Chapter 11 - Congress Flashcards
redistribution of representatives among the states, based on population change; the House is reapportioned after each census
Reapportionment
the formal charging of a government official with “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”
Impeachment
a current officeholder
Incumbent
redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party
Gerrymandering
solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies
Casework
a belief that constituents are most effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in such key demographic characteristics as race, ethnicity, religion, or gender
Descriptive Representation
the drawing of a legislative district to maximize the chance that a minority candidate will win election
Racial Gerrymandering
the president’s disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress; Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in each house
Veto
a permanent congressional committee that specializes in a particular policy area
Standing Committee
a committee made up of members of both the House and the Senate
Joint Committee
a temporary congressional committee created for a specific purpose and disbanded after that purpose is fulfilled
Select Committee
a temporary committee created to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of a specific piece of legislation
Conference Committee
years of consecutive service on a particular congressional committee
Seniority
the process of reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying out policies as Congress intended
Oversight
the presiding officer of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the House
the head of the majority party in the Senate; the second-highest-ranking member of the majority party in the House
Majority Leader
a delaying tactic, used in the Senate, that involves speechmaking to prevent action on a piece of legislation
Filibuster
the mechanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the Senate
Cloture
people who live and vote in a government official’s district or state
Constituents
a representative who is obligated to consider the views of constituents but is not obligated to vote according to those views if he or she believes they are misguided
Trustee
a legislator whose primary responsibility is to represent the majority view of his or her constituents, regardless of his or her own view
Delegate
a system of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalition
Parliamentary System
federal funds appropriated by Congress for use on local projects
Earmarks
