Congress- Poli Sci 2310

Among the reason why Congress has difficulty taking the lead on a broad issues are the facts that

- Congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues - Members of Congress come from different and often have conflicting views on national policy

On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party's leaders to

- Shape the bill's broad content -Direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee

What activities are typically taken place in a party caucus?

-Adopting a single policy message -Developing issues

Speaker of the House has the right to...

-Choose who may speak on the House floor -Select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee -Speak first during House debate on legislation

Oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly...

-Congressional hearings -Budgetary appropriations

Could be considered personal misconduct that might lead to a Congressional incumbent losing a bid for reelection?

-Engaging in bribery -Being involved in a sexual scandal

In terms of the budget to hire office staff,

-House members receive identical amounts of money. -Snators receive varying amounts of money, depending on the population of their state

Functions of Congress

-Lawmaking -Representation -Oversight

Midterm Elections

-Less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election -The president's party usually loses seats -Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections

Congressional Committees

-Make it possible for Congress to consider a high volume of bills -Each specialize in a certain are of legislation

Common threats to incumbency....

-Personal misconduct -Disruptive issues -Strong Challengers

Why is a member of Congress chosen to a party leadership position?

-ability to successfully promote the party's goals within congress -ability to work with the other party -demonstrated leadership ability

Makes a Senate challenger more likely to be successful

-having strong public recognition -having an existing campaign organization -having access to large sums of money to fund the campaign

Joint Committees

-perform advisory functions -Composed of members of both houses

Reapportionment takes place every ____ years following a census.

10

Incumbents to the United States Senate are only defeated in ____ of re-election races.

16%

In order to be a member of the Senate, a person must be ___ years of age and a citizen for at least ____ years.

30 years old and 9 years

Compared to the 1980's the cost of running for the House of Representatives has risen by more than _____ in 2010.

600%

Step 3 of a bill becoming a law

A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill

The framers of the Constitution intended that lawmakers ______, something which had become increasingly difficult in today's partisan Congress.

Act in spirit of compromise

______ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes a law.

Bill

To end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke _____ to end the debate.

Cloture

Members of Congress are attentive to the concern of the constituents because .....

Constituents determine whether of not they stay in office

Select Committees

Designed to address a specific issue or problem

Most of the bills Congress passes are _______ in nature which means they provide benefits to a particular group in society while spreading the costs across the taxpaying public as a whole.

Distributive

When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill, a _____ may take place.

Filibuster

The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constituencies at the government's expense is known as the _____ privilege.

Franking

Hearings are an effective way for committees to....

Gather Information

What is a problem that is most likely to jeopardize an incumbents chances of reelection?

Getting caught in a scandal

When a committee or subcommittee holds a ______, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.

Hearing

Every bill must be approved by both the House and Senate in ___ form before it can be sent to the president.

Identical

In the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the...

Incumbent

Donors are more willing to make campaign contributions to....

Incumbents

When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have....

Jurisdiction

One reason why standing committees are powerful is that they have by law....

Jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

The increase in party polarization in Congress had led to increased....

Legislative Gridlock

The practice in which a member of Congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague's vote on another bill is called _____.

Logrolling

The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the....

Majority

Which position in the Senate schedules debates on legislation?

Majority leader

If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, then _____ amendments are permitted

No

Which of the following describes the power of congress relative to the other branches of government?

No executive agency or lower court can exist without congressional authorization

The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a ________ vote.

Roll- Call

Choosing Committee chairs based on which member had the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the _______________

Seniority System

A permanent committee in Congress is known as a _____ committee

Standing

Incumbents have ___ over challengers.

Substantial advantage

What occurs after a conference committee reconciles differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill?

The bill goes back to both chambers for a vote

Step 2 of a bill becoming a law

The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration

What is a legislative power the president does NOT possess?

The power to sign only part of a bill into law

Step 4 of a bill becoming a law

The president signs the bill

What is true of bills that emerge from committee with the full support of the committee members?

They are typically passed by an overwhelming majority

What is right of the presidents pro tempore?

They preside over the Senate for the Vice President

Who has the power over the Senate and vote in case of a tie but otherwise has little real authority in the Senate?

Vice President of the United States

Example of Congress's ______ is when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by

the Rules Committee

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?

- Women and minorities have a winning percentage that is roughly the same as nonincumbent white males -Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males

True of bills that are killed in committee

-Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them -They can be brought back to life by a vote of the House of Senate -Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone

A bill becomes a law when.....

-When Congress overrides a presidential veto -When the president signs it

Duties of the Speaker of the House

-recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor -scheduling legislation for flooy consideration

The U.S Congress is a ______ legislature with two chambers, the House and the Senate

Bicameral

The framers of the constitution granted the power to______, the greatest of all powers of government.

Make laws

What is a major reason why incumbents are reelected?

Once elected, most incumbents make sure their districts go through reapportionment to ensure homogeneity

When there is no incumbent in an election it is called ________ election and usually sparks heavier spending by the two political parties.

Open-seat

Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by congress is an important function of congress and is known as....

Oversight Function

To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a _________

Party Caucus

A vote where most members of one political party vote one way while most members of the other party vote the other way is categorized as a ____ vote.

Party Vote

Why is the president usually better suited than Congress to taking the lead on broad national issues?

President has sole executive authority and thus can decide a course of action without needing the consent of other top executives

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power, usually legal

When congressional districts boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as.....

Redistricting

Step 1 of a bill becoming a law

A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill

Partisan voting occurs more often when members are voting on _____ issues that involve intense partisan difference.

Domestic Policy

In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ______, or propose changes to, a bill.

Mark Up

Elections held in the years between presidential elections are called ______ elections.

Midterm elections

When major disruptive issues occur incumbents are...

More likely to lose

Members of Congress may experience conflict between their lawmaking responsibility and their responsibility to represent their constituency because...

Not all policies that are good for the nation as a whole coincides with the needs of their constituency