hodg gov test unit two

what are the qualifications for becoming a senator

30 years old; resident of the state; citizenship for at least nine years

what are the two important powers that the constitution gives congress

1. power to make laws 2. the power of the purse

what are five direct lobbying techniques

1. setting up private meetings with lawmakers, staff, and executive agency bureaucrats to inform them of their clients' interests 2. providing both policy and political information to desicion-makers 3. assisting lawmakers and their staffs in drafting legislation 4. organizing protest demonstrations 5. hosting campaign fundraisers for candidates

what is lobbying

communicating with government officials to persuade them to support a particular policy position

what is the commerce clause

congress is given the power to regulate trade between states as well as foreign trade

what is the supremacy clause

constitution is the supreme law of the land

what are the four types of local governments

counties, townships, special districts, and municipalities

who was ralph nadar

created a consumer watchdog group called the public citizen; formed or sponsored over fifty public-interest groups

are state constitutions overly detailed or overly general

detailed

who is the senate minority leader

develops alternate plans to the bills put forward by the majority party; if from the same party as the president, will act as chief liasion to the president

what is the best way to be elected into congress

to be up for re-election; it is easier to raise campaign funds, better known among voters, and use their position and staff to help solve problems for their constituents (caseworking)

what are the two types of courts that states have

trial courts and appeal courts (courts that hear cases appealed from the lower courts)

bicameral definition

two chambers

who is the president of the senate and what is their job

vice-president of the us; only votes in a tie; presides over senate; cannot participate in debate; only an honorary title

what is cloture

when someone stops a filibuster and a vote is taken

what is reapportionment

when the state counts its population once every ten years to redistribute the seats in the house

what is a filibuster

when unlimited debate is used to defeat a bill; only legal in the senate

what are the three types of rules that the rules committee can grant a bill

1. an open rule--any amendments can be added to the bill as long as they are relevant 2. a closed rule-- prohibits any amendments 3. a modified rule--allows for amendments to be added to some parts of the bill

what are the seven steps in committee

1. comments on the bill's merit are requested by government agencies 2. bill can be assigned to a subcommittee 3. hearings may be held 4. subcommittees report their findings to the full committee 5. vote by full committee 6. committee amends bill 7. bill goes to rules committee

what are the three steps in floor action in the house

1. legislation is placed on the calendar (decided by speaker and majority leader) 2. debate (bill is debated and amended with guiding by the sponsoring committee and amendments must be germane--no riders are allowed) 3. vote

what are the three steps for floor action in the senate

1. legislation is placed on the legislative calendar (senate also has executive calendar) by the majority leader but bill can be debated on the floor whenever the senate chooses 2. debate (debate is unlimited unless cloture is invoked and riders are allowed) 3. vote

what is one example of indirect techniques

1. members of an organization write, phone, and email legislators (shows size of group and called constituent lobbying

what are six duties of the leaders of congress

1. organize and unify party members 2. schedule the work of congress (decide which bills get to be discussed and ultimately voted on) 3. make certain that members are present for key floor votes 4. distribute and collect information 5. keep congress in touch with the president 6. influence lawmakers to support the policies of their party

what are the four things that a president can do with a bill

1. veto 2. sign 3. pocket veto--president does not sign bill and congress goes out of session 4. not sign and the bill becomes law after 10 days

who many senators must vote to remove the president for him to get convicted

2/3

what are the qualifications for becoming a representative in the house

25 years old; resident of district; citizen for at least seven years

what is the difference between a categorical grant and a block grant

a categorical grant is a federal grant to the state or local government for a specific project while a block grant is a federal grant that provides funds to a states or local government for a general issue

what is federalism

a compromise between confederal and unitary systems

what is recall

a procedure by which voters can remove the governor by way of special election

what is a federal mandate

a requirement in federal legislation that forces states to comply with certain rules

what is a rules committee

a standing committee of the house that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered in the house

what is a labor union

a type of business/economic interest group; includes the american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations is one of the most powerful interest groups

what are professional associations

a type of economic interest group; includes american medical association, screen actors guild, and american bar association;

what role does the senate play in revenue bills

amends the bills

what is the aarp

american association of retired people; most powerful interest group in america; largest dues-paying association in america; leader in grassroots lobbying as it encourages members to contact their elected officials on certain issues; influenced laws geared toward old people such as medicare and medicaid, increases in the cost of living for social security benefits, and stricter guidelines for lending to the elderly; blamed for standing in the way of a social security reform

what is the ACLU

american civil liberties union; grandfather of all public-interest groups; known for its legal battles related to the abuse of civil liberties; forceful protector of the bill of rights

what is an interest group

an organization of people who share a common interest and work together to promote and protect that interest by influencing the government.

what presidents have been impeached

andrew johnson and bill clinton (both were aquitted)

what are the four duties of the speaker of the house

appoint members of committees, schedule bills for action, refer bills to proper house standing committees, and recognize members to speak

where is the elastic clause

article one, section 8, clause 18

what are minority/majority party whips

assistants to the party leaders; keep a tally on how their party members plan to vote on upcoming bills; try to persuade members to vote the party line; prepare the "whip advisory"-- a newsletter discussing important bills coming up for a vote

what powers are only for the national government

borrow money on the credit of the us from other nations, regulate commerce with foreign nations and between states, determine the steps for one to become a us citizen, determine bankruptcy rules, make money, fix standard measures, set punishment for counterfeiting, grant patents and copyrights, establish federal courts, establish post offices, declare war, call up militia (national guard), raise an army and navy

what are the two types of interest groups

economic and non-economic

in what five areas do state legislatures focus their attention

education, roads, health and welfare benefits, law enforcement, and conservation

who is the president pro-tempore

elected by the senate; usually a senior member of the majority party; presides over senate if vp does not; honorary position; new senators take turns actually presiding

what are the five non-legislative powers of congress

electoral powers (selection of the president by the house of representatives and/or vice president if the electoral college cannot come to a majority vote), amending the constitution, impeachment, confirming appointments (majority) and treaties (2/3), and investigative/oversight powers (review policies to see if they are effective and being run properly)

what are three examples of implied powers

establishing the federal reserve, drafting an army, and setting minimum wage and maximum work hours

has the power of the executive branch expanded or contracted

expanded

enumerated powers are also called...

expressed powers

what are the three types of congressional powers

expressed powers, implied powers, and non-legislative powers

what are the three types of powers that congress has

expressed, implied, and non-legislative

what is a unitary system

federal gov has all power

what is a confederal system

federal gov has little power

where are the enumerated powers in the constitution

first 17 clauses of article one, section 8

what are single-issue groups

focus narrowly and intensely on one topic; some of the most powerful interest groups in america

who is the minority party leader

for house: leads the opposition party; elected by the minority party; organizes fellow party members in presenting alternative proposals to those of the majority party; confers with the majority leader; formulates minority party response to the majority party policy and agenda; if from the same party as the president, they will act as the president's spokesman////for senate: develops alternate plans to the bills put forward by the minority party; if same party as president, acts as chief liasion

what is fiscal federalism

funds raised by the national government and spent by state or local governments

who is the highest elected state official

governor; doesn't have any federal powers; launching pad for national office; usually have political background or are a wealthy businessman; has enumerate powers

what are public-interest groups

groups formed to protect the rights, resources, and liberties common to all americans; recent category of interest groups

what are economic interest groups

groups whose goal is to provide economic benefits for its members--include business groups, labor unions, and professional associations

what does fiscal mean

having to do with government revenues and expedentures

what does the power of state legislatures depend on

inverse relationship with the power of the governor

what are three benefits to being in congress

large allowance to pay for staff, trips home, phones, etc; members entitled to an income tax deduction to help maintain two residences; and members may be eligible upon retirement for pensions up to 50,000 each year

what is pork

legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs

what are direct techniques

lobbying policymakers directly; usually done with hired specialists

what is the committee of ways and means

makes recommendations to the house on all bills regarding revenue;

what was mccullough v maryland

maryland tried to tax the national government and the national government refused to pay the taxes, maryland sued the cashier, james mcculloch; chief justice john marshall ruled that the constitution allowed the us to charter a bank and that maryland could not tax it

who is the senate majority leader

most powerful person in the senate; responsible for getting party bills through the senate; plans the senate's work schedule along with the minority leader

what is the elastic clause also known as

necessary and proper clause

can congress make a bill to raise their salary

no but they can raise the salary of congressmen in the next session

why are state governments called laboratories of democracy

no two state governments are exactly alike; successful policies in state governments are often copied into the national government

what does the constitution say about local governments

nothing

what are earmarks

now called programmatic requests; funds that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects within a state or congressional district; type of pork

how often must congress meet

once a year

what are three things that the constitution prohibits congress from doing

passing an ex post facto law, passing a bill of attainer, and suspending the writ of habeas corpus

what are concurrent powers

powers shared between the national and state governments

what is the difference between reapportionment and redistricting

reapportionment is the process of determining how many congressional seats each state gets while redistricting is the redrawing of districts within each state

senate whips

same duties as house whips

what is a conference committee

senior members appointed from the presiding officers of the committee who originally dealt with the bill from each house that hammer out the differences in bills

what is gerrymandering and where does the term come from

shaping districts to the advantage of a party; governer gerry signed a law that redistricted and an editor said the districts looked like a salamander...gerrymander

duties and requirements of the president...

signs bills into laws, acts as the country's representative to the world, and oversees military operations; must be a natural-born us citizen, be at least 35, and have resided in the us for at least 14 years

how long is the term of a senator

six years as to not be subject to the changing moods of the public; elected 1/3 at a time

who is the majority leader in the house of representatives

speakers top assistant; in charge of his party's legislative program; assists the speaker of the house in making committees appointments; creates and maintains the house agenda; schedules floor debate on bills; makes sure that the chairperson on committees finish work on bills important to the party; elected by the majority party

does the state or national government have a greater effect on people's lives

state governments

what is cooperative federalism

states and nation cooperate in solving problems

what are two examples of concurrent powers

taxation and running a court system

how can the national government overcome some powers reserved for the states

tell the states that the gov won't fund something unless a state passes a certain law

what is police power

the authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, safety, and welfare of the people; in the us, police power is reserved for the states

who presides over an impeachment trial

the chief justice of the supreme court

where does the concept of implied powers come from

the elastic clause

what is an example of the elastic clause

the federal government works on highway construction, which is justified by its enumerated power to facilitate interstate commerce

what part of congress can impeach the president

the house

where must revenue bills originate

the house

who is the speaker of the house

the person who presides over the house; most powerful leader in congress; third in line for president; expected to be nonpartisan; allowed to engage in debate; uses skills of negotiation and compromise; appoints members of some committees; schedules bills for action; refers bills to committees; recognizes members to speak

what is the senate counterpart of the committee of ways and means

the senate committee on finance

what part of congress can conduct an impeachment trial

the senate; only decides if he will be removed from office

who refers bills to a committee

the speaker of the house or the presiding officer in the senate if not the speaker

what is a general/state assemby

the state house of representatives

what is devolution

the transfer of powers from national to state governments

how does the senate check the president

they advise and consent to all treaties and appointments

how is the speaker of the house chosen

they are elected by the majority party and voted on by the entire house

why are most state legislators also lawyers

they are only in session for several months in a year and this irregular schedule fits perfectly with a part-time law practice

how do state governments compare to the national government

they are the same with a constitution, executive, legislative, and judicial branch but on a smaller scale; they also share power with local governments

how do state legislatures compare to congress

they both represent and serve their constituents, work with executive leaders to pass laws, stand for election at regular intervals, and receive their power from a state constitution; material in states differs from congress state legislatures are the oldest democratic institution in the united states

why do governors make good presidents

they have a lot of executive experience and know how to delegate authority and responsibility

what is the one thing that is the same about each states state legislature

they meet in the statehouse, which is at the capital

how were senators originally chosen

they were initially elected by state legislatures but the 17th amendment made it so that they are elected

what is dual federalism

where national and state governments are equal in power

what are indirect techniques

working through third parties to influence legislators and shape policy

does the constitution list things that states cannot do

yes