hodg gov test unit two
what are the qualifications for becoming a senator
30 years old; resident of the state; citizenship for at least nine years
what are the two important powers that the constitution gives congress
1. power to make laws 2. the power of the purse
what are five direct lobbying techniques
1. setting up private meetings with lawmakers, staff, and executive agency bureaucrats to inform them of their clients' interests 2. providing both policy and political information to desicion-makers 3. assisting lawmakers and their staffs in drafting legislation 4. organizing protest demonstrations 5. hosting campaign fundraisers for candidates
what is lobbying
communicating with government officials to persuade them to support a particular policy position
what is the commerce clause
congress is given the power to regulate trade between states as well as foreign trade
what is the supremacy clause
constitution is the supreme law of the land
what are the four types of local governments
counties, townships, special districts, and municipalities
who was ralph nadar
created a consumer watchdog group called the public citizen; formed or sponsored over fifty public-interest groups
are state constitutions overly detailed or overly general
detailed
who is the senate minority leader
develops alternate plans to the bills put forward by the majority party; if from the same party as the president, will act as chief liasion to the president
what is the best way to be elected into congress
to be up for re-election; it is easier to raise campaign funds, better known among voters, and use their position and staff to help solve problems for their constituents (caseworking)
what are the two types of courts that states have
trial courts and appeal courts (courts that hear cases appealed from the lower courts)
bicameral definition
two chambers
who is the president of the senate and what is their job
vice-president of the us; only votes in a tie; presides over senate; cannot participate in debate; only an honorary title
what is cloture
when someone stops a filibuster and a vote is taken
what is reapportionment
when the state counts its population once every ten years to redistribute the seats in the house
what is a filibuster
when unlimited debate is used to defeat a bill; only legal in the senate
what are the three types of rules that the rules committee can grant a bill
1. an open rule--any amendments can be added to the bill as long as they are relevant 2. a closed rule-- prohibits any amendments 3. a modified rule--allows for amendments to be added to some parts of the bill
what are the seven steps in committee
1. comments on the bill's merit are requested by government agencies 2. bill can be assigned to a subcommittee 3. hearings may be held 4. subcommittees report their findings to the full committee 5. vote by full committee 6. committee amends bill 7. bill goes to rules committee
what are the three steps in floor action in the house
1. legislation is placed on the calendar (decided by speaker and majority leader) 2. debate (bill is debated and amended with guiding by the sponsoring committee and amendments must be germane--no riders are allowed) 3. vote
what are the three steps for floor action in the senate
1. legislation is placed on the legislative calendar (senate also has executive calendar) by the majority leader but bill can be debated on the floor whenever the senate chooses 2. debate (debate is unlimited unless cloture is invoked and riders are allowed) 3. vote
what is one example of indirect techniques
1. members of an organization write, phone, and email legislators (shows size of group and called constituent lobbying
what are six duties of the leaders of congress
1. organize and unify party members 2. schedule the work of congress (decide which bills get to be discussed and ultimately voted on) 3. make certain that members are present for key floor votes 4. distribute and collect information 5. keep congress in touch with the president 6. influence lawmakers to support the policies of their party
what are the four things that a president can do with a bill
1. veto 2. sign 3. pocket veto--president does not sign bill and congress goes out of session 4. not sign and the bill becomes law after 10 days
who many senators must vote to remove the president for him to get convicted
2/3
what are the qualifications for becoming a representative in the house
25 years old; resident of district; citizen for at least seven years
what is the difference between a categorical grant and a block grant
a categorical grant is a federal grant to the state or local government for a specific project while a block grant is a federal grant that provides funds to a states or local government for a general issue
what is federalism
a compromise between confederal and unitary systems
what is recall
a procedure by which voters can remove the governor by way of special election
what is a federal mandate
a requirement in federal legislation that forces states to comply with certain rules
what is a rules committee
a standing committee of the house that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered in the house
what is a labor union
a type of business/economic interest group; includes the american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations is one of the most powerful interest groups
what are professional associations
a type of economic interest group; includes american medical association, screen actors guild, and american bar association;
what role does the senate play in revenue bills
amends the bills
what is the aarp
american association of retired people; most powerful interest group in america; largest dues-paying association in america; leader in grassroots lobbying as it encourages members to contact their elected officials on certain issues; influenced laws geared toward old people such as medicare and medicaid, increases in the cost of living for social security benefits, and stricter guidelines for lending to the elderly; blamed for standing in the way of a social security reform
what is the ACLU
american civil liberties union; grandfather of all public-interest groups; known for its legal battles related to the abuse of civil liberties; forceful protector of the bill of rights
what is an interest group
an organization of people who share a common interest and work together to promote and protect that interest by influencing the government.
what presidents have been impeached
andrew johnson and bill clinton (both were aquitted)
what are the four duties of the speaker of the house
appoint members of committees, schedule bills for action, refer bills to proper house standing committees, and recognize members to speak
where is the elastic clause
article one, section 8, clause 18
what are minority/majority party whips
assistants to the party leaders; keep a tally on how their party members plan to vote on upcoming bills; try to persuade members to vote the party line; prepare the "whip advisory"-- a newsletter discussing important bills coming up for a vote
what powers are only for the national government
borrow money on the credit of the us from other nations, regulate commerce with foreign nations and between states, determine the steps for one to become a us citizen, determine bankruptcy rules, make money, fix standard measures, set punishment for counterfeiting, grant patents and copyrights, establish federal courts, establish post offices, declare war, call up militia (national guard), raise an army and navy
what are the two types of interest groups
economic and non-economic
in what five areas do state legislatures focus their attention
education, roads, health and welfare benefits, law enforcement, and conservation
who is the president pro-tempore
elected by the senate; usually a senior member of the majority party; presides over senate if vp does not; honorary position; new senators take turns actually presiding
what are the five non-legislative powers of congress
electoral powers (selection of the president by the house of representatives and/or vice president if the electoral college cannot come to a majority vote), amending the constitution, impeachment, confirming appointments (majority) and treaties (2/3), and investigative/oversight powers (review policies to see if they are effective and being run properly)
what are three examples of implied powers
establishing the federal reserve, drafting an army, and setting minimum wage and maximum work hours
has the power of the executive branch expanded or contracted
expanded
enumerated powers are also called...
expressed powers
what are the three types of congressional powers
expressed powers, implied powers, and non-legislative powers
what are the three types of powers that congress has
expressed, implied, and non-legislative
what is a unitary system
federal gov has all power
what is a confederal system
federal gov has little power
where are the enumerated powers in the constitution
first 17 clauses of article one, section 8
what are single-issue groups
focus narrowly and intensely on one topic; some of the most powerful interest groups in america
who is the minority party leader
for house: leads the opposition party; elected by the minority party; organizes fellow party members in presenting alternative proposals to those of the majority party; confers with the majority leader; formulates minority party response to the majority party policy and agenda; if from the same party as the president, they will act as the president's spokesman////for senate: develops alternate plans to the bills put forward by the minority party; if same party as president, acts as chief liasion
what is fiscal federalism
funds raised by the national government and spent by state or local governments
who is the highest elected state official
governor; doesn't have any federal powers; launching pad for national office; usually have political background or are a wealthy businessman; has enumerate powers
what are public-interest groups
groups formed to protect the rights, resources, and liberties common to all americans; recent category of interest groups
what are economic interest groups
groups whose goal is to provide economic benefits for its members--include business groups, labor unions, and professional associations
what does fiscal mean
having to do with government revenues and expedentures
what does the power of state legislatures depend on
inverse relationship with the power of the governor
what are three benefits to being in congress
large allowance to pay for staff, trips home, phones, etc; members entitled to an income tax deduction to help maintain two residences; and members may be eligible upon retirement for pensions up to 50,000 each year
what is pork
legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs
what are direct techniques
lobbying policymakers directly; usually done with hired specialists
what is the committee of ways and means
makes recommendations to the house on all bills regarding revenue;
what was mccullough v maryland
maryland tried to tax the national government and the national government refused to pay the taxes, maryland sued the cashier, james mcculloch; chief justice john marshall ruled that the constitution allowed the us to charter a bank and that maryland could not tax it
who is the senate majority leader
most powerful person in the senate; responsible for getting party bills through the senate; plans the senate's work schedule along with the minority leader
what is the elastic clause also known as
necessary and proper clause
can congress make a bill to raise their salary
no but they can raise the salary of congressmen in the next session
why are state governments called laboratories of democracy
no two state governments are exactly alike; successful policies in state governments are often copied into the national government
what does the constitution say about local governments
nothing
what are earmarks
now called programmatic requests; funds that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects within a state or congressional district; type of pork
how often must congress meet
once a year
what are three things that the constitution prohibits congress from doing
passing an ex post facto law, passing a bill of attainer, and suspending the writ of habeas corpus
what are concurrent powers
powers shared between the national and state governments
what is the difference between reapportionment and redistricting
reapportionment is the process of determining how many congressional seats each state gets while redistricting is the redrawing of districts within each state
senate whips
same duties as house whips
what is a conference committee
senior members appointed from the presiding officers of the committee who originally dealt with the bill from each house that hammer out the differences in bills
what is gerrymandering and where does the term come from
shaping districts to the advantage of a party; governer gerry signed a law that redistricted and an editor said the districts looked like a salamander...gerrymander
duties and requirements of the president...
signs bills into laws, acts as the country's representative to the world, and oversees military operations; must be a natural-born us citizen, be at least 35, and have resided in the us for at least 14 years
how long is the term of a senator
six years as to not be subject to the changing moods of the public; elected 1/3 at a time
who is the majority leader in the house of representatives
speakers top assistant; in charge of his party's legislative program; assists the speaker of the house in making committees appointments; creates and maintains the house agenda; schedules floor debate on bills; makes sure that the chairperson on committees finish work on bills important to the party; elected by the majority party
does the state or national government have a greater effect on people's lives
state governments
what is cooperative federalism
states and nation cooperate in solving problems
what are two examples of concurrent powers
taxation and running a court system
how can the national government overcome some powers reserved for the states
tell the states that the gov won't fund something unless a state passes a certain law
what is police power
the authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, safety, and welfare of the people; in the us, police power is reserved for the states
who presides over an impeachment trial
the chief justice of the supreme court
where does the concept of implied powers come from
the elastic clause
what is an example of the elastic clause
the federal government works on highway construction, which is justified by its enumerated power to facilitate interstate commerce
what part of congress can impeach the president
the house
where must revenue bills originate
the house
who is the speaker of the house
the person who presides over the house; most powerful leader in congress; third in line for president; expected to be nonpartisan; allowed to engage in debate; uses skills of negotiation and compromise; appoints members of some committees; schedules bills for action; refers bills to committees; recognizes members to speak
what is the senate counterpart of the committee of ways and means
the senate committee on finance
what part of congress can conduct an impeachment trial
the senate; only decides if he will be removed from office
who refers bills to a committee
the speaker of the house or the presiding officer in the senate if not the speaker
what is a general/state assemby
the state house of representatives
what is devolution
the transfer of powers from national to state governments
how does the senate check the president
they advise and consent to all treaties and appointments
how is the speaker of the house chosen
they are elected by the majority party and voted on by the entire house
why are most state legislators also lawyers
they are only in session for several months in a year and this irregular schedule fits perfectly with a part-time law practice
how do state governments compare to the national government
they are the same with a constitution, executive, legislative, and judicial branch but on a smaller scale; they also share power with local governments
how do state legislatures compare to congress
they both represent and serve their constituents, work with executive leaders to pass laws, stand for election at regular intervals, and receive their power from a state constitution; material in states differs from congress state legislatures are the oldest democratic institution in the united states
why do governors make good presidents
they have a lot of executive experience and know how to delegate authority and responsibility
what is the one thing that is the same about each states state legislature
they meet in the statehouse, which is at the capital
how were senators originally chosen
they were initially elected by state legislatures but the 17th amendment made it so that they are elected
what is dual federalism
where national and state governments are equal in power
what are indirect techniques
working through third parties to influence legislators and shape policy
does the constitution list things that states cannot do
yes