Government Unit 4 Test

expressed

power of Foreign Relations

expressed

power of creating nationalization laws

expressed

power to borrow

expressed

power to coin money

expressed

power to declare war

expressed

power to establish post offices

expressed

power to manage the nation's debt

expressed

power to regulate commerce

expressed

power to regulate foreign and interstate trade ("power" is very vague) (i.e. setting minimum wage)

expressed

power to take public money for government use

expressed

power to tax

expressed

power to use taxes to pay for many public services that serve and protect citizens (i.e. schools, military, roads)

Implied Powers

powers that are 'suggested' in the constitution

expressed

regulating the worth of paper money

non-legislative

Impeachment process

non-legislative

25th amendment - if a vacancy exists in the VP, the congress will approve the new nomination.

Tax

A charge levied by Gov't on persons or property to meet public needs

Consensus

A general agreement

Select Committee

A legislative committee created for a limited time and specific purpose

Doctrine

A principle

Rider

A provision added to a popular bill because it is unlikely to succeed on its own

Indirect Tax

A tax levied on one party but passed on to another for payment

Direct Tax

A tax that must be paid by the person on whom it is levied

non-legislative

Constitutional Amendments

Natural Born

Born in US territory of on US owned property, or a US citizen

expressed

Judicial Powers

Discharge Petition

Can force a committee to bring a bill to the floor of the House or Senate

Legal Tender

Any kind of money that a creditor must, by law, accept in payment of debts

non-legislative

Approve treaties

implied

Necessary and Proper Clause

Veto

Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by Congress

Naturalized

Citizenship gained from another country

non-legislative

Congress proposes changes to the constitution with a ⅔ vote in both houses

non-legislative

If no candidate has a majority of the Electoral vote, the house elects the president and the senate elects the VP

implied

Creating national bank

expressed

Currency Power

War Powers

Declare war, raise and maintain an army and navy, call up militias (national guard), restrict non-war use of troops

Coining Money

Determining the types of currency to use and to make it (coins, bills)

Constituency

Each member of the House of Reps represents about 640,000 people

Copyright

Exclusive right to an author for the publication and resale of their work. (life plus 70 years.)

non-legislative

Executive Powers of the senate

non-legislative

Find if programs are being run properly

expressed

Fix the standard of weights and measures

non-legislative

Gather info for making laws

Deficit Financing

Governments continue to pay, and therefore must continue to borrow, and therefore is always in debt

Cloture

How senate can defeat filibuster. requires a 3/5ths majority vote

Gerrymander

How you might describe a congressional district that has been drawn by a legislature in a very odd shape

Regulating the worth of paper money

In the past, they backed the bills with precious metals (silver, gold, etc) thus giving it value. Now that is not the case. Basically, you could (in theory) trade it in for certain amounts of silver or gold

non-legislative

Investigations

Bankruptcy

Legal proceeding in which the bankrupt person's assets are distributed among those to whom a debt is owed

expressed

Make Laws concerning Bankruptcy

Resolution

Measure relating to the business of either house or expressing an opinion

Partisan

Member of Congress who votes primarily according to the wishes of their party

Term

Members of the House of Reps are elected for 2 years

Debt

Owed by the federal government, but private citizens can buy some of it. Other countries can also buy it.

expressed

Power to acquire, manage, and dispose of various federal areas

Expressed Powers

Powers of Congress that are specifically spelled out in the Constitution

Naturalization

Process of becoming a US citizen

expressed

Promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts by securing exclusive Right to their respective writings and Discoveries.

non-legislative

Review effectiveness of laws

Party Caucus

Selects the party's leaders in each house of Congress

Power of Foreign Relations

Suggest foreign policy

Tarrifs

Taxes levied against imported goods to encourage the buying of American Made products

Off Year Election

The election cycle between Presidential elections

Oversight Function

The function Congress is performing when it checks on the programs of the executive branch

Quorum

The minimum number of legislators needed to conduct official business

Public Debt

The money owed by the Federal Gov't to its creditors

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the House of Reps, chosen by and from the majority party

Franking Privilege

The right of members of Congress to send mail postage-free by using a signature in place of a stamp

Patent

The sole right to sell and invention for a certain period of time

Non-Legislative Powers

Things congress does to help the country run smoother

Appropriate

To assign money to a particular purpose

expressed

all mail crimes are federal crimes (tampering with mail, use mail to commit fraud, damaging federal mailboxes)

Rider

Unpopular provision added to an important bill certain to pass

expressed

Using money to finance projects that are not in the budget. There is no Constitutional ceiling on how much can be borrowed.

Filibuster

Various tactics aimed at defeating a bill in a legislative body by preventing a vote

Reapportion

What happens to the seats in the House of Reps every decade

Prorogue

What the President can do if the two houses of Congress cannot agree on a date to adjourn

Adjourn

When Congress suspends its meeting

Fix the standard of weights and measures

allows for an accurate, uniform gauge of time, distance, area, weight, volume, etc. We use the english system

Special Session

When the body convenes outside of the normal legislative session usually for an emergency. It has lost its importance because congress meets nearly year round

The Vice President

Who is the President of the Senate?

non-legislative

approve presidential appointments

impeach

bring charges against (done by the house)

expressed

congress sets up post offices (over 39,000 today)

expressed

create all courts below the supreme court

expressed

define federal crimes and punishments (Counterfeiting, piracy, offenses against other nations, treason)

expressed

established mail routes (including airways, railroads, and waterways)

expressed

impeachment and removal of government officials

conviction

innocence or guilt

implied

military draft

implied

minimum wage

Inflation

more supply lessens the value

non-legislative

removing the president, VP and all civil officers of the fed govt.

Eminent Domain

the inherent power to take private property for public use

Senatorial Courtesy

the practice in which the Senate will turn down an appointment if it is opposed by a senator of the President's party from the State involved.

expressed

what can be legally carried in the mail