Chapter 11 Vocab

Question 1

Incumbents

Answer 1

Individuals who already hold office

Question 2

Casework

Answer 2

Activities of members of congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get

Question 3

Pork Barrel

Answer 3

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district

Question 4

Bicameral Legislature

Answer 4

A legislature divided into 2 houses

Question 5

Speaker of the House

Answer 5

An office mandated by the constitution and chosen by the majority party with both informal and formal powers (Mike Johnson)

Question 6

Majority Leader

Answer 6

The principal partisan ally of the speaker of the house or the majority party’s manager in the senate (Steve Scalise - House) (Chuck Schumer [D] and Mitch McConnell [R] - Senate)

Question 7

Whips

Answer 7

Party leaders who work with the majority or minority leaders to count votes, and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to pass a bill (Tom Emmer [R] and Hakeem Jeffries [D] - House)(Dick Durbin [D] and John Thune [R] - Senate)

Question 8

Minority Leader

Answer 8

The principal leader of the minority party in the house or senate

Question 9

Standing Committees

Answer 9

Committees in each house of congress that handle bills in different policy areas, and are always present

Question 10

Conference Committees

Answer 10

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms.

Question 11

Rules Committees

Answer 11

“traffic cop” and help pass laws - most important in the House

Question 12

Select Committees

Answer 12

Limited time to “fix” a current issue (COVID)

Question 13

Joint Committees

Answer 13

A committee with a combination of members from the House and the Senate

Question 14

Committee Chairs

Answer 14

The most important influencers of their committees agendas; committee chairs play the dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing sub committees and managing bills

Question 15

Seniority System

Answer 15

A simple rule for picking committee chairs in effect until the 1970’s; the member who served on the committee for the longest became chair

Question 16

Congressional Caucus

Answer 16

A group of members of congress sharing some interests or characteristics (Both parties and houses)

Question 17

Bill

Answer 17

A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Must be officially submitted by congress, but can be thought of by anyone

Question 18

Legislative Oversight

Answer 18

Congress’s monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of policy, preformed mainly through committee hearings

Question 19

Filibuster

Answer 19

A strategy unique to senators, where opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the senate from ever voting on a bill

Question 20

Cloture Rule

Answer 20

3/5 of the senate (60 people) can override a fillibuster

Question 21

Representational View

Answer 21

Delegate for the people

Question 22

Organizational View

Answer 22

Delegate for parties and interest groups

Question 23

Attitudinal View

Answer 23

Delegate for personal views

Question 24

Politico View

Answer 24

A blend of all representations; constituents, parties/interest groups, and personal views

Question 25

House of Representatives Diversity

Answer 25

House is more diverse

Question 26

Senate Diversity

Answer 26

Senate is less diverse

Question 27

Cup and Saucer Analogy

Answer 27

House is the “hot” cup and Senate is the “stable” saucer

Question 28

House of Representatives (facts)

Answer 28

Smaller constituencies, younger members, less prestige, high turnover, more diversity, more partisanship, stricter rules, more committees, more factions

Question 29

Senate (facts)

Answer 29

Larger constituencies, older members, more prestige, more flexibility with rules, less diversity, less partisanship, less committees, less turnover, less factions

Question 30

Senate Powers

Answer 30

Nominations, ratifications, and impeachment trials

Question 31

House of Representatives Powers

Answer 31

Revenue Bills, Electoral College back up plan, Impeachment charges

Question 32

Public Bills

Answer 32

Proposed laws that apply to the nation as a whole

Question 33

Resolutions (Simple, concurrent, joint)

Answer 33

Measures that do not have the “force of the law” but deal with specific occurrences or recognition

Question 34

Rider

Answer 34

A provision or bill that cannot pass on its own merit and is attached to a larger bill

Question 35

Amendment

Answer 35

An adjustment/addition to a bill during the legislative process

Question 36

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

Answer 36

Complies information/resources for legislators on policy issues

Question 37

General Accounting Office (GAO)

Answer 37

Preforms routine and special financial audits of money spent by executive branch departments

Question 38

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

Answer 38

Advises Congress on likely economic effects of proposed policies or programs including budget and economic projections

Question 39

Baker V. Carr

Answer 39

They ruled that federal courts have the authority to enforce the 14th amendment if the state legislative districts are disproportionately populated

Question 40

Shaw V. Reno

Answer 40

The Court ruled that claims of racial redistricting must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny, meaning that any law that results in classification by race must have a compelling government interest