Chapter 4

Question 1

Standing committee

Answer 1

• most important and have existed for a long time

♣ Handle bills in different policy areas

Question 2

Special/Select committee

Answer 2

• formed for specific purposes and usually temporary

♣ Ex. Bill Clinton and Lewinski case, Nixon?

Question 3

Conference committee

Answer 3

• hammers out differences between House and Senate versions of similar bills
♣ Consists of both House and Senate members

Question 4

Appropriations committee

Answer 4

o set amount of money made available for various activities in fiscal year
♣ standing committee

Question 5

Rules committee

Answer 5

• controls what is debated, sets very important rules for debate when the bill is presented to the House after it leaves the committee

Question 6

Joint committee

Answer 6

• get together to research and make recommendations
♣ Consists of both House and Senate members
♣ Meant to draw attention to issues
♣ Recent fiscal cliff and budget negotiations
♣ Amendment proposals

Question 7

Ways and Means committee

Answer 7

• makes recommendations to the House on all bills for raising revenue

Question 8

Override

Answer 8

use one’s authority to reject or cancel (a decision, view, etc.).

Question 9

Oversight power

Answer 9

includes the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation

Question 10

Speaker of the House

Answer 10

o Speaker of the House is the top leadership role in the House
• Allows people to speak on the floor
• Assigns bills to committees
• Influences bills that are brought to vote
• Appoints members of special and select committees

Question 11

President Pro-tempore

Answer 11

a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president

Question 12

Majority/Minority Leader

Answer 12

two United States Senators who are elected by the party caucuses that hold the majority and the minority respectively

Question 13

Majority/minority Whip

Answer 13

party’s “enforcers”, who typically offer inducements and threaten party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy

Question 14

Party caucus

Answer 14

meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement

Question 15

Senatorial courtesy

Answer 15

a custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee’s state, especially from the senior senator of the president’s party from that state

Question 16

Enumerated powers

Answer 16

Congress may exercise the powers that the Constitution grants it, subject to the individual rights listed in the Bill of Rights

Question 17

Bicameralism

Answer 17

having two branches, chambers, or houses, as a legislative body. See more.

Question 18

Divided government

Answer 18

one party controls the executive while the other party controls the legislature

Question 19

Open rule

Answer 19

set of regulations for debate on the floor of the House of Representatives which permits general debate and allows members to offer amendments

Question 20

Closed rule

Answer 20

procedural maneuver that prohibits any amendments to bills up for a vote on the House floor, unless they are recommended by the committee reporting the bill

Question 21

Filibuster

Answer 21

an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures

Question 22

Cloture

Answer 22

three-fifths of the entire Senate membership must vote to stop debate

Question 23

“Germane”

Answer 23

relevant to a subject under consideration

Question 24

Hold

Answer 24

process which an organization uses to preserve all forms of relevant information when it reasonably anticipates some type of litigation against it

Question 25

Discharge petition

Answer 25

bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee and usually without cooperation of the leadership by “discharging” the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution

Question 26

Incumbent

Answer 26

necessary for (someone) as a duty or responsibility

Question 27

Constituents

Answer 27

the people who government officials are representing

Question 28

(Re) Apportionment

Answer 28

• Between 2010 and 2012 election, house seats were reapportioned (redistributed)
♣ States had two years to reapportion their districts

Question 29

Redistricting

Answer 29

divide or organize (an area) into new political or school districts

Question 30

Gerrymandering

Answer 30

manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class

Question 31

“Safe Seat”

Answer 31

a legislative seat that is likely to be retained with a large majority in an election

Question 32

Earmarks/”Pork”

Answer 32

earmark: a congressional directive that funds should be spent on a specific project

pork barrel: metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district

Question 33

Logrolling

Answer 33

the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other’s proposed legislation

Question 34

Christmas Tree Bill

Answer 34

bill that attracts many, often unrelated, floor amendments. A Christmas tree bill consists of many riders

Question 35

Rider

Answer 35

a condition or proviso added to something already said or decreed

Question 36

Mandatory and Discretionary spending

Answer 36

This spending is an optional part of fiscal policy, in contrast to entitlement programs for which funding is mandatory. In the United States, discretionary spending refers to spending set on a yearly basis by decision of Congress.