13. The Legislative Part III Flashcards
Is the organization of Congress including its rules, procedures, management, and decision making structure separate from the Constitutional Powers granted by Article I or a part of it?
Separate
Who manages the work of Congress?
Political Parties (which are informal political institutions not mentioned in the Constitution)
How often do parties assemble their members & what do they do?
They assemble them every 2 years & settle internal policy questions
What are the names of the 2 political groups in Congress?
Party Conferences (Republicans) & Caucuses (Democrats)
What is the speaker of the house & duties?
A position selected every 2 years to Lead the House of Representatives & seen as the ‘Head’ of the majority party. They decide which bills to consider
What is the Majority leader?
the party leader for each political party who possesses the power to set the legislative agenda, appoint members to committes, & influence the process of debate
Important Figures
Speaker of the House-Nancy Pelosi CA Majority Leader H-Steny Hoyer MA Majority Leader S-Chuck Schumer NY Minority Leader H-Kevin McCarthy CA Minority Leader S-Mitch McConnell KY
What are majority/minority whips?
Party leaders tasked with organizing members of each party to vote together
What is the Committee system in Congress?
Congress informally dividing its members into various specialized committees to help manage the difficult task of proposing, deliberating, & voting on bills (potential laws)
What are Standing Committees?
A system of permanent legislative committees that consider proposed laws on specialized topics. They’re then divided into sub-committees & appointed by party leadership
What is the House Rules Committee?
a specialized committee in the House tasked with setting the legislative calendar, as well as the rules governing debate on each bill (Length of debate, open v closed debate possibility for amendments)
What is the legislative process bill to law?
Proposal (H or S) ->assignment to sub(committee)->Rec to full chamber ->House rules committee/ Senate-> passage in a single chamber -> alternative chamber ->conference committee->Presidential approval
What is the Conference Committee?
a temporary committee compromised of both house & senate members & is created only if the lang of the bill in the house & senate differs
What is the Build Back Better Bill?
Introduced to house September. Passed in House. Dies in Senate. 1.7. Trillion federal spending. 273 billion (universal pre-k, paid family leave, expanded child tax credit, 500 billion for climate change)
What is a Talking Filibuster?
a tactic used by minority group members of the senate who oppose & prevent the passage of a bill(despite the bill having enough votes to pass)
