Ch. 7 Flashcards
Each type of resolution
Simple, Joint, Concurrent
What is a Simple Resolution?
Matters affecting one house of Congress and is passed by that same house
What is a joint resolution?
Both houses pass it but it still requires the presidents signature
What is a concurrent resolution?
Requires both the house and the senate but a law is not needed
Which committee in the house deals with tax laws?
Ways and Means Committee
What are uncontrollable expenditures, and why must the government pay them?
Things the government is legally committed to spend money on and it could have a major effect on the economy
Which political party tends to vote in favor of business?
Republican lawmakers
Which political party tends to vote in favor of social welfare programs?
Democratic Lawmakers
What are PACs?
Political Action Committee which can be fundraisers, labor unions, and groups that are used to support lawmakers
What do federal grants and contracts provide?
Money and Jobs, radically affect economy of state
Explain the difference between public and private bills.
Public: National problems
Private: individual people/places
The largest portion of the federal budget is spent on what?
Entitlements
What are entitlements?
social programs continuing from one year to the next
Ex. social security, national debt, federal contracts
Which committee can cut budgets?
Appropriations Committee
What are lobbyists?
Representatives of interest groups
What is pork-barrel legislation?
Laws passed to gain money and benefit themselves (Selfish Pigs!!!)
What is a rider?
Adding rules to a bill
What are the functions of the Appropriations Committee?
Provide money in order to carry out laws
Why is casework important?
Helps lawmakers get reelected
Helps congress oversee the executive branch
Provides a way for average citizen to cope
What are hearings?
Committees that listen to testimonies from witnesses on different bills
What are the types of vetoes that the president can use? Which one was ruled unconstitutional?
Veto: Refusal to sign
Pocket Veto: Kill bill passed during last 10 days
Unconstitutional:
Line Item Veto: allowed president to veto only parts of a bill if they didn’t like it
Four different methods of voting done in the House?
Voice Votes: Saying I or No
Standing Vote: If you agree you stand
Roll call Votes: Saying if you agree or not when called on
Recorded Votes: Clerk records everyone vote
What is pigeonholing?
Ignoring a bill and letting it die
What is logrolling?
2 or more lawmakers support each others bill
What are confrees?
New members of conference committees
What is a tax bill?
the amount of tax a person/business must pay in a particular period
What is an appropriations bill?
Provides money
What is an authorization bill?
Sets up federal program, specifies how much money can be spent
Why do so few bills that get introduced in congress become a law?
Lawmaking businesses takes a long time and it has to be passed by multiple committees that don’t always agree
How does a bill become a law?
- Bill is introduced
- Committee action
- Floor action
- Conference committee
- The president
