Chapter 13 - Congress Flashcards
Congress derives from a Latin term that means
A coming together
Parliament comes from a French word (parler) meaning
To talk
How does a person become a candidate for a senator?
By running in a primary election
What is a bicameral legislature?
A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts
Who picked senators before the 17th amendment?
State legislatures
What is a filibuster?
An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from gaming action to the bill.
What are marginal districts?
Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of thecote
What are safe districts?
Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more
What is conservative coalition?
An alliance between republican and conservative democeats
Which explanation for how members of congress behave Is based on the reasonable assumption that members want to get reelected, and therefore they vote to please their constituents?
Representational
Which explanation for how members of congress behave is based on the assumption that since most constituents do not know how their legislator has voted, it is not essential to please them, but it is important to please fellow memes if congress, whose goodwill is valuable in getting things done and acquiring status and power in congress
Organizational
Which explanation for how members of congress behave is based on the assumption that there are so many conflicting pressures on members of congress that they cancel one another out, leaving them virtually free to vote on the basis of their own beliefs?
Attitudinal
What factor explains more about a congressman’s way of voting more than any other factor?
The party they belong to
What is the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or the senate called?
Majority leader
What is the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house or the senate called?
Minority leader
What is the principal task of the majority leader?
To schedule the business of the senate, usually in consultation with the minority leader
Who has the right to be recognized first in an floor debate?
Minority leader
Who was the senate majority leader for the democrats during much of the 1950s?
Lyndon Johnson
What is a whip?
A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about about what party members are thinking
What is the key aspect of selecting party leaders, of making up the important party committees, and of assigning freshman senators to Senate committees?
Achieving ideological and regional balance
What is party polarization?
A vote in which a majority of democratic legislators opposes a majority of republican legislators
Unimodal
Few on either side
Most people same
Bimodal
Two different ways
What is a caucus?
An association of congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest
Intraparty caucuses are formed by groups whose members share a similar
Ideology
Personal interest caucuses form around a common interest in
An issue
Constituency caucuses are established to represent certain
Groups, regions, or bith
What is the most important organizational feature of congress?
The set of legislative committees of the House and Senate
What are standing committees
Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area
What are select committees?
Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose
What are joint committees?
Committees on which both senators and representatives serve
What are conference committees?
A joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the senate and house versions of the same bill
What is a proxy?
A written authorization to cast another person’s vote
What does a public bill pertain to?
Public affairs or matters of general concern
What does a private bill pertain to?
A particular individual or specific, private, personal, or local matters
What is multiple referral?
A congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several xonnittees
What is an advantage of multiple referral?
All views have a chance to be heard
What is a disadvantage of multiple referral?
It takes a lot of time and gives opponents a greater chance to kill or modify the bill.
What is sequential referral?
A congressional process by which a speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting.
What is a discharge petition?
A device by which any member of the house, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor.
What is a closed rule?
An order from the house rules committee that sets a time limit in debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor
What is an open rule?
An order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds if amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor
Ehat is a restrictive rule?
An order from the house rules committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor
What are three ways the house can bypass the rules committee?
A member can move that the rules be suspended (requires a 2/3 vote)
A discharge petition can be filed
The house can use the calendar Wednesday procedure
Who is in a committee of the whole?
Whoever happens to be on the floor at the time
Wgat is quorum?
The minimum number of members who must be preset for business to be conducted
What is a quorum call?
A roll call in either house of congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present
What is the cloture rule?
A rule used by the senate to end or limit debate
What is double tracking?
A procedure to keep the senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business
What is a voice vote?
A congressional voting procedure in which members shout “yea” in approval or “nay” in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills.
What is a joint resolution?
A formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president.
What is a division vote? (Standing)
A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted
What is a teller vote?
A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the “yeas” first and the “nays” secod
What is a concurrent resolution?
An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the house and the senate, but not the president
What is a roll-call vote?
A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering “yea” or “nay” to their names.
What is a pork-barrel legislation?
Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return
What is the franking privilege?
The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free if charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage
Committee:
Permanent, specialized committees
Consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area
Only ones that can propose legislation by reporting a bill out to the full house of senate
Standing xommitttees
Committee:
Groups appointed for a limited purpose and usually lasting for only a few congresses
Usually to carry out investigations to write special legislation
Select committees
Committee:
Both representatives and senators serve
Normally used for communication to the public
Generally do not send bills to the floor
Conference committees are extremely important types
Joint committees
Committee:
Resolve differences in senate and house version of the same bill
Conference committees
What are the purposes of committees?
Effectively consider the thousands of bills proposed in each session
Allows members of congress to divide their work among many smaller groups
Select those few that are to receive further consideration
Help the public learn about key problems an issues facing the nation
Staff agencies
Staff agencies (write more)
Identify and describe: president pro tempore
Person with greatest seniority in the senate
Honorific position, required by constitution as presiding officer when Vice President is absent
Identify and describe: majority leader
Legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or senate
Minority leader
Legislative leader elected by party members holding the minority of seats in the house or senate
Identify and describe: whip
Helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking
How do democrats assign senators to the standing committee?
Steering committee
How do republicans assign senators to the standing committee?
Committee on committees
Identify and describe: speaker of the house
Most important and powerful person in the house
Elected by whichever party has majority
Preside over all house meetings
Decides who shoul be recognized to speak
Rules whether a motion is relevant to the business at hand
Decides to which committees new bills are assigbed
Voters have scone more partisan, and congress as well
Congressional districts for the house are drawn to protect one party or another
Seniority: people who have been long dedicated to their party and have much influence
Three reasons for party polarization
Who can introduce a bill?
Bills can come from individual citizens, special interest hoops, corporations, or nongovernmental iras missions, but only congress members can introduce them.
Who refers bills to committees?
Speaker of house or president pro tempore?
An assembly of party representatives that chooses a government and discuss major national issues
Parkiament
Committee revisions of a bill
Markup
A provision added to a piece of legislation that is not germane to the bill’s purpose
Rider
A bill that has a lot of riders
Christmas tree bill
To isolate minorities in the district is known as
Packing
To divide minorities across many districts is known as
Craxking
What is a simple resolution?
An expression of opinion either in the house or senate to settle procedural matters in either body
