APGovCh.6.Jimmy.Dimas Flashcards
Apportionment
the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its population, following the decennial census
Sentence: The apportionment of congressional seats seem to be fair and not favorable to one state.
bicameral legislature
a two-house legislature
Sentence: The United States Congress is an example pf a bicameral legislature because it is made up of the Senate and House of Representatives.
bill
a proposed law
Sentence: There have been many bills passed over the years and some where even proposed by the interest pf people.
cloture
Mechanism requiring the vote of sixty senators to cut off debate
Sentence: To prevent a filibuster from occurring cloture was introduced to speed up to the final vote.
Committee of the Whole
A procedure that allows the House of Representatives to deliberate with a lower quorum and to expedite consideration and amendment of a bill
Sentence: If a Committee of the Whole is included on the day of debate of the bill, it can quicken the process with 100 members debating.
conference committee
Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
Sentence: Conference committee are helpful because there have many instances were certain bills have been challenged.
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
Act that established the congressional budgetary process by laying out a plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills
Sentence: The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is necessary in order for Congress not to over spend on certain things.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Created in 1974, the CBO provides Congress with evaluations of the potential economic effects of proposed spending policies and also analyzes the president’s budget and economic projections
Sentence: In order to predict how a economic plan will play out, the Congressional Budget Office was created.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Created in 1914, the non-partisan CRS provides information, studies, and research in support of the work of Congress, and prepares summaries and tracks the progress of all bill.
Sentence: The congressional research service is necessary to keep tract how a bill has been doing, either positively or negatively affecting the U.S.
congressional review
A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval
Sentence: Congressional review is only valid if it is within the sixty days after the implementation of an administrative action.
delegate
Role played by an elected representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want, regardless of personal opinion
Sentence: A delegate is different from a trustee in that they don’t listen to their own personal opinion.
discharge petition
Petitions that gives majority of the House the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction
Sentence: Discharge petitions are set with a majority vote of 218 votes from the House of Representatives.
divided government
The political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and Congress
Sentence: We are currently in a divided government that will affects the law making process this year.
Edmund Burke
Conservative British political philosopher of the eighteenth century who articulated the view that elected representatives should act as “trustees” and use their own best judgment when voting.
Sentence: Edmund Burke has convinced many elected officials in government to act in their best interest for them and the people.
filibuster
A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate
Sentence: There are several ways a filibuster can take place to delay the vote which include reciting poetry or reading from a phone book.
gerrymandering
The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district
Sentence: When in the redistricting process gerrymandering may be a step chosen to make sure equal chance is given.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Established in 1921, the GAO is an independent regulatory agency for the purpose of auditing the financial expenditures of the executive branch and federal agencies; until 2004, the GOA was known as the General Accounting Office.
Sentence: The Government Accountability Office helps reassure the public that the executive branch is using their money wisely and benefiting the nation.
Hillary Clinton
First female major party candidate for president of the United States, a Democrat, who ran against President Donald J. Trump in 2016. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013; New York senator from 2001 to 2009; former first lady.
Sentence: During the presidential election in 2016, Hillary Clinton started losing supporters after reports of scandalous emails from her have been released.
hold
A procedure by which a senator asks to be informed before a bill or nomination is brought to the floor. Signals to leadership that a member may have objections to the bill (or nomination) and should be consulted before further action is taken
Sentence: A hold can be placed for several reasons which include reviewing, negotiating changes, or attempting to kill the bill.
House Committee on Rules
The influential “Rules Committee” determines the scheduling and conditions, such as length debate and type of allowable amendments, for all bills in the House of Representatives (but not in the Senate, where debate is less regulated).
Sentence: The chair of the House Committee on Rules is determined by the Speaker as a crucial point in the process of bill making.
impeachment
The power delegated to the House of Rep. in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other “civil officers,” including federal judges, with “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” This is the first step in the constitutional process of removing government officials from office
Sentence: There have been many times that the people of the U.S. wanted the impeachment of Donald J. Trump.
incumbency
already holding an office
Sentence: When a president runs again for a second term, they will have a better chance of winning because of their incumbency.
joint committee
Standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies
Sentence: Joint committees tend to focus on major matters such as the economy, taxation, and most interestingly the scandals within the government.
logrolling
Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support
Sentence: Logrolling is only allowed in some elections, but it can be useful when you have a change of heart or you feel one candidate it stronger than the other.
majority leader
The head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and the most powerful member of the Senate
Sentence: Our current majority leader for the Senate is Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell
majority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members
Sentence: The majority party in each of the houses in Congress is important to have greater power within that house.
markup
A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor
Sentence: A markup is important in order to make a change that would better benefit the country if the bill is passed.
minority leader
The head of the party with the second highest number of elected reps. in the House or Senate
Sentence: Our current minority leader of the Senate is Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer.
minority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members
Sentence: The current minority party in the House of Representatives are the Republicans.
party caucus (or conference)
A formal gathering of all party members
Sentence: Today the party caucuses have several roles including nominating or electing party officers.
pocket veto
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without the president’s signature
Sentence: A bill has to go through many obstacles before it can be considered a law, but it can not make it if it goes to a pocket veto.
politico
An elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue
Sentence: Being a politico comes with uncertainty in how they make their decision based on the different issues that come up.
pork
Legislation that allows reps. to bring money and jobs back to their districts in the form of public works programs
Sentence: With the help of pork, representatives can help their districts grow and become more prosperous by bringing in money.
Presidential pro tempore
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party
Sentence: The presidential pro tempore usually stays in office until the majority party in Congress changes.
Programmatic requests
Federal funds designated for special projects within a state or congressional district
Sentence: Certain projects can be assured money and funding if they have programmatic requests by a bill to do so.
reconcilitation
A procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster
Sentence: The process of reconciliation became popular in the 2010s when it was used to pass the health care reform bill.
redistricting
The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state
Sentence: Redistricting is important when district lines are redrawn to make sure the majority in that district ensure formation of voting districts that protect their majority.
Richard M. Nixon
The thirty-seventh president, a Republican, who served from 1969 to 1974. Nixon advocated detente during the Cold War and resigned rather than face impeachment and likely removal from office due to the Watergate scandal.
Sentence: Former President Richard M. Nixon almost got impeached for the Watergate Scandal, and rather resigned, the first time ever.
select (or special) committee
Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose
Sentence: During the scandal of Hillary Clinton’s emails and her presidential campaign, select committees were set up to investigate her.
senatorial courtesy
A process by which presidents generally allow senators from the state to block a nomination by registering objection
Sentence: Senatorial courtesy doesn’t allow new nominations to come through which can be a problem when trying to create a diverse nation.
seniority
Time of continuous service on a committee
Sentence: Seniority is no longer a way of appointing the committee chairs in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Speaker of the House
The only officer of the House of Reps. specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority party
Sentence: A new Speaker of the House is always elected whenever there is a new Congress or when the former speaker dies or resigns.
standing committee
Committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next
Sentence: Standing committees are different than joint committees because they do not include members from both houses of Congress.
trustee
Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinions and then uses his or her best judgement to make a final decision
Sentence: Without a trustee who people cannot trust to make a good decision, the decision will not be favored.
unified government
The political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress
Sentence: A unified government is more beneficial because there wouldn’t be much trouble passing laws that cause differences between the two parties.
veto
The formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by Congress
Sentence: Donald Trump has the power to veto bills that he thinks are not right and beneficial to the country.
War Powers Resolution
Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a 60 day period unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period
Sentence: The War Powers Resolution helps the soldiers become safe if they are sent by a president who doesn’t know what they are doing.
whip
Party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote counts on key legislations, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within a party
Sentence: The whips of the Republican and Democratic parties helps its own majority or minority leaders with leadership effort.
