Chapter 12 Test Review

How can Congress override a presidential veto?

2/3 vote in both houses

This committee is created to reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of the same proposed legislation.

Conference

What committee "irons out" bills?

Conference

If the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill, where is it sent for a compromise?

Conference Committee

Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

Conference Committee

Who is the current Senate Majority Leader?

Mitch McConnell

Which one of the following refers to a statement of position on an issue? a. Public bill b. Concurrent Resolution c. Joint resolution d. Rider

b. Concurrent Resolution

What forces a bill out of committee within 30 days?

discharge petition

Bills must pass with a ________vote of both houses to become law

51% majority

Currently, how many votes does the Senate need to invoke cloture?

60

Who is the current Senate Minority leader?

Chuck Schumer

The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.

Committee chairs

The House and Senate both passed their own bill that protects the Native Americans from the invasion of the North Dakota Access Pipeline. What type of committee is needed to get this bill to the President?

Conference

True or False: A standing committee is a temporary committee of Congress.

False

True or False: Conference committees meet to confer over the organization of their respective houses

False

True or False: Paul Ryan is the Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives.

False

True or False: The main job of the House of Rules Committee is to watch over the ethics of House members.

False

This is only found in the Senate

Filibuster

What tactic is used to block or delay a vote on a bill only in the Senate?

Filibuster

_______is an attempt to kill a bill by talking it to death

Filibuster

What is another name for the majority and minority leaders?

Floor leaders

At which step is a bill debated, amended and possibly defeated (or decided)?

House or Senate Floor

A committee is formed to investigate raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. This would most likely be in which type of committee?

Joint

These committees include members from both the Senate and the House. They are formed occasionally for certain issues.

Joint

This committee is not focused on legislation but on major policy concerns and is made up of congressmen from both the house and the senate.

Joint Committees

Who is the current Majority leader in the House of Representatives?

Kevin McCarthy

What action did President Clinton use when passing laws that the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional?

Line-item veto

What is a conference committee?

Made up of members of both houses they compromise and revise bills.

How are committee chairpersons in the House and Senate chosen?

Majority party membership and seniority.

Who is the current House Minority Leader?

Nancy Pelosi

Who is the current Speaker of the House?

Paul Ryan

Who has the final approval over whether or not a bill passes?

President of the United States

_________is the number that must be present in order for Congress to do business

Quorum

All bills in the House must pass through the _______Committee to set the conditions for debate and amendments

Rules

Wells Fargo is in hot water for unfair business practices. What type of committee is most likely to handle this issue?

Select

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

Select committees

A committee focused on a scandal or a traumatic event like 9/11 would most likely be a...

Select/Special Committee

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

Seniority system

Assigning bills to committees, controlling debate on the floor and appointing other party leaders are all responsibilities of the...

Speaker of the House

A committee is working on providing subsidies for farms that have been affected by drought. Which committee would most likely handle this legislation?

Standing

Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area

Standing committees

At which step do members of either the House or Senate research, revise and possibly recommend legislation?

Subcommittee

This specialized congressional agency examines the economic impact of federal legislation and policies.

The Congressional Budget Office

The leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives is...

The House Minority Leader

This leader breaks a tie vote in the senate.

The Vice President

Why are party politics so important in congressional organization?

The majority party always holds the Chairmanship and majority of seats on each committee

What happens to most bills in committee?

They are pigeon holed and die

True or False: A standing committee is a permanent group

True

True or False: Congress during the Articles of Confederation was unicameral.

True

True or False: Select committees are set up for a specific purpose for a limited time.

True

True or False: The Library Committee is a joint committee of Congress.

True

True or False: The main job of standing committees or their subcommittees is to conduct investigations.

True

Which one of the following acts as the chief spokespersons for their party even though they don't have as many members? a. Minority leaders b. Whips c. Majority leaders d. Committee chairpersons

a. Minority leaders

Which one of the following is an example of a joint committee? a. Taxation b. Foreign Services c. Veteran's Affairs d. Appropriations

a. Taxation

Which of the following is a permanent committee of Congress? a. standing b. joint c. conference d. select/special

a. standing

Which one of the following acts as the "traffic cop" of the House of Representatives? a. Speaker of the House b. House Rules Committee c. Conference Committee d. Floor leaders

b. House Rules Committee

Which of the following describes the main work of the House Rules Committee? a. It serves as a watchdog over members' behavior b. It decides if a bill will be taken up by the full House c. It establishes the guidelines for appointing members to committees d. none of the above

b. It decides if a bill will be taken up by the full House

Which one of the following describes a ranking member (of Congressional committees)? a. Another name for the committee chairpersons. b. Person with the longest service of the minority party c. These are the only committees that the leaders join. d. Person with the longest service of the majority party

b. Person with the longest service of the minority party

Which one of the following refers to the minimum number of legislators that must be present to vote on potential legislation? a. Committee of the Whole b. Quorum c. Cloture rule d. Congressional roll call

b. Quorum

Which person is second in the succession of the presidency? a. Vice President b. Speaker of the House c. President Pro Tempore d. Majority Floor Leader

b. Speaker of the House

Which one of the following is always TRUE for both the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate? a. They are both members of the majority party. b. They both assign members to various committees. c. They both have served the longest in that chamber of Congress. d. They can both call an end to a filibuster.

b. They both assign members to various committees.

If the President takes no action on a bill and Congress remains in session for 10 days, what happens to it?

becomes a law

What is the term for a potential law?

bill

Which committee has the ability to speed up, delay, or halt House actions? a. Ways and Means b. Appropriations c. House Rules d. Ethics

c. House Rules

Which one of the following committees are temporary and formed to investigate or solve a current problem? a. Standing b. Conference c. Select d. Joint

c. Select

Which of the following leaders in congress is NOT mentioned in the constitution? a. The Speaker of the House b. The President Pro Tempore c. The Senate Majority Leader d. The President of the Senate being the Vice President of the United States

c. The Senate Majority Leader

Which of the following factors is the most important for predicting the outcome of congressional elections? a. The amount of money spent by the candidate b. The size of the voter turnout c. Whether or not a candidate is an incumbent d. Whether or not there are some hot button issues during the campaign

c. Whether or not a candidate is an incumbent

An informal group in congress that can be organized by race, ethnicity, region or issue is known as a...

caucus

Who can draft a bill? a. President b. Interest Groups c. Constituents d. All of the above

d. All of the above

Which of the following is not a standing committee in the House? a. Education and Labor b. Rules c. Way and Means d. Covert Arms Transactions with Iran

d. Covert Arms Transactions with Iran

Which one of the following leadership positions is usually reserved for the person with the longest service in the Senate? a. President of the Senate b. Speaker of the House c. Majority Leader d. President pro-tempore

d. President pro-tempore

Which positions follows the Vice President in the line of presidential succession? a. President pro-tempore b. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court c. Secretary of State d. Speaker of the House

d. Speaker of the House

"Pork barrel" legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because such legislation...

helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district

If the committee pigeonholes a bill, the ______it

ignore

The main difference between a joint committee and conference committee is

joint committees perform investigative or housekeeping duties; conference committees iron out differences in bills from both houses

The Constitution is _____ regarding the organization of Congress.

largely silent

Who may introduce a bill?

only members of congress

They are responsible for making sure party members vote with the leadership on important bills.

party whips

Committee chair is usually selected based on

seniority

All bills except for ______bills can start in either house of Congress.

tax

Why must a conference committee meet on a compromise bill even if both houses pass similar bills?

the bill must be identical when it goes to the President to sign

Once a bill is introduced, where is it sent first?

to a standing committee