Chapter 5 - Congress Flashcards
Bicameral legislature
A legislature consisting of two chambers or houses
Single-member district
An electoral district in which a single person is elected to a given office
Plurality rule
A method for determining an election’s winner in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins
Proportional representation
A method for allocating seats in a legislature in which the number of seats a party receives in a district or nationwide is proportional to the votes it receives in the elections
Gerrymandering
Drawing strangely shaped district boundaries to gain political advantage
Trustees
Representatives who make decisions using their own judgments about what is best for their constituents
Delegates
Representatives who listen carefully to what their constituents want and make decisions based on feedback from constituents
Constituency service
A legislator directly helping a constituent in dealing with government bureaucracy
Incumbency advantage
The advantage current officeholders have in an election, in particular as it relates to the high rates at which congressional legislators win re-election
Pork barrel
Government spending that benefits a narrow constituency in return for electoral support or some other kind of political support, including campaign donations
Distributional model
The view that the internal institutions of the congressional chambers are designed primarily to help members of Congress secure economic benefits for only their constituents, not the general public
Logrolling
An instance of two or more legislators agreeing to vote in favor of one another’s proposed bills or amendments
Informational model
The view that the internal institutions of the congressional chambers are designed to help Congress make more informed decisions
Partisan model
The view that majority-party leaders dominate the workings of Congress and ensure that most legislative benefits come to majority-party members
Party discipline
Pressure on party members to vote on bills that have the support of the party leadership
Speaker of the House
The constitutionally designated leader of the House of Representatives. In the modern House, he or she is always the leader of the majority party
Reed’s Rules
Procedural guidelines used by the majority-party leadership for determining who sits on which committees, how the order of business should be decided, and how the majority party should limit the powers of the minority party
Majority leader
The head of the party holding a majority of seats and, in the Senate, the leader of the Senate. In the House, the majority leader is second to the Speaker of the House
Whip
A member of the House or Senate who is elected by his or her party to help party leaders coordinate party members’ actions, including enforcing party discipline
Standing committee
A group of legislators given permanent jurisdiction over a particular issue area or type of policy
special (or select) committee
A committee appointed to consider a special issue or serve a special function that disbands once it has completed its duties
Joint committee
A committee made up of members of both the House and Senate
Conference committee
A meeting of legislators from the House and Senate to reconcile two bills passed on the same topic
Caucus
In a legislature, a group of legislators that unites to promote an agenda not pursued within the parties or the legislative committees
Split referral
A rule (in place since 1975) that permits the Speaker to split a bill into sections and give sections to specific committees
Markup
A committee or subcommittee process where committee members edit and amend bills
Open rule
A provision that allows any amendment to be proposed once a bill comes to the chamber floor
Closed rule
A provision that allows no amendments to be proposed once a bill comes to the chamber floor
Restricted (or modified) rule
A provision that allows only certain kinds of amendments to be proposed once a bill comes to the floor, typically only amendments that pertain to the original purpose of the bill
Unanimous consent agreement
Rules under which the Senate debates, offers amendments, and votes on a given bill. All members of the chamber must agree to them, so any senator can object and halt progress on a bill
Filibuster
Instances in which senators, once recognized to speak on the floor, talk for an extended period (“hold the floor”) in an attempt to block the rest of the Senate from voting on a bill
Cloture
A rule that limits debate on a bill to a specific number of hours. Senate rules require 60 senators to support such a motion to end debate (including filibusters) and proceed to a vote
Pocket veto
A veto that occurs automatically if a president does not sign a bill for 10 days after passage in Congress and Congress has adjourned during that 10-day period
