Chapter 7: Congress At Work

Appropriations Bill:

a proposed law to authorize spending money

Rider:

a provision included in a bill on a subject other than the one covered in the bill

Entitlement:

a required government expenditure (The action of spending funds) that continues from one year to the next

Continuing resolution:

a resolution that keeps the government open and operating under the previous level of appropriation during times when Congress cannot agree on a new appropriation

The committee's tax bills are usually debated on the House floor under a ________ rule, which forbids members from offering any amendments to a bill from the floor.

closed

Interest groups and their lobbyists also focus their attention on what?

congressional committees.

A ______ resolution is a resolution passed in the same form by both houses. When this resolution is signed by the president, it has the force of law; in that way it is very similar to a bill. These resolutions are often used to correct an error in an earlier law or to appropriate money for a special purpose. This resolution is also used if Congress wants to propose a constitutional amendment, but this does not require the president's signature.

joint

The paid representatives of interest groups, called ____________, are another important influence on Congress.

lobbyists

When two or more lawmakers agree to support each other's bills, it is called _____________.

logrolling

Regardless of political party, supporters of a bill prefer a closed rule in order to speed the bill to passage. By contrast, opponents want an _________ rule, which permits floor debate and the addition of amendments to the bill.

open

In 2004, members of Congress added riders to an appropriations bill to block a regulatory commission's ruling that restrained big media companies, and to block a Labor Department ruling that limited some workers' what?

overtime pay.

Earmarks:

part of a funding bill that will go toward a certain purpose

Lobbyists are large contributors both to individual candidates and to ________________ (PACs).

political action committees

PACs are:

political fund-raising organizations established by corporations, labor unions, and other special interests and ideological groups.

When Congress passes laws to appropriate money for such local federal projects, it is sometimes called ____-___ legislation. This kind of legislation often draws criticism

pork-barrel

The ____________ has the best stage for influencing public opinion.

president

Two types of bills are introduced in Congress:

private bills and public bills.

The House uses a fourth method to vote on bills, the ______________ vote, where votes are recorded electronically and displayed on panels.

recorded vote

Besides passing laws, Congress can also pass __________ to make policy on an unusual or temporary matter.

resolutions

A ________ resolution covers matters affecting only one house of Congress and is passed by that house alone. If a new rule or procedure is needed, for example, it is adopted in the form of a resolution.

simple

Pocket Veto:

when a president kills a bill passed during the last 10 days Congress is in session by simply refusing to act on it

Authorization bill:

a bill that sets up a federal program and specifies how much money may be appropriated for the program

The House of Representatives prohibits its former members from making any appearance of communication with the intent to influence the legislative branch for ______ year(s) after they leave office. The Senate extends that ban to _____ years.

1, 2

Why do parties often vote together?

1. Duh, same parties. 2. Many lawmakers do not have strong opinions on every issue 3. Peer pressure... XD Wierd but true

Casework serves three important purposes:

1. Helps get lawmakers reelected 2. Casework is one way Congress monitors the performance of the executive branch. 3. Helping voters with problems is part of what lawmakers are supposed to do.

Fewer than 10 percent of all bills introduced in Congress become public laws. Why is this true?

1. It has a super long process 2. The people must be willing to bargain, since nobody will all agree on everything 3. They might die out of popularity 4. They are intended to solve problems, but some are ineffective

Veteran lawmakers have described three elements to representation in Congress:`

1. Passing or opposing legislation 2. Educating the public on what the issues are 3. Have a duty of advocacy to plead their constituents' interests

Besides providing constituent services, members try to bring federal projects to their districts and states. They do this in three ways:

1. Through legislation that directs spending to their districts and states 2. By winning federal grants and contracts 3. By working to keep existing federal projects.

Both the House and Senate appropriations committees have ____ subcommittees covering the same policy areas.

12

Congress can override a president's veto with a______ vote in both houses. I

2/3

Public Bill:

A bill dealing with general matters and applying to the entire nation (address tax cuts, national health insurance, gun control, civil rights, or abortion. The press covers major bills heavily and they may be debated for months before becoming law. Major public bills like these account for a large number of all bills passed).

Private bills:

A bill dealing with individual people or places (used to make up a significant percentage of congressional bills, but not lately. In the 112th Congress, fewer than 100 of the close to 7,000 bills introduced were private ones).

Why would a committee report a bill, but not recommend passage?

A committee may believe the full House should have the opportunity to consider a bill even though the committee does not support it.

Appropriating money follows a two-step procedure:

An authorization bill and an appropriations bill.

Members of Congress do not vote on grants and contracts as they do on pork-barrel legislation. Instead, executive branch agencies like the Defense Department or the Department of Labor do what?

Award them. Lawmakers, however, try to influence agency decisions in several ways.

Lawmakers sometimes attach many riders to a bill for a variety of constituents—the bill then resembles a what?

Christmas tree loaded with ornaments.

____________ resolutions cover matters requiring the action of the House and Senate but on which a law is not needed. For example, this resolution might set the date for adjourning Congress or express Congress's opinion on an issue. Both houses of Congress must pass these resolutions, but they do not require the president's signature, and they do not have the force of law.

Concurrent

The House and Senate appropriations committees do not have a voice in what?

Federal government spending

These two things are very important to lawmakers and their districts or states. These things are a vital source of money and jobs and can radically affect the economy of a state.

Federal grants and contracts

All tax bills start in the _______.

House

Voters usually expect their representatives to put the needs of their district ahead of nationwide needs. But what if a conflict arises between what the lawmaker thinks is needed and what constituents want?

In a national opinion survey, most people still said their lawmaker should "follow what people in the district want."

When senators or representatives retire or are defeated for reelection, many of them become congressional ________________.

Lobbyists

Not a question

Many lawmakers complain that voters claim to want less government in their lives, but, in fact, they demand more and more from their representatives. Sometimes voters make unreasonable requests or ask for help a lawmaker is unwilling to deliver.

Obama had substantial Democratic majorities in Congress. The Affordable Care Act was passed without a single what?

Republican Vote :D

After both houses have approved an identical bill, where does it go?

TO DA PRES

The national government gets most of its revenues from _________.

Taxes

House and Senate members can vote on a bill in one of three ways:

Voice vote—together members call out "Aye" or "No"; A standing vote, or division vote—the "Ayes" stand to be counted, and the "Nos" stand to be counted; Roll-call vote—each member says "Aye" or "No" as names are called in alphabetical order.

There are times when Congress can act with speed when passing bills:

When a crisis occurs, and when public protests grow loud enough

The power of _______________-, or approval of government spending, belongs to Congress

appropriation

What is floor action?

both houses have special procedures to schedule bills for debates and votes that involve the whole House or Senate

Helping constituents with problems is called _____________, and all lawmakers today are involved with it.

casework

All lawmakers have staff members called _______________ to handle constituent problems.

caseworkers

Lobbying:

direct contact made by lobbyists to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest groups favor

The floor debate, is the point where amendments can be added to a bill unless what?

the House has adopted a closed rule—meaning no amendments can be adopted.