Chapter 10 Quiz Flashcards
What is reapportionment
The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislators reapportion state legislative districts
What is redistricting
Read drawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census to accommodate population shifts to keep districts as equal as possible and population
What is gerrymandering
The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party group or incident
What are the two types of gerrymandering
Cracking and packing
What is cracking
A type of gerrymandering which the majority party uses to break a stronger minority party district line into pieces to be merged with other districts thereby reducing the minority party strength in that one district
What is packing
A type of gerrymandering which merges pieces of the majority party in its weak districts into a single strong district
What is safe seat
An elected official that is predictably one by one party or the other so the success of that party’s candidate is almost taken for granted
What is incubate
The current holder of elected office
What are earmarks
Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for the constituents
What is bicameralism
The principle of the two house legislator
What is enumerated powers
The powers explicitly given to Congress in the constitution
What is the speaker
The receding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the house but selected by the majority party
What is the party caucus
A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop a party policy
What is the majority leader
Legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders and tries to keep members of the party in line
Minority leader
The legislative leader selected by the minority party as a spokesperson for the opposition
Whip
The party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank and file in the legislator
Closed rule
A procedural rules in the house of representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting to build the offer amendments
Open rule
A procedural rules in the house of representatives that permits floor amendments with in the overall time allocated to the bill
President pro tem
An officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as a chair in the absence of the vice president
Filibuster
The procedural practice in the Senate whereby a Saturday refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby Delies proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue
Cloture
A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate
Standing committee
A permanent committee established in a legislator usually focusing on a policy area
Special or select committee
A congressional committee created for a specific purpose sometimes to conduct an investigation
Joint committee
A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate: such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations
Seniority rule
Legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee
Conference committee
A committee appointed by the proceeding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form
Markup
Modifications or adding amendments to its version of the bill
Discharge petition
A petition that if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives will try a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration
Rider
A provision attached to a bill to which it may or may not be related in order to secure its passage or defeat
Pocket veto
A veto exercised by the president after Congress has a Jorn: if the president takes no action for 10 days the bill does not become law and it is not returned to Congress for a possible override
Override
And action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto requiring a two thirds majority in each member
Delegate
An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of legislator
Trustee
And official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances: one interpretation of the role of the legislator
Logrolling
Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators
Attentive public
Citizens who follow public affairs closely
Polarization
The extent to which liberals and conservatives occupied the more extreme positions on the liberal conservative ideological spectrum
What is a constituent
The residents of a congressional district or state
