CHapter 11 - Part 2 Flashcards
What are constituents?
The individuals who live within the geographical area represented by an elected official
What is the seniority system?
Definition: A member of Congress’s consecutive years of service of a particular committee
Sentence: Seniority is based strictly on time served on a committee not on time spent in Congress.
What is reapportionment?
Definition: The reallocation of House seats among states after each census as a result of population changes.
Sentence: Every ten years, after each population census, the 435 seats in the House are reallocated, or reapportioned, among the states in proportion to their population.
What is a bill?
Definition: A proposed law within Congress or another legislature
Sentence: Many bills are prepared by executive agencies, interest groups, and other outside parties but members of Congress also draft bills, and only they can formally submit a bill for consideration by their chamber.
What is Congressional oversight
Definition: A supervisory activity of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive branch carries out the laws faithfully and spends appropriations properly.
What is reconciliation?
Reconciliation is, essentially, a way for Congress to enact legislation on taxes, spending, and the debt limit with only a majority (51 votes, or 50 if the vice president breaks a tie) in the Senate, avoiding the threat of a filibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome.
What is senatorial courtesy
Senatorial courtesy is a long-standing, unwritten, unofficial, and nonbinding constitutional convention in the United States describing the tendency of U.S. senators to support a Senate colleague when opposing the appointment to federal office of a nominee from that Senator’s state.
So if a senator from Georgia opposes the appointment of a specific person from Georgia, the other senators basically say “he knows best” and support him in his opposition.
What is a delegate
Role played by elected representatives who vote the way their constituents would want them to, regardless of their own opinions.
Define trustee
Role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents’ opinions and then use their best judgment to make final decisions.
Define politico
Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue.
What is a marginal district vs a safe district
A marginal district is one where there are tight elections. Safe districts are those where the incumbent will overwhelmingly win.
When trying to pass legislation, what is the “closed rule” vs the “open rule”?
A closed rule sets a strict time limit on debate and forbids the introduction of any amendments. An open rule permits amendments from the floor.
What are public bills and how do they differ from private bills?
Public bills pertain to matters that affect the general public or classes of citizens, while private bills affect just certain individuals and organizations.
What is appropriation?
The passage, by Congress, of a spending bill, specifying the amount of authorized funds that actually will be allocated for an agency’s use.
What is a discharge petition?
A procedure by which a bill in the House of Representatives may be forced out of committee and onto the House Floor for consideration.
In other words, if a committee is dragging its heels this can force the bill to the floor so that it can be discussed and hopefully passed.
