Chapter 4 Flashcards
Standing committee
• most important and have existed for a long time
♣ Handle bills in different policy areas
Special/Select committee
• formed for specific purposes and usually temporary
♣ Ex. Bill Clinton and Lewinski case, Nixon?
Conference committee
• hammers out differences between House and Senate versions of similar bills
♣ Consists of both House and Senate members
Appropriations committee
o set amount of money made available for various activities in fiscal year
♣ standing committee
Rules committee
• controls what is debated, sets very important rules for debate when the bill is presented to the House after it leaves the committee
Joint committee
• 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
Ways and Means committee
• makes recommendations to the House on all bills for raising revenue
Override
use one’s authority to reject or cancel (a decision, view, etc.).
Oversight power
includes the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation
Speaker of the House
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
President Pro-tempore
a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president
Majority/Minority Leader
two United States Senators who are elected by the party caucuses that hold the majority and the minority respectively
Majority/minority Whip
party’s “enforcers”, who typically offer inducements and threaten party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy
Party caucus
meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement
Senatorial courtesy
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
Enumerated powers
Congress may exercise the powers that the Constitution grants it, subject to the individual rights listed in the Bill of Rights
Bicameralism
having two branches, chambers, or houses, as a legislative body. See more.
Divided government
one party controls the executive while the other party controls the legislature
Open rule
set of regulations for debate on the floor of the House of Representatives which permits general debate and allows members to offer amendments
Closed rule
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
Filibuster
an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures
Cloture
three-fifths of the entire Senate membership must vote to stop debate
“Germane”
relevant to a subject under consideration
Hold
process which an organization uses to preserve all forms of relevant information when it reasonably anticipates some type of litigation against it
Discharge petition
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
Incumbent
necessary for (someone) as a duty or responsibility
Constituents
the people who government officials are representing
(Re) Apportionment
• Between 2010 and 2012 election, house seats were reapportioned (redistributed)
♣ States had two years to reapportion their districts
Redistricting
divide or organize (an area) into new political or school districts
Gerrymandering
manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class
“Safe Seat”
a legislative seat that is likely to be retained with a large majority in an election
Earmarks/”Pork”
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
Logrolling
the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other’s proposed legislation
Christmas Tree Bill
bill that attracts many, often unrelated, floor amendments. A Christmas tree bill consists of many riders
Rider
a condition or proviso added to something already said or decreed
Mandatory and Discretionary spending
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.
