APGOPO - Chapter 12 Vocab

Question 1

reapportionment

Answer 1

reallocation of seats in the house of representatives to each state based on changes in the state’s population since the last census

Question 2

redistricting

Answer 2

redrawing of congressional district boundaries within each state, based on the reapportionment from the census

Question 3

gerrymandering

Answer 3

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit an incumbent, a political party, or another group

Question 4

majority-minority district

Answer 4

a legislative district composed of a majority of a given minority community, say, African Americans, the intent of which is to make it likely that a member of that minority will be elected to congress

Question 5

trustee model

Answer 5

a model representation in which a member of the house or senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions

Question 6

instructed delegate model

Answer 6

a model of representation in which legislatures, as representatives of their constituents, should vote in keeping with the constituents’ views, even if those views contradict the legislature’s personal views

Question 7

pork barrel

Answer 7

legislatures appropriations of funds for special projects located within their congressional districts

Question 8

earmark

Answer 8

a designation within a spending bill that provides for a specific expenditure

Question 9

casework

Answer 9

personal work by a member of congress on behalf of a constituent or a group of constituents, typically aimed at getting the government to do something the constituent wants done

Question 10

ombudsperson

Answer 10

a role in which an elected or appointed leader acts as an advocate for citizens by listening to and investigating complaints against a government agency

Question 11

oversight

Answer 11

the process by which the legislative branch “checks” the executive branch to ensure that the laws congress has passed are being administered in keeping with legislatures’ intent

Question 12

agenda setting

Answer 12

the determination by congress of which public issues the government should consider for legislation

Question 13

hopper

Answer 13

a wooden box that sits on a desk at the front of the house of representatives, into which house members place bills they want to introduce

Question 14

joint referral

Answer 14

the practice, abolished in the 104th congress, by which a bill could be referred to two different committees for considerations

Question 15

lead committee

Answer 15

the primary committee considering a bill

Question 16

seniority system

Answer 16

the system in which the member with the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is given preference when the committee chooses its chair

Question 17

standing committee

Answer 17

a permanent committee in congress, with a defined legislative jurisdiction

Question 18

select committee

Answer 18

a congressional committee created to consider specific policy issues or address a specific concern

Question 19

joint committee

Answer 19

a committee composed of members of both chambers of congress

Question 20

agency review

Answer 20

part of the committee or subcommittee process of considering a bill, in which committee members ask executive agencies that would administer the law for written comments on the measure

Question 21

hearings

Answer 21

sessions held by committees or subcommittees to gather information and views from experts

Question 22

markup

Answer 22

the process by which members of legislative committees mark up a bill with suggested language for changes and amendments

Question 23

report

Answer 23

a legislative committee’s explanation to the full chamber of a bill and its intent

Question 24

discharge petition

Answer 24

a special tactic used to extract a bill from a committee to have it considered by the entire house

Question 25

rules committee

Answer 25

one of the most important committees in the house, which decides the length of debate on a given piece of legislation

Question 26

filibuster

Answer 26

a procedural move by a member of the senate to attempt to halt passage of or change a bill, during which the senator can speak for an unlimited time on the senate floor

Question 27

unanimous consent

Answer 27

an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation