Chapter 5-7 Flashcards
Bill to Law process
Bill is introduced in the House/Senate (all tax bills start in House), Bill is reviewed by committees, Bill is voted on to be approved then sent back to other chamber to restart, Bill goes to president, If veto’d bill returns to congress, If bill get 2/3 votes in both chambers it becomes law.
House of Reps organization
435 members (6 non voting members)
House of Reps qualifications
At least 25
Citizenship for at least 7 years
Legal resident of state
Members can serve 2 terms with no limits but must be re-elected
Reapportionment
The process of reassign representation based on population after the census
Census
A population count conducted every 10 years
Redistricting
Setting up new district lines after reapportionment
Gerrymandering
Drawing boundaries to give one political party an advantage
Packing
Drawing district lines so they include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible
Cracking
Dividing an opposing party’s voters into other districts
House of Reps leadership
Speaker of the house-Majority leader-Majority whip
Senate organization
100 senators (2 per state)
Senate qualifications
At least 30
Citizen for at least 9 years
Legal resident of state
Members can serve 6 year terms with no limits but must be re-elected
Senate leadership
Senate President-Majority Leader-Minority Leader
Unanimous consent
Requires both parties to agree to debate a bill
Filibuster
Stalling to prevent a final vote
Cloture Resolution
Procedure allowing each senator to speak for only one hour on a bill under debate
27th amendment
Congress can not give itself a pay raise
Censure
A vote of formal disapproval of a members actions
Standing Committee
Permanent committee that oversees bills dealing with specific issues. ex: Energy and Commerce Committee would oversee a bill regulating shade oil
Select Committee
Temporary committee formed to study one specific issue and report findings, and expire at the end of term but can be renewed. ex: Select Committee on the modernization of Congress
Joint Committee
Consists of members from the House and Senate from both parties, acts as a study group that reports back to the chambers. ex: Joint committee on taxation
Conference Committee
Temporary committee set up when the House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill
Chief of Staff
Runs the members office, supervises their schedule, and offers advice to personal congressman
Legislative Director
Establishes the members agenda and supervises junior legislative staff
Legislative Assistant
Keep the member informed about the many bills in Congress