POLS 1101 #12 Congress
what factors make members of the house of representatives reluctant to defy the will of their congressional districts?
-smaller districts means House constituencies are often ideologically unified. -short term lengths make reelection challenging
Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking. These include
1) Representing its constituents 2) Acting on presidential actions 3) Setting the national agenda
Racial gerrymandering is
An attempt to increase minority membership in Congress
to end a filibuster, sixty senators must agree to invoke_____ and end the debate?
Cloture
Te redrawing of congressional boundaries to benefit a political party is called
Gerrymandering
Match the characteristics on the right with the chamber with they describe
House - Taxation policies start in this chamber House - This chamber faces more frequent elections Senate - this chamber is more deliberative Senate - Treaties are considered in this chamber.
Match the legislative house to the group the founders intended it to serve
House of Representatives= represents the population Senate= represents the states
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 coincide with the needs of their constituency
Legislatures secure funding for special projects located within their congressional districts by approving _____________ projects.
Pork Barrel
Which committee sets the structure for the debate that ensures in the full House?
Rules Committee
A committee that is created specific policy issues or address a specific concern in the legislature is known as a ________ committee
Select
Congressional leaders are chosen for
Their skills of negotiation and persuasion
The president's opinion concerning a specific bill can influence members of Congress, especially when
They belong to the same party as the president
If a vote in the Senate is tied, the __________ ____________ breaks the tie.
Vice, President
which of the following explains a bill and its intent to the full legislative chamber?
a report
An elderly person deciding to vote to reelect a house representative after the representative has tracked down the constituents Social Security check is an example of how ____________ can benefit an incumbent
casework
Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an _____ because the candidates loses name recognition.
incumbent
in the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the
incumbent
If Democrats hold a majority of the seats in the Senate, each committee and subcommittee will have a____________ of Republicans as members
minority
An elected or appointed official acts as an _____________ when advocating citizens by listening to and investigating complaints against a government agency
ombudsperson
A special presidential veto of a bill passed at the end of a legislative session is referred to as a _________ veto
When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as
redistricting
A permanent committee in congress is know as a _______ committee
standing
The framers has tax bills start in the House because.
- it had a smaller constituency than the senate - it had a shorter electoral term
Which of the following influence agenda setting in Congress.
- Public discourse - House and Senate leaders' goals
Which of the following are members of the House of Leadership?
1. The majority leader 2. the minority leader 3. the majority whip
According to analyses, more legislators use _______ representation
a combination of trustees and instructed delegate models
compared to other industrialized democracies, the United States has a (n) _____________ proportion women serving in the national legislature
smaller
Some examples of Congress's use of the "elastic clause" include
1) Expanding law enforcement authority in terrorism cases 2) Determining an oil company's authority to drill on federal lands 3) Regulating stem cell research.
Interest groups engage in which of the following activities in order to influence legislators' decisions.
1) lobbying 2) grassroots activism 3) financial contributions
Put in order the following general steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law.
1. A member of the house of Representatives or the senate formally proposes the bill 2. The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration 3. A majority of members in the house and senate approve the bill 4. The conference committee reconciles the bill if different versions pass the two houses 5. The president sighs the bill
Which of the following best explain why a member of congress is chosen to party leadership position?
1. Ability to successfully promote the partys goals within congress 2. ability to work with the other party 3. demonstrated leadership ability
Standing committees are important because they
1. Allow Congress to consider a high volume of bills 2. Each specialize in a certain area of legislation
Which of the following are similarities between the House and the Senate
1. Both are chambers of Congress 2. Both propose legislation 3. Both are elected by popular vote
Which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly?
1. Congressional hearings 2. Budgetary appropriators
What sources grant congress its powers?
1. Duties specifically outlined in the constitution 2. extended duties granted by elastic clause of the constitution
Which of the following contribute to incumbents have an advantage during congressional elections.
1. Having greater name recognition 2. Having easier access to media coverage 3. Being able to raise money more easily
Which of the following have a significant influence on the decisions of legislators?
1. Interest groups 2. Constituents 3. Political parties
Besides lawmaking , Congress can
1. Limit the power of the president 2. Regulate currency 3. Administer post offices
Among the reasons why Congress has difficulty taking the lead on board issues are the facts that
1. Members of Congress come from different districts and often have conflicting views on national policy 2. Congress has two chambers, and they are not always in agreement on policy issues
Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House.
1. Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor . 2. Scheduling legislation for floor consideration
Which of the following are ways new legislation can be introduced in the Senate
1. Senators can announce new legislation in a speech on the Senate floor 2. Senators can propose new legislation by offering it as an amendment to an already pending piece of legislation 3. Senators can submit a written draft of the proposed legislation to the senate clerk
Match the House and senate leadership positions with their primary duties
1. The majority leader = Develops the legislative strategy of the party in control of more legislative seats 2. The whip = acts as a go-between with leadership and party members 3. The minority leader= develops the legislative strategy of the party in control of fewer legislative states 4. The president pro tempore = A largely honorary role that presides over Senate in absence of the vice president
Congress gets its powers from sources other than the Constitution, including
1. The media 2. the supreme courts decisions 3. american citizens
Which of the following legislative powers does the president have ?
1. The power to sigh a bill into law 2. The power to veto a bill
Why is the senate a more deliberative chamber that the house or representatives
1. The senate has fewer members 2. The senates electoral terms are longer
Redistricting can lessen the impact of incumbency, especially in years ending in the number
2
Because taxation was such an important power to the farmers, they required that all these measures be granted to
Congress
If the president chooses to veto a bill
Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber
By ensuring that the representatives in Congress work hard to present their perspectives and policy interest,____________ influence the legislative process
Constituents
Each senator represents his or her state, while House members represent their congressional __________
District
Citizens wanting policies that benefit the rural areas, while others advocate for legislation beneficial for urban areas, is an example of this influence that Congress has
In managing societal conflict
Two of the most important influences on congressional elections are
Incumbency and Redistricting
Which of the following functions is the main responsibility of Congress, which all other functions of Congress are related to?
Law making
Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate.
Majority Leader
The Speaker of the House is effectively chosen by the
Majority party
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
Legislators use _______ ________ politics and ______ to bring money and jobs back to their home districts to show their constituents that they are working toward their best interests in Congress.
Pork barrel , earmarks
The process of determining how many House seats each state allowed as a result of population change since the last census is known as
Reapportionment
Which of the following occurs every ten years after the U.S. census and determines how many seats a state receives in the House of Representatives
Reapportionment
which of the following factors have a heavy influence in congressional elections?
Redistricting Incumbency
Which of the following is the term used to refer to the process by which members of congress articulating and voting for the position that best represents the views of their constituents?
Representation
Which of these statements characterizes powers that Congress has been given in the Constitution?
Some are very specific and others are vague
The most powerful leader in the house of representatives is the
Speaker of the House
Who do House and Senate members often rely upon to inform decision making on legislation due to their policy expertise?
Staff Members
In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by
The Rules Committees
Who chairs the Senate in the vice president absence?
The president pro tempore
How do congressional committees subcommittees gather information on issues related to the proposed laws?
Through Hearings
An ___ ___ provides a opportunity for executive agencies that would administer a proposed law to comment to the measure.
agency review
To balance the desire for representations at different levels, the farmers made congress a_________ institutions
bicameral
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 governments expenses is know as the _____________ privilege
franking
donors are more willing to make campaign contributions to
incumbents
Congressional leadership refers bills to the ______ committee
lead
Because it deals with ___________, the senate focuses more on foreign policy issues.
treaties
Since the senate is smaller than the House, it does not require a Rules Committee. Instead, the Senate utilizes__________ consent agreements to limit debate on the floor
unanimous
In the Senate, term of debate are defined through
unanimous consent