be in the legislature. The Connecticut Compromise established a balance, with the membership in the House of Representatives based on population and the membership in the Senate based on the equality of states. The functions of Congress include - lawmaking, - representation, - service to constituents, - oversight, - public education, and - conflict resolution. The Constitution specifies most of the enumerated, or expressed, powers of Congress, including the right to impose taxes, to borrow funds, to regulate commerce, and to declare war. Congress also enjoys the right, under the elastic, or necessary and proper, clause, to make all laws necessary and proper for executing the various powers of the national government.

Executive Budget

The budget prepared and submitted by the president to Congress.

Senate Majority Leader

The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy.

Who performs most of the actual work of legislating?

The committees and subcommittees within Congress

Bicameralism

The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies.

Gerrymandering

The drawing of legislative district boundary lines for the purpose of obtaining partisan advantage. A district is said to be gerrymandered when its shape is manipulated to determine which party will win it.

Representation

The function of members of Congress as elected officials representing the views of their constituents as well as larger national interests.

In 2013, Republicans refused to vote on numerous executive branch and judicial branch nominees. Frustrated, the Democrats instituted a majority vote to abolish filibusters for these positions. What is this processed called?

The nuclear option

Minority leader of the House

The party leader elected by the minority party in the House.

Senate minority leader

The party officer in the Senate who commands the minority party's opposition to the policies of the majority party and directs the legislative program and strategy of the minority party

Appropriation

The passage, by Congress, of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that actually will be allocated for an agency's use.

enumerated powers

The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.

lawmaking

The process of establishing the legal rules that govern society

Redistricting

The redrawing of the boundaries of the congressional districts within each state.

President Pro Tempore

The temporary presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

You live in a district where most constituents support stringent immigration policies, but your senator believes in amnesty for all undocumented immigrants. Your senator chooses to vote with her conscience to support the broad interests of the entire society. What is this an example of?

The trustee view of representation

Filibuster

The use of the Senate's tradition of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.

11-2 Summary

There are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives and 100 members of the Senate. Owing to its larger size, the House has a greater number of formal rules. The Senate tradition of unlimited debate, expressed in the filibuster, has been used over the years to frustrate the passage of bills. Budget bills can be exempt from a filibuster, and in 2013 most presidential nominations became exempt as well. Members of Congress are not typical American citizens. They are older and wealthier than most Americans, disproportionately white and male, and more likely to be lawyers.

What does Congress do when they fail to pass a budget on time, in order to fund the affected departments and programs?

They issue a continuing resolution

Who serves as the presiding officer of the Senate?

Vice President of the US

standing committees

a permanent committee in the House or Senate that considers bills within certain subject area

discharge petition

a procedure by which a bill in the House of Reps can be forced (discharged) out of a committee that has refused to report it for consideration by the House. The petition must be signed by an absolute majority (218) of representatives and is used only on rare occasions

If a member of the House of Representatives wishes to submit a bill to the House for consideration, what does the Rules Committee determine?

a time limit for debate

Which of the following is an example of a legislative responsibility of Congress? a. Borrow and spend money b. Executing and interpreting laws c. Appoint members to the federal judiciary d. Ratify constitutional amendments

a. Borrow and spend money

Who is most likely be elected to the House of Representatives?

an incumbent

What are the two steps in the Congressional budgeting process?

authorization and appropriation

Which of the following best describes a difference between the House and Senate? a. Senators are elected in districts within states. b. The House has more members. c. Senators serve shorter terms. d. House members engage in unlimited debate.

b. The House has more members.

Which of the following procedures must be invoked for the Senate to overcome a filibuster? a. Quorum b. Voice vote c. Cloture d. Bill sponsorship

c. Cloture

After two years of frustration and red tape, George wrote to his representative seeking assistance in getting his veteran's benefits. His congressman successfully helped George receive authorization for immediate medical care at the local VA Hospital. What is this type of personal work for constituents by members of Congress referred to?

casework

When an appropriations bill has not been passed on time, Congress may pass a temporary funding law called:

continuing resolution.

Which scenario most accurately describes gerrymandering? a. Tom is challenging an incumbent representative for his seat in Congress. b. After the senator's sudden death, his wife was appointed to fill the remainder of his term. c. Legislation is passed in Alabama to limit African American participation in elections. d. In Illinois, legislative district boundary lines were drawn to give the Democratic Party an advantage.

d. In Illinois, legislative district boundary lines were drawn to give the Democratic Party an advantage

In contrast to the calendar year, which starts January 1 and ends on December 31, the federal government's ________ year runs from October 1 through September 30.

fiscal

What rule does not allow a bill to reach the House floor for a vote unless it has the support of a majority of the majority party?

hasert rule

Markup

in the U.S. Congress, the process by which committees and subcommittees amend or rewrite proposed legislation

A high percentage of senators and representatives are reelected, and we describe this as due to the power of __________

incumbency

The process of compromise in which members of Congress support each other's bills is called

logrolling

Congress holds a committee hearing to investigate how the Department of Energy enforces their policy on the disposal of nuclear waste. What is this process called?

oversight

The Constitution gives Congress the "power of the __________

purse

One complicated aspect of congressional elections is the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state after a census. What is this known as?

reapportionment

What is the special rule that prevents filibustering on budgetary matters?

reconciliation

Congressional redistricting often involves gerrymandering, which means that the redistricting:

results in strange-shaped districts designed to favor one party.

Hasert Rule

rule adopted by Republicans in the U.S. House under which a Republican Speaker will not bring a measure to the floor for a vote unless it has the support of a majority of the Republican members

Which committee holds a uniquely powerful position because of its special "gatekeeping" power over the terms of which legislation will reach the House floor?

rules of committee

A permanent committee in the House or Senate is a

standing committee

There are several types of committees in Congress. They include:

standing committees, select committees, and joint committees.

The central difference between the House and the Senate is that:

the House is much larger than the Senate.

Speaker of the House

the presiding officer in the House of Reps. The speaker is always a member of the majority party and is the most powerful and influential member of the House

In contrast to the House, only the Senate has the power to accept or reject ___________ with foreign nations.

treaties