Ch 6: Congress

Question 1

bicameral legislature

Answer 1

two house legislature

Question 2

apportionment

Answer 2

the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to proportion of the population, following the decennial census

Question 3

bill

Answer 3

a proposed law

Question 4

impeachment

Answer 4

power given to the House of Representatives; first step in removing a government official from office

Question 5

incumbency

Answer 5

already holding office

Question 6

redistricting

Answer 6

the process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the state, as well as population shifts within a state

Question 7

gerrymandering

Answer 7

the drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district

Question 8

majority party

Answer 8

the political party in each house of congress with the most members

Question 9

minority party

Answer 9

the political party in each house of congress with the second most members

Question 10

party caucus

Answer 10

a formal gathering of all party members

Question 11

Speaker of the House

Answer 11

the leader of the House of Representatives; traditionally a member of the majority party

Question 12

majority leader

Answer 12

the head of the party controlling the House of Representatives or the Senate; second in authority to the Speaker in the House, most powerful member in the Senate

Question 13

minority leader

Answer 13

the head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House or the Senate

Question 14

whip

Answer 14

party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his/her party, takes vote counts on key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within a party

Question 15

president pro tempore

Answer 15

the official chair of the Senate, usually the most senior member of the majority party

Question 16

standing committee

Answer 16

committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next

Question 17

joint committee

Answer 17

standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies

Question 18

conference committee

Answer 18

special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

Question 19

select committee

Answer 19

temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose

Question 20

discharge petition

Answer 20

petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction

Question 21

seniority

Answer 21

time of continuous service on a committee

Question 22

markup

Answer 22

a session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor

Question 23

hold

Answer 23

a procedure by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or nomination is brought to the floor. this request signals leadership that a member may have objections to the bill and should be consulted before further action is taken

Question 24

filibuster

Answer 24

a formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate

Question 25

cloture

Answer 25

mechanism requiring the vote of 60 senators to cut off debate

Question 26

veto

Answer 26

the way the president can reject bills passed by both houses of congress

Question 27

pocket veto

Answer 27

if congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without the presidents signature

Question 28

Congressional Budget Act of 1974

Answer 28

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

Question 29

reconciliation

Answer 29

a procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster

Question 30

pork

Answer 30

legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs

Question 31

programmatic response

Answer 31

federal funds designated for special projects within a state or congressional district

Question 32

War Powers Resolution

Answer 32

passed in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a 60-day period in peacetime (which can be extended 30 days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period

Question 33

congressional review

Answer 33

a process whereby congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval

Question 34

senatorial courtesy

Answer 34

a process by which presidents generally allow senators from the state in which a judicial vacancy occurs to block a nomination by simply registering their objection

Question 35

trustee

Answer 35

role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinions and then uses his or her best judgement to make a final decision

Question 36

delegate

Answer 36

role played by an elective representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want, regardless of personal opinions

Question 37

politico

Answer 37

an elected representative who acts as a trustee or a delegate, depending in the issue

Question 38

divided government

Answer 38

the political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and Congress

Question 39

unified government

Answer 39

the political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress

Question 40

logrolling

Answer 40

vote trading; voting to support a colleagues bill in return for a promise of future support