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Government > Chapter 6 > Flashcards

Chapter 6 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is committee action?

A

When a bill is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the senate.

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2
Q

What is multiple referral?

A

When bills are referred to more than one committee.

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3
Q

What is a sequential referral?

A

Only in the house. It mans any piece of legislation that makes it out of committee must go to another committee.

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4
Q

what is a the Rules Committee?

A

Only in house. It is where bills go when they make it out of their first committee during sequential referral.

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5
Q

What is pigeonholing?

A

If the committee does not act on a bill, it is the equivalent of killing it.

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6
Q

Whats steps do committees do?

A
  1. Comment about bill
  2. Bill can be assigned to subcommittee.
  3. Hearing may be held.
  4. Subcommittees report their findings to the full committee.
  5. committee holds mark-up session.
  6. If a bill dies, it usually dies here.
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7
Q

What are Standing committees?

A

Permanent subject matter committee. Congressmen develop expertise in their subject matter by working on these committees.

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8
Q

What are Joint Committees?

A

HOR and the Senate join together to get things done.

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9
Q

What are select Committees?

A

A temporary Committee to deal with temporary Issue. Example is Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina.

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10
Q

What is a conference committee?

A

House and Senate join together to resolve differences of passing a different version of the same bill in different houses.

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11
Q

What is a divided government?

A

It is when one or both houses are of a different party than that of the President.

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12
Q

What is a unified government?

A

A unified government is when both houses of the government are the same as the President.

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13
Q

What are Implied powers?

A

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States.

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14
Q

What powers are denied to congress?

A

Writ of Habeas Corpus, Bill of Attainder, Ex post Facto.

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15
Q

What was the The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1985?

A

The act demanded that the Federal budget be balanced every year, and that Congress and the President do not spend money it does not have. Because of loopholes Congress and the President continued deficit spending.

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16
Q

Name three congressional agencies?

A

General Accounting Office (GAO), Congressional Research Services (CRS), Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

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17
Q

What is the GAO?

A

The General Accounting Office, also referred to as “The watchdog of congress” was founded in 1921. Primarily performs routine financial audits of money spent by the executive department and agencies.

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18
Q

What is the CRS?

A

The Congressional Research Services, founded in 1914, is a politically neutral body that indicated the arguments for or against certain policies.

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19
Q

What is the CBO?

A

The Congressional Budget Office, founded in 1974, provides cost analysis on proposed legislation.

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20
Q

What are some House and Senate Ethics?

A
  1. Gifts – (No gifts more than $100 total)
  2. Lobbyists - No gift pay (for official travel , legal defense fund, or charitable contributions.)
  3. Fees – No fees for lectures or writing except fees up to $2000 to Senator’s charity
  4. Outside Income – May not exceed 15% of the Senator or House member salary
  5. Ex-Congressmen cannot influence government for an entire year.
  6. Mass Mailing – No Congress may receive more than 50,000 from the Senate to send out mass mailings to constituents.
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21
Q

What immunity does congress have?

A

Can’t be arrested during session and immune from court action bc of speech made in session.

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22
Q

What compensations do congress members get?

A

Senators and representatives salaries $185,600 per year, raises, free parking, cheap medical benefits, tax deductions

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23
Q

What is the oversight function?

A

The oversight function is when a member of Congress checks to see if the executive branch is working efficiently and according to the law. It is NOT their job to run a department of the executive branch.

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24
Q

What are Caucuses?

A

A congressional caucus is a group of members of Congress sharing specific interest such as the Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, the Congresswomen Caucus, and the Sunbelt Caucus.

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25
Q

What are Simple Resolutions?

A

Simple Resolutions are used to express nonbinding positions of the Senate or House to deal with Senate’s internal affairs, such as the creation of special committees.

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26
Q

What are Joint Resolutions?

A

Joint Resolutions are a legislative measure which requires approval by the Senate and the House and is presented to the President for their approval, in exactly the same fashion as a bill and has the force of law.

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27
Q

What are concurrent resolutions?

A

Concurrent Resolutions are a legislative measure passed by both the Senate and House but they do not need Presidential approval and do not have the force of law.

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28
Q

What is Public Bill?

A

Public Bill is a bill which proposes a law of general application throughout the jurisdiction in which it is proposed and which if enacted will hence become a public law or public act.

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29
Q

what is Private Bill?

A

Private Bill is an act considered or acted upon by a legislature that helps a single individual, group of individuals, or a corporate entity. Private bills are rare today.

30
Q

What are Special Sessions?

A

Special Sessions of Congress are mandated by the Constitution and they allow Congress to be called back in session during an adjournment to deal with a pressing issue. Today, special sessions are rare since Congress is almost always in session.

31
Q

What is a bill rider?

A

An attachment to a measure.

32
Q

What do filibusters do?

A

TALKING A BILL TO DEATH”
 A MINORITY OF SENATORS ATTEMPT TO DELAY ACTION ON A
MEASURE.

33
Q

What is a cloture rule?

A

RULE XXII IN THE STANDING RULES OF THE U.S. SENATE
 LIMITS DEBATE ON A MEASURE
 ¾ OF ALL SENATORS MUST VOTE FOR A “MOTION OF CLOTURE”
 LIMITS FLOOR TIME/DISCUSSION OF A MEASURE TO 30 HOURS,
THEN A VOTE MUST BE TAKEN

34
Q

How does a bill become a law?

A
  1. Bill introduced
  2. Referred to committee
  3. Reported by the full committee
  4. sent to rules committee (house of reps)
  5. bill is debated on the floor
  6. House voted
  7. Senate does same process.
  8. Conference committee works out changes in bill.
  9. both houses vote again.
  10. president makes choice and if vetoed take 2/3 of both houses to override.
35
Q

House specifications?

A

435 members based on states. 2 year terms. Minimum age of 25. More formal. Many rules.

36
Q

Senate specifications?

A

100 members not based on state pop.. 6 year terms. 30 minimum age. Few rules. Less formal.

37
Q

apportionment

A

The process of allotting congressional
seats to each state according to its
proportion of the population, following
the decennial census.

38
Q

bill

A

A proposed law.

39
Q

impeachment

A

The power delegated to the House of
Representatives in the Constitution to
charge the president, vice president,
or other “civil officers,” including federal
judges, with “Treason, Bribery, or other
high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” This
is the first step in the constitutional process of removing government officials from office.

40
Q

trustee

A

Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinions and then uses his or her best judgment to make a final decision.

41
Q

delegate

A

Role played by a representative who
votes the way his or her constituents
would want, regardless of personal opinions; may refer to an elected representative to Congress or a representative to the party convention.

42
Q

politico

A

An elected representative who acts as a
trustee or as a delegate, depending on
the issue.

43
Q

incumbency

A

Already holding an office.

44
Q

redistricting

A

The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state.

45
Q

gerrymandering

A

The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district.

46
Q

majority party

A

The political party in each house of

Congress with the most members.

47
Q

minority party

A

The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members.

48
Q

party caucus (or conference)

A

A formal gathering of all party members.

49
Q

Speaker of the house

A

The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority party.

50
Q

majority leader

A

The head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as its most
powerful member.

51
Q

minority leader

A

The head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

52
Q

whip

A 
Party leader who keeps close contact
with all members of his or her party,
takes vote counts on key legislation,
prepares summaries of bills, and acts
as a communications link within a party.
53
Q

president pro tempore

A

The official chair of the Senate; usually
the most senior member of the majority
party.

54
Q

discharge petition

A

Petition that gives a majority of the
House of Representatives the authority
to bring an issue to the floor in the face
of committee inaction.

55
Q

seniority

A

Time of continuous service on

a committee.

56
Q

markup

A

A session in which committee members
offer changes to a bill before it goes to
the floor.

57
Q

Committee of the Whole

A

A procedure that allows the House of

Representatives to deliberate with a lower quorum and to expedite consideration and amendment of a bill.

58
Q

hold

A 
A procedure by which a senator asks
to be informed before a particular bill
or nomination is brought to the floor.
This request signals leadership that a
member may have objections to the bill
(or nomination) and should be consulted
before further action is taken.
59
Q

reconciliation

A 
A procedure that allows consideration
of controversial issues affecting the
budget by limiting debate to twenty
hours, thereby ending threat of a
filibuster.
60
Q

pork

A

Legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works
programs, military bases, or other
programs.

61
Q

programmatic requests

A

Federal funds designated for special
projects within a state or congressional
district. Also referred to as earmarks.

62
Q

congressional review

A 
A process whereby Congress can nullify
agency regulations within a 60-day
window by passing a joint resolution of legislative disapproval. The president’s approval of the resolution or a two-thirds majority vote in both houses
to overrule a presidential veto is also
required.
63
Q

senatorial courtesy

A 
A process by which presidents generally
allow senators from the state in which
a judicial vacancy occurs to block a
nomination by simply registering their
objection.
64
Q

logrolling

A

Vote trading; voting to support a col-

league’s bill in return for a promise of future support.

65
Q

bicameral legislature

A

A two-house legislature.

66
Q

Edmund Burke

A

Conservative British political philosopher
of the eighteenth century who articulated the view that elected representatives should act as “trustees” and use their own best judgement when voting

67
Q

Who was the first female speaker of the house?

A 
Nancy Pelosi was the first woman
Speaker, and served in that role
between January 2007 and January
2011. A strong Speaker, she was known
for her ability to count votes before
allowing any bill on the floor, resulting
in the highest levels of party unity in
recent history.
68
Q

Richard m. nixon

A 
The thirty-seventh president, a Republican, who served from 1969 through
1974. Nixon advocated détente during
the Cold War and resigned rather than
face impeachment and likely removal
from office due to the Watergate
scandal.
69
Q

Congressional Budget act of 1974

A

Act that established the congressional
budgetary process by laying out a plan
for congressional action on the annual
budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills.

70
Q

War powers Resolution

A

Passed by Congress in 1973; the
president is limited in the deployment of
troops overseas to a sixty-day period in
peacetime (which can be extended for
an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives
its approval for a longer period

71
Q

Line-item veto

A

The power of a president, governor, or other elected executive to reject individual provisions of a bill. Not allowed anymore because supreme court declared it unconstitutional.

72
Q

1992 & 2003 Congressional Elections

A

In 1992, the Democrats lost 9 seats to the Republicans even though the house of reps won the vote by five. This happened because of redistricting. Then, in 2003, 2 special elections were made to fill empty spots in the House of reps.

Government (9 decks)

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