US Govt. Chapter 5

Appropriation

A Congressional act or bill that sets aside funds for specific purposes. Also called the "power of purse". Congress can refuse or accept budget requests from the executive branch.

Joint Resolution

A Congressional measure used in a certain out-of-the-ordinary circumstances and has the force of law if passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president.

Direct Tax

A __________an individual pays directly to the government. Deficit- Government revenue is lower than expense. Limited by the Constitution. Article I, Section 9, Clause 4, says that __________have to be levied in proportion to a state's population as determined by the census.

Filibuster

A _________occurs when opponents of a measure take the floor of the Senate and refuse to stop talking in an effort to prevent the measure coming up for a vote. The tactic is used when a minority knows that a measure is likely to pass if it ever comes to a vote. _________hope that if they can stall action long enough, the rest of the Senate will eventually be forced to move on to other business.

Conference Comittee

A joint committee formed from both houses to resolve differences between the house and the senate version of the bill.

Bill of Attainder

A law that punishes a person without trial, which is prohibited for Congress to execute.

Party Caucus

A meeting of all house members from a particular party held to elect party officers.

Constituents

A member of Congress represents their constituents. ____________ are a group of people who live in a certain state.

Roll-call vote

A vote in which Congress men Rex are required to publicly announce their vote. This is also called a recorded vote.

Indirect Tax

An _________is a _______ levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the government. Today the federal government collects _________ for products such as gasoline, liquor, and airline tickets. The seller simply includes the ________in the price of the product.

Commerce Clause

An expressed power of Congress. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution which depicts the commerce powers granted to Congress.

President of the Senate

Article I, Section 3, Clause 4, of the Constitution assigns the job of __________ to the vice president of the United States. The position is largely ceremonial. As _____________, the vice president may preside over debate in the chamber, acknowledging speakers and making sure everyone follows the rules of debate.

Oversight

Congress has the power to check in with the executive branch and make sure that laws passed are properly being enforced.

Concurrent resolutions

Congress sometimes considers ________, by which both houses of Congress address matters that affect the operations of both chambers or express an opinion. These are not signed by the president and do not have the force of law.

Floor Leader

Each party also elects a floor leader to help manage the actions and strategy of the party in the House. The __________ of the majority party, known as the majority leader, serves as the assistant to the Speaker. The ___________ of the minority party is known as the minority leader

Elastic Clause

Explains the Implied powers of Congress. Article I, Section 8, Clause 18, which gives the national legislature the power to "make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the [expressed] Powers and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States." This _______is known variously as the ___________or the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Explains the Implied powers of Congress. Article I, Section 8, Clause 18, which gives the national legislature the power to "make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the [expressed] Powers and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States." This _______is known variously as the elastic clause or the __________.

Senate Majority Leader

Like the House, the Senate has party leaders who guide the work of the majority and minority parties. In the Senate, the most powerful position belongs to the _______________. This figure is chosen by a vote of the majority party. This vote takes place at a party caucus at the start of each term.

Habeas Corpus

Means "you have the body" in Greek.

Bills

Proposed Laws

Poison pill

Rider makes Bill Unpopular to pass.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

The Constitution includes several clauses that protect people's basic civil rights. Article I, Section 9, Clause 2, bars Congress from suspending the ________________, a court order that forces the police to present a person in court to face charges, except in cases of rebellion or invasion. ____________is a Latin phrase meaning "you have the body." The purpose of the writ is to prevent a government from holding people in secret or without charge.

Committee of the Whole

The House forms itself into a ___________. In effect, all House members become members of a single committee. The Speaker of the House names a member of the majority party to serve as chair of the committee.

Standing Committees

The House has 20 ____________, or permanent committees. _______ address the major areas in which most proposed laws fall, such as agriculture, the budget, and the armed services.

Apportionment

The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives among the states. The seats are ______________amongst the states based on population. Who is in charge of appointments?

Gerrymandering

The drawing of district boundaries for political advantages.

Whips

The job of the ________is to encourage fellow party members to vote as the party leadership wants. ______collect information about what members are thinking—and alert leaders about members whose vote cannot be counted on. The name _______suggests that sometimes the form of encouragement borders on force. In addition to the ________,each party has upwards of 100 assistant ______reporting to the _____.

Quorum

The number of representatives for Committees necessary to conduct business. There're are 218 representatives for Committees today, but only 100 people are necessary to conduct business.

President pro tempore

The person who presides in the absence of the president of the Senate. By tradition, this position goes to the senator from the majority party who has the longest record of service in the Senate. The _____________is third in line, behind the Speaker of the House, to succeed the president.

Pocket Veto

The president may choose not to sign the bill. After 10 days (excluding Sundays), if Congress remains in session, the bill becomes law. But, if during those 10 days Congress adjourns—ends its session—the bill does not become law.

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, elected by members of the House of Representatives and comes from the political party that holds the most seats—the majority party.

Impeachment

The process of charging officials in the executive and judicial branches with wrongdoing and bringing them up to trial. Congress has the power to __________. If found guilty _________officials can be removed from office before the completion of their term.

Seniority Rule

The tradition in the Senate in which the chair of a committee is given to the most senior majority Senator on the committee.

Cloture

The vote to end a debate of a Bill in the Senate.

Rider

This is a provision that bears little relationship to the bill's main topic. The goal of a _________is to add an unpopular provision to a bill that is likely to be passed in order to allow the unpopular provision to "_______" in on the broader bill's popularity. In some cases, however, _______are added in hopes of killing a bill. Such a _______, called a "poison pill," makes the bill too unpopular to pass.

Reapportionment

When the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives is adjusted as a result of a population census.

Ex post facto laws

________________, which criminalize an action that took place in the past and that were legal at that time, are likewise forbidden by the Constitution. Ex post facto is another Latin phrase, meaning "from after the fact