Chapter 11 - Part One

Question 1

What is the incumbency effect?

Answer 1

The incumbency effect refers to the advantage enjoyed by current officeholders in running for reelection against their opponents.Incumbent advantages include name recognition and easier access to campaign resources such as campaign workers, monetary funds, and group endorsements.

Question 2

What congressional duties does the Speaker of the House perform?

Answer 2

The Speaker of the House is the House’s most powerful member. As the leader of the House’s majority party, the speaker:* refers bills to committees* controls floor debate over bills* assigns members to committees

Question 3

The _____ _____ _____ is typically the longest serving Senator of the majority party.

Answer 3

President Pro Tempore## FootnoteThe role of the President Pro Tempore is largely ceremonial, but the person is third in line to the presidency.

Question 4

What role does the House and Senate majority leader fulfill?

Answer 4

The House majority leader is the Speaker of the House’s primary assistant. Generally, the majority leader is responsible for management of the House committees and for maintaining the House floor’s legislative calendar, but the majority leader’s role can vary based upon the leadership style of the Speaker of the House. The Senate majority leader serves many of the same functions in the Senate, although he/she also has direct control over his/her party.

Question 5

What roles do the House and Senate majority and minority whips play?

Answer 5

The majority and minority whips manage their respective parties’ legislative programs on the House and Senate floor. The whips’ primary task is to make sure that all party members are present to vote upon important measures.

Question 6

What is a standing committee?

Answer 6

A standing committee is a permanent House and/or Senate committee that is responsible for a specific area of foreign and domestic policy. Examples of standing committees include Agriculture, Defense, and Budget.

Question 7

Define:joint committees

Answer 7

Joint committees are composed of members of both the House and the Senate and are convened for a special purpose. During the Civil War, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was established to investigate the conduct of several Union generals and was composed of four senators and four representatives.

Question 8

What role do conference committees play in the lawmaking process?

Answer 8

Since bills passed by the House and Senate may contain varying language and provisions, conference committees are joint committees that resolve differences between bills. After a perfected bill is created, the conference committee returns it to the House and Senate for a final vote.

Question 9

What function does the House Rules Committee have?

Answer 9

Controlled by the Speaker, the House Rules Committee establishes the rules under which a bill is presented to the House. The Rules Committee can limit the number of amendments from the floor and the time for debate. Since the Rules Committee can limit the time for debate, filibusters cannot take place in the House. In the Senate, however, there is no committee on rules or debate time limits. Only in the Senate are filibusters possible.

Question 10

In the congressional context, what are caucuses?

Answer 10

Caucuses are informal congressional groups formed by legislators who share similar beliefs and goals. There are a wide variety of caucuses, ranging from the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children to the Congressional Black Caucus.

Question 11

The congressional practice of sending mail without affixing a stamp is known as the _____ _____.

Answer 11

franking privilege## FootnoteIn practice, the franking privilege is not absolute. Congressional members have a limit on the amount of mail they may frank, and the frank is only to be applied to official business.

Question 12

What role does each branch of Congress play in the impeachment process?

Answer 12

The House of Representatives may vote to impeach the president or other official for committing “bribery, treason, or high crimes and misdemeanors.”The Senate determines whether or not to remove a government official by holding an impeachment hearing, presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Question 13

What takes place during a markup session?

Answer 13

In a markup session, a committee or sub-committee makes changes to the original language of a bill. A markup session can take place at numerous points along a bill’s route to becoming a law.

Question 14

Define:filibuster

Answer 14

A filibuster is a means of extending or delaying a vote on a given bill. A formal filibuster can only take place in the Senate. Senate rules allow a senator, or a number of senators, to speak for as long as they wish on any topic they wish.The longest filibuster on record is 24 hours and 18 minutes by Strom Thurmond against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Question 15

Define:quorum

Answer 15

A quorum refers to the minimum number of legislators who must be in attendance for the actions of that branch to be official. In both the House and Senate, a simple majority constitutes a quorum.

Question 16

Define:cloture

Answer 16

Cloture is a Senate motion to end a filibuster, and it requires the approval of 60 senators.

Question 17

What is “pork barrel” legislation?

Answer 17

Pork barrel legislation is legislation that funds initiatives in the legislator’s home district. Pork barrel projects are added to the federal budget by members of the appropriation committees of Congress. The most famous recent example of pork barrel legislation was for the “Bridge to Nowhere,” a $398 million Alaskan bridge that was supposed to connect Gravina Island’s 50 residents with the Alaskan mainland.

Question 18

What is logrolling?

Answer 18

Logrolling is the process by which legislators trade favors. One representative might agree to vote for another member’s bill in return for support on his or her own bill.

Question 19

_____ are attachments to pieces of legislation, generally having no connection with a bill.

Answer 19

Riders## FootnoteThere are two reasons riders are used. First, riders can be attached to a bill to make it unpalatable to a majority; this is known as a “poison pill.” Second, a rider can be attached to a bill because the rider usually wouldn’t pass on its own.

Question 20

What are earmarks?

Answer 20

Earmarks are special spending projects that an individual congressperson includes in a bill, especially for their constituents.An earmark can take the form of a project grant, a grant-in-aid, and almost any form of federal funding.

Question 21

Define:Gerrymandering

Answer 21

Gerrymandering is the drawing of legislative districts to benefit a particular political party.For instance, if a state legislature is in control of the Democratic Party, state-level districts may be drawn to ensure that a safe number of Democratic voters reside in each district, ensuring the election of a Democratic representative.

Question 22

When does reapportionment take place?

Answer 22

Reapportionment takes place every 10 years, after the decennial census.## FootnoteSince the House is capped at 435 members, shifts in population require a change in representation from each state. Thus, every ten years the number of representatives for each state is reapportioned.