Chapter 11 Notes Flashcards
When did congressional power peak?
in the late nineteenth century
Why are the presidents of that era (between Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt) are barely remembered?
Congress cooperated with the titans of business and industry, and the power of Congress was so great
What still remains the main source of legislation, making it a force that the president cannot ignore?
Congress
What led to the creation of a bicameral Congress?
Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
T/F A two-house legislature has other purposes than just satisfying big states and little states.
True
What are the disadvantage of slowness in enacting laws outweighed by?
The benefits of carefulness
What did the framers of the Constitution believe that the House would better represent?
“the people,” particularly the large populations of the big states
Who argued in The Federalist No. 58 that, “Not withstanding the equal authority which will subsist between the two houses on all legislative subjects, except the originating of money bills, it cannot be doubted that the House, composed of the greater number of member.”
Madison
What were the founding fathers were influenced by and what did it teach?
the Enlightenment, which taught that government, by bringing man out of a “state of nature” where he was unruly, could restrain man.
In Romans 13:4, what does Paul declare?
that government, created by God, restrains evildoers
What does divided government help ensure?
that one branch will not violate the freedoms of the people
How is the House of Representatives is the more democratic of the two houses?
the number of House members from each state is based on state population.
For this reason California, the most populous state, has fifty-three House members while the seven least populous ones (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North and South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming) have only one representative each.
Who instituted a ten-year census in the beginning of 1790?
The Constitutional framers
What is the number of representatives permanently fixed at?
435
What is reapportionment?
Redrawing of congressional district lines to reflect population shifts
What is gerrymandering?
Redrawing of district lines to benefit one political party at the expense of another
T/F House member must reside in the congressional district he or she represents.
True
What is a single-member district?
having one representative elected from a given region
While voters in a congressional district elect members of the House, voters on a statewide or at large basis elect who?
United States senators
the direct popular election of senators did not take place until 1913 with the passage of which amendment?
Seventeenth Amendment
Prior to this amendment, members of state legislatures elected their senators
The majority party determines what?
The leadership
T/F One political party controlling both houses does not ensure automatic success for a president of the same party
True
When members of different parties join together in support of or in opposition to a bill because of some common interest, they form a what?
coalition
The selection of party leadership is made in a ________.
caucus
List the three key positions are open to the majority party in the House.
the Speaker, the majority leader,and the majority whip
The top posts open to the minority party in the House are what?
minority leader and the minority whip
In the upper chamber, the Senate majority leadership consists of who?
the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader, and the majority whip.
Similarly, the minority party in the Senate is headed by who?
The minority leader and the minority whip.
Who serves as the President of the Senate?
The vice president of the United States
When can the Speaker of the House vote?
When there is a tie
What do the majority and minority leaders serve as for their respective parties?
floor leaders and spokesmen
What are minority and majority leaders are assisted by?
party whips
What are party whips?
primarily responsible for communicating with party members about their views on legislation and encouraging attendance at key voting sessions
What is an honorary position given to the most senior member of the Senate’s majority party?
the president pro tempore
The most powerful position in the Senate
majority leader
What are the jobs of the president pro tempore?
He presides over the House, manages House business, and serves as the official spokesperson for the body
T/F Speaker of the House of Representatives is formally elected by the whole House, but since the majority party’s choice is going to prevail anyway, the one chosen earlier by the majority party in their caucus, or meeting, is going to win.
True
After the vice president, who is next in the line of presidential succession?
the Speaker
Who was the most powerful Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives from 1903 to 1910?
Joseph Cannon
Became the first Republican Speaker in forty years, and during his tenure he became the most powerful Speaker since Cannon
Newt Gingrich
the first woman member of Congress
Jeannette Rankin
Which state elected two women to the U.S. Senate for the first time?
California
By 2001 how many woman were there in Congress?
seventy-four women in Congress: fifty-nine in the House (as well as two nonvoting delegates) and thirteen in the Senate
What was the motivation behind the push for term limits?
Conservatives and Republicans push to break the Democratic party’s control of the House
the only option for congressional term limits
a constitutional amendment
Americans have been critical of Congress over the years for its what?
perquisites (commonly called “perks”)
What are the financial privileges a member of the House has?
House salaries for the 108th Congress were $150,000 a year
In addition, members of Congress have a franking privilege (free postage) as well as allowances for staff, offices, and travel.
The aides and offices (in Washington and in the home district or state) help the Housemember do his job, which includes casework for the constituents.
Why do Members of Congress go on trips overseas?
to gather information useful for legislation
What are junkets?
Unnecessary trips made by members of Congress at the taxpayer’s expense
The House elected in 2002 is the ________ Congress, and the House elected in 2004 marks the beginning of the _______ Congress.
108th, 109th
T/F Since the Congress included members who were defeated, it was called a “lame duck” Congress. The Twentieth Amendment, ratified in 1933, ended that problem by moving the presidential inauguration from March 4 to January 20 and the beginning of the newly-elected Congress to January 3.
True
What type of committees are permanent committees that are generally more powerful than other types of committees?
Standing
What type of committees are those created for a specific purpose, generally to investigate a particular problem, and are therefore temporary?
Select
Why were select committees created?
Congress created a select committee in May 2002 to investigate how much the FBI, CIA, and the executive branch knew about possible terrorist threats before September 11, 2001.
What type of committee has members from both houses and serves primarily as an advisory board to other committees?
Joint committees; they generally serve as an advisory board
What types of committees are ad hoc (temporary) committees drawn from both chambers that meet to work out a compromise agreement on a bill, or proposed law, that has emerged from both houses in different forms ?
conference committees
Advantages to a committee
- they permit Congress to increase its workload while at the sametime giving more careful attention to proposals and their merits.
- the committee approach encourages expertise.
Approximately _____ of more than 9,000 bills proposed annually in Congress are enacted into law.
5%
In each chamber, who determines who will make up the committees?
the party’s selection committee
Members of Congress typically seek committee assignments in line with their expertise (someone in business may want a seat on the Commerce or Small Business committee) or a committee that will allow them to help their constituents (if there is a military base in their district or state, they may want the Armed Services Committee). Each member is entitled to one committee assignment; however, House members average one to two standing committees and Senators three to four standing committees.
P
What is the chief constitutional function of Congress?
to make laws that will affect the daily lives of Americans
Who can officially submit a bill in Congress?
Only House or Senate members
bill goes through three steps on its way to becoming law
- standing committee in both the House and Senate must approve
- both chambers must vote for it on the floor
- if there are differences between the two versions, a conference committee must resolve them, and its report must be accepted by both houses.
Who refers the bill to the committee in the House?
The Speaker
In the House there are four regular ways to vote
the voice vote (aye or no as groups)
the division vote (members stand)
the yea and nay vote (voice vote individually)
the record vote - This fourth option is done if forty-four members support it. The procedure is electronic.
What is a filibuster?
a more formal way of preventing or delaying the passage of a bill
When did filibusters become common?
during the years before the Civil War during Senate debates over slavery
How can filibusters be broken?
only if sixteen senators sign a motion to invoke cloture, a motion to stop debate, and then sixty senators vote to end debate
What are actions the president can do to a law?
(1) He can sign the bill, making it law.
(2) He can veto the bill and kill it. Congress can override the veto if two-thirds of Congress vote for the measure.
(3) He may ignore it, but if Congress is in session the bill becomes law within ten days.
(4) If Congress is not in session during the ten days, and the president does not sign it, the bill dies.
If Congress is not in session during the ten days, and the president does not sign it, the bill dies. What is this called?
This is called a pocket veto, and it discourages Congress from “stuffing the pocket” of the president with bills hastily at the end of a session. If a pocket veto kills a bill, the bill may be reintroduced in the next session, but it would have to go through the whole process again.
What is the most populous branch of Congress called?
House of Representatives
Which branch of Congress has equal membership for each state?
Senate
In which branch of Congress is membership based on population?
House of Representatives
ESSAY
Discuss the process by which a bill becomes a law
- Member of Congress determines the need for a new law.
- House legislation assistant drafts the bill
- Bill is introduced and turned over to a committee
- Lobbyists urged representative to vote for (or against) bill
- House committee holds hearings for study and testimony
- Bill is debated and passed by full House
- Citizens urge senators to support (or oppose) House bill
- Senate committee holds hearings and revises the bill
- Senate passes revised bill
- Differences ironed out by Senate-House conference committee
- Compromise bill passed by Congress
- President signs bill into law
