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Chapter 5 Flashcards

1
Q

What is the Legislative Branch also known as

A

Congress

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2
Q

What is the purpose of Legislative Branch

A

Make laws

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3
Q

What kind of Legislative Branch does the US have

A

Bicameral

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4
Q

The Two Branches of Legislature are

A
  1. House of Representative

2. Senate

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5
Q

Congressional Session/Term lasts for how long

A

Two years

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6
Q

House of Representatives has how many members

A

435

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7
Q

House of Representatives

A
  • Congress sets the number of representatives
  • Membership is based on population
  • Every state is guaranteed at least one representative
  • Congress decides how many representatives a state has
  • State Legislature draws the districts
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8
Q

Reapportion

A
  • Every 10 Years there is a Federal Census, this means that every ten
    years there is a Reapportion
    DEFINITION: Redistributing the House of Representatives
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9
Q

What is an exemption of reapportion

A

Wesberry vs. Sanders: States that the districts must have equal population

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10
Q

Gerrymanding

A

The political party that controls the State Legislature

draws the districts in a way that will benefit their party

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11
Q

Qualifications To be A Member of the House of Representatives:

A

Must Be

  1. 25
  2. A US Citizens for 7 years
  3. A resident of the state that you are going to represent
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12
Q

Members of the House of Representatives serve for how long

A

2 years

- All of them stand for re-election (can be voted out)

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13
Q

Presiding Officer of the House of Representatives is known as

A

Speaker of the House of Representatives

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14
Q

Current Speaker of the House of Representatives

A

John Boehner

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15
Q

Who are the Three Tennesseans who have been the Speaker

A
  1. John Bell
  2. James K. Polk
  3. James Byrnes
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16
Q

Senate

A
  • Each state gets two Senators (100 members)

- No matter of the population

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17
Q

How long do Senators serve

A

6 years

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18
Q

How does the Senate elections work

A

They have Staggered Elections

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19
Q

Staggered Elections

A

Every two years 1/3 of them are up for re-election

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20
Q

Who votes on the Senators

A

According to the 17th Amendment Senators are chosen by the voters

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21
Q

Qualifications to be a Senator:

A

Must be:

  1. 30
  2. A citizen for 9 years
  3. A resident of the state you will represent
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22
Q

Who is the Presiding Officer

A

Vice President

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23
Q

Current Presiding Officer

A

Joe Biden

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24
Q

When the VP isn’t there who is in charge

A

President Pro Tempore

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25
Q

How do you become the President Pro Tempore

A

Senior member of the

majority party

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26
Q

Current Pro Tempore

A

Patrick Leahy

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27
Q

Tennesseans who have been President Pro Tempore:

A
  1. Joseph Anderson
  2. Hugh Lawson White
  3. Isham Harris
  4. Kenneth McKellar
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28
Q

Responsibilities/Duties of Congressmen

A
  1. Legislators: They make the laws
  2. Committee Member
  3. Represent your constituents (district members)
  4. Servant of your constituents
  5. Politician
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29
Q

Voting Options of Congressmen

A

They can vote as a:

  1. Trustee
  2. Delegate
  3. Partisan
  4. Politico
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30
Q

Trustee

A

They use their own judgement to vote

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31
Q

Delegate

A

Vote the way their constituents

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32
Q

Partisan

A

Vote the way your political party wants you to

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33
Q

Politico

A

Try to combine Trustee, Delegate, and Partisan

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34
Q

How much money does a congressman, senators, and house members
make?

A

174,000

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35
Q

Benefits for Congressmen:

A
  1. Free medicare
  2. Excellent retirement ($100,000)
  3. Money for a home office
  4. Travel expenses from home to Washington are paid for
  5. Franking Privilege: Government pays for your mail-out
  6. Government pays for monthly newsletters
  7. Parking is free
  8. They can’t be arrested while congress is in session
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36
Q

Constitutional Powers of Congress

A
  1. Expressed Powers
  2. Implied Powers
  3. Non-legislative Powers
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37
Q

Expressed Powers

A

Specifically stated powers

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38
Q

What are the Expressed Powers

A 
A. Tax
B. Borrow Money
C. Regulate Commerce 
D. Currency Power
E. Sets up Bankruptcy Laws
F. Foreign Relations 
- Congress must approve all treaties 
G. War power
H. Naturalization
I. Postal Power
J. Copyrights and Patents 
K. Weights and Measures 
L. Territories and Washington D.C. 
M. Judicial Power 
- Federal Judges are approved by the Senate
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39
Q

Tax

A

A charge levied by government on people or property to meet public needs

40
Q

Types of Tax

A
  1. Direct Tax

2. Indirect Tax

41
Q

Direct Tax

A

Must be paid by the person on whom it is imposed

42
Q

Indirect Tax

A

First paid by one person but then passed on to another

43
Q

Limitations on Taxes (Things that can’t be taxed):

A
  1. Exports

2. Church services

44
Q

War Powers Act of 1973

A

The President can send the troops in for 60 days

45
Q

Naturalization

A

Immigrants becoming citizens

46
Q

Implied Powers

A

Not specifically stated

47
Q

Implied Powers are also called

A

Necessary and Proper Clause or Elastic Clause

48
Q

What are the Non-legislative Powers

A

A. Constitutional Amendments
B. Electoral Duties
- Congress chooses P and VP if the Electoral College fails
C. Impeachment
D. Executive
- Congress approves presidential appointments and treaties
E. Investigatory

49
Q

What happens on Opening Day for:

House of Representatives:

A
  1. Speaker of the House is elected
  2. The Dean of the House will give the oath of office to the Speaker of the House
  3. Speaker of the House swears in the other members
  4. Officers are elected
  5. Rules are adopted
  6. Committees are appointed
50
Q

Speaker’s Duties

A
  1. Preside

2. Keep order

51
Q

Current Speaker of the House of Representatives

A

John Boehner

52
Q

Congress operates on the

A

Committee System

53
Q

Senority Rule

A

The people who have been there the longest get the best positions

54
Q

Standing Committees

A

Permanent Committees

55
Q

Examples of Standing Committees

A
  1. Agriculture
  2. Ethics
  3. Foreign Affairs
  4. Rules
56
Q

Select Committee

A
  1. Temporary Committee
  2. Have a specific purpose
  3. Composed of members of both houses
  4. Usually investigates something
57
Q

Joint Committee

A
  1. Composed of members of both houses
  2. Temporary Committee
  3. Usually investigates something
58
Q

Conference Committee

A
  1. Temporary
  2. Powerful
  3. Purpose is to produce a compromise bill that both houses will accept
  4. Made up of members of both houses
59
Q

Bill

A

Proposed law

60
Q

Joint Resolution

A

Similar to a bill, has the force of law, but it deals with a temporary issue

61
Q

Concurrent Resolution

A

Deal with issues in which the House of Representatives and the Senate must act together

  • Does not have the force of law
  • They do this in order to state a position
62
Q

Rider

A

A provision that is attached to a major bill because it will not pass on its own

63
Q

First Reading of a Bill

A

Bill is:

  1. Introduced
  2. Numbered, Given a title and Brief Summary
  3. Entered into Journal and Congressional Record
  4. Sent to a Committee
64
Q

5 Things Can Happen When the Bill Gets To a Committee

They can:

A
  1. Report the bill favorably
  2. Refuse to report the bill
  3. Report the bill unfavorably
  4. Report the bill in amended form
    - Add amendments to it and change it
  5. Report a Committee bill
    - Write a completely new bill
65
Q

Second Reading

A

Committee of the whole looks at the bill

- Floor consideration

66
Q

Third Reading

A
  • Final vote on the bill
  • Goes to the Conference Committee
  • Then goes to the President
67
Q

Options for the President when a bill comes

A
  1. Sign the bill
    - It becomes law
  2. Veto the bill
  3. Pocket Veto
68
Q

Pocket Veto

A

If congress adjourns before 10 days and the president doesn’t do anything

69
Q

What happens if the president vetoes it

A

2/3 of Congress can vote to overturn the veto

70
Q

Filibuster

A

Purpose is to stall a vote and talk as long as they can

71
Q

Who has the longest Filibuster record

A

Strom Thurmond

72
Q

How long did he speak?

A

24 hours and 18 minutes

73
Q

What is the only way to prevent a Filibuster

74
Q

How do you get a Cloture

A

60 Senators have to agree to limit the debate time before

75
Q

Patronage

A

Efforts to help constituents by personally providing jobs, public works, or benefiting as a favor

76
Q

Pork-Barrel Legislation

A

Bills composed of items of patronage names and located in specific constituencies (usually public work deals)

77
Q

Private Bill

A

A proposal to grant some kind of relief, special privilege, or exemption to the person named in the bill

78
Q

Responsibilities of Congress

A
  1. Statutes (laws)
  2. Oversight of Administration
  3. Oversight of Citizens
  4. Advise and Consent
  5. Debate
  6. Direct Committee Government
  7. Legislative Veto
79
Q

Statutes (laws)

A
  1. Authorization acts
  2. Revenue acts
  3. Appropriation acts (involves spending money)
  4. Public acts
80
Q

Oversight of Administration done through

A
  1. Hearings
  2. Investigations
  3. Supervision (lobbyist)
81
Q

Hearings

A

An inquiry conducted by congress to build a record on a specific bill already introduced

82
Q

Investigations

A

Authorization by congress for a committee to examine a broad area or problem rather than a specific bill

83
Q

Supervision (lobbyist)

A

Making sure lobbyist are not being taken advantage of too much

84
Q

Advise and Consent

A

All presidential appointments, treaties, and bills must be approved by congress

85
Q

Direct Committee Government

A

The practice of delegating certain congressional powers from the whole congress to one of its committees

86
Q

Legislative Veto

A

Allows the president to propose changes in administrative organization procedures and regulations which become law if congress does not act on it in 60 days

87
Q

Majority Floor Leader of the House of Reps

A

Eric Cantor

88
Q

Minority Floor Leader of the House of Reps

A

Nancy Pelosi

89
Q

Majority Whip of the House of Reps

A

Kevin McCarthy

90
Q

Minority Whip of the House of Reps

A

Steny Hoyer

91
Q

President of the Senate

92
Q

Majority Floor Leader of the Senate

A

Harry Reid

93
Q

Minority Floor Leader of the Senate

A

Mitch McConnell

94
Q

Majority Whip of the Senate

A

Dick Durbin

95
Q

Minority Whip of the Senate

A

John Cornyn

Government (13 decks)

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