Chapter 5 vocab Flashcards
Senate
The upper house of Congress, consisting of two representatives from each state.
House of Representatives
The lower house of Congress consists of a different number of representatives from each state, depending on population.
Census
A population count taken by the Census Bureau.
Constituents
A person from a legislator’s district.
Gerrymander
An oddly shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group.
Majority party
- In both the house of representatives and the senate the political party to which more than half the members belong.
Minority party
- In both the house of representatives and the senate the political party to which fewer than half the members belong.
Seniority
- Years of service which is used as consideration for assigning committee members.
Occur
- To happen or take place.
Adjust
- To change or alter in order to fit or conform.
Expressed powers-
Powers that the U.S congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution.
Enumerated powers
are Powers granted directly to the national government by the constitution; another name for expressed powers.
Implied powers
- Powers that Congress has that is not stated explicitly in the Constitution.
Elastic clause
- Clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws “necessary and proper”to carry out its expressed powers.
Non Legislative power
Duty Congress holds besides lawmaking.
Impeach
To accuse government officials of misconduct in office.
Writ of habeas corpus
a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why the person is being held.
Bill of attainder
A law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court.
Ex post facto law
A law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed.- To accuse government officials of misconduct in office.
Regulate
To manage or control.
Flanking privilege
the right of senators and representatives to send job- related mail without paying postage.
Lobbyist
Representative of an interest group who contracts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making.
Casework
The work that a lawmaker dose to help constituents with a problem
Pork-barrel project
Government project grant that primarily benefits the home district or state.