Chapter 11: Congress Flashcards
How many Congress members are there in: total, the Senate, and the House of Represenatives?
535 members
- 100 Senators
- 435 House of Representative members
What do Congress members do?
make key decisions about important matters of public policy
How many Senators does each state have?
2
How are Senators elected?
through state-wide elections
How many House members does each state have? What do House members represent?
- determined by state population
- represent individual districts within a state
What do the delegates in the House represent? Can they participate in voting?
- represent U.S. territories and Washington, D.C.
- no
Incumbent
those already holding office
How competitive are elections for House members? In Senate?
- incumbents win with over 60% of vote, partisanship plays a major factor
- greater competition, for it includes entire state
In terms of voting, what is the relation between party identification and House members?
most House members represent a district in which their party has a clear majority, 90% of voters vote for their party’s candidate
How often does redistricting occur? Why does it occur? Who is in charge of redistricting?
- after every census
- ensures districts are roughly equal population
- carried out by the states
Gerrymandering
manipulating legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate or party
Bicameral Legislature
a legislature divided into two houses/chambers
- e.g. Congress divided into House of Representatives and Senate
The House is centralized. What does this imply?
senority is important in the House
- one is able to do more the longer they stay, members seek re-election to be able to pass bills
How long are terms in the House? Are there term limits?
- 2 year terms
- no term limits
What are the requirements to become a member of the House, as stated by the Constitution?
- at least 25 years old
- American citizens for 7 years
Speaker of the House (Speaker)
- leader of the House
- mandated by the Constitution
- chosen by the majority party, so Speaker is usually from the majority
Majority and Minority Leaders
leaders of the majority and minority parties (in both chambers of Congress)
Majority and Minority Whips
deputy leaders, ensure party loyalty (in both chambers of Congress)
As the House is more divided than the Senate, what is common in voting?
party loyalty and party-line voting - all members of one party vote one way, as all members of the other party vote the other way
What powers does the Senate have?
- ratify treaties
- confirm important presidential nominations
- try to impeach officials
The Senate is decentralized. What does this imply?
most of its members are equal in power, senority does not matter as much as in the House
President of the Senate
- the Vice President, their only constitutionally defined job
- casts tie-breaking vote when Senate is 50/50
How long are terms in the Senate? Are there term limits?
- 6 year terms
- no term limits
President Pro Tempore
the most senior member of the Senate’s majority party, presides over the Senate when the Vice President cannot
What are the duties of the Speaker of the House?
- preside over the House when it is in session
- make committee assignments
- control which bills get assigned to which committees
How Speakers of the House have there been?
56
How many Vice Presidents have there been?
50
Standing Committees
handle bills in different policy areas, each house of Congress has its own standing committees
Joint Committees
cover only a few policy areas, membership comes from both the Senate and the House
Conference Committees
only formed when the Senate and the House pass different versions of the same bill, work out differences to make a compromise bill
Select Committees
temporary or permanent committees that usually have a focused responsibility
What is leading a committee based on?
senority, which is more impactful in the House
How do members choose their committees?
- choose committees based on their background or relevant to the district they represent
- seek committees that will help them advance their political goals
Bill
a proposed law, drafted in legal language
How does a bill become a law?
- Bill introduction - introduced by a member and assigned to a committee (committees do not have to take a bill)
- Committee action - subcommittee and then full committee both make revisions on the bill
- Committee finishes the bill -
- House - Rules Committee sends the bill to the full House
- Senate - leaders of both parties schedule Senate debate on the bill - Floor action - Full House and Full Senate debates and vote on bill
- If the House and the Senate pass different versions, it is sent to a Conference Committee. If they pass the same bill, it is sent to the President.
- President signs bill into law or vetoes bill.
