Chapter 6 AP Government. Valerie Guevara Flashcards
bicameral legislature
A two-house legislature
Sentence: The bicameral legislature is a fundamental part of the US government.
apportionment
The process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its proportion of the population, following the decennial census
Sentence: Apportionment set the appropriate amount of seats to each state.
impeachment
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
Sentence: President Trump has been threatened with impeachment.
Edmund Burke
Conservative British political philosopher of the eighteenth century who articulated the view that elected representative should act as “trustees” and use their own best judgement when voting
Sentence: Edmund Burke was an important philosopher in the 18th century.
trustee
Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinion and then uses his or her best judgement to make a final decision
Sentence: Trustee’s have an important role in the US government.
delegate
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
Sentence: Delegates play a vital role in US elections.
politico
An elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue
Sentence: A politico is an important part of the US government.
incumbency
Already holding an office
Sentence: Donald Trumps has an incumbency.
redistricting
The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well population shifts within a state
Sentence: When the population shifts redistricting is important.
gerrymandering
The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district
Sentence: Gerrymandering has an important role in the results of the election.
majority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members
Sentence: Majority parties hold much influence on the US government.
minority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members
Sentence: Minority parties have little influence among the house.
party caucus (or conference)
A formal gathering of all party members
Sentence: Party caucus are important when members must gather together.
majority leader
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
Sentence: The majority leader controls the most seats in the house.
minority leader
The head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate
Sentence: The minority leader is second to the majority leader.
whip
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
Sentence: The whip is an important person among his or her party.
president pro tempore
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party
Sentence: The president pro tempore holds high seniority.
standing committee
Committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next
Sentence: The standing committee is an influential part of the US government.
joint committee
Standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies
Sentence: The joint committee is a component of the standing committee.
conference committee
Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
Sentence: Conference committee handles differences among the house and senate.
select (or special) committee
Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose
Sentence: Select committees are not permanent.
Hillary Clinton
First female major party candidate for president of the United States, a Democrat, who ran against President Donald J. Trump in 2016. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013; New York senator from 2001 to 2009; former first lady
Sentence: Hillary Clinton is married to Bill Clinton, who was the former POTUS.
House Committee on Rules
The influential “Rules Committee” determines the scheduling and conditions, such as length of debate and type of allowable amendments, for all bills in the House of Representatives (but not in the Senates, where debate is less regulated)
Sentence: House Committee on Rules is an important part of the US government.
discharge petition
Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority the bring an issue to the floor in the face committee inaction
Sentence: Discharge petition occurs when issues arise.
seniority
Time of continuous service on a committee
Sentence: Supreme court judges hold seniority.
markup
A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor
Sentence: Markups are made to bills before they are presented.
Committee of the Whole
A procedure that allows the House of Representatives to deliberate with a lower quorum and to expedite consideration and amendment of a bill
Sentence: The Committee of the Whole is a component of the House of Representatives.
hold
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
Sentence: If a senator wants to know about a bill or nomination a hold will occur.
filibuster
A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate
Sentence: Filibuster’s stall a bill via a debate.
closure
Mechanism requiring the vote of sixty senators to cut off debate
Sentence: Closure requires the vote of 60 senators.
veto
The formal, constitutional authority of the president the reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without further congressional action
Sentence: A veto prevents a bill from becoming a law.
pocket veto
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without the president’s signature
Sentence: The process of a pocket veto usually takes ten days.
Richard M. Nixon
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
Sentence: Richard M. Nixon was a republican president.
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
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
Sentence: Congressional Budget Act of 1974 institutes a budget for congressional actions,
reconciliation
A procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster
Sentence: Reconciliation allows debates to be limited.
Pork
Legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs
Sentence: Pork allows for more job opportunities.
programmatic requests
Federal funds designated for special projects within a state or congressional district. Also referred to as earmarks
Sentence: Programmatic requests aid special projects.
divided government
The political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and at least one house of Congress
Sentence: Right now the US has a divided government.
War Powers Resolution
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
Sentence: War Powers Resolution limits the presidents power over the military.
congressional review
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-third majority vote in both houses to overrule a presidential veto is also required
Sentence: Congressional review occurs in both sides of the house.
senatorial courtesy
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
Sentence: Senatorial courtesy concerns the senators from all 51 states.
unified government
The political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress
Sentence: The United States of America does not currently have a unified government.
logrolling
Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support
Sentence: Logrolling is also know as vote trading.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Created in 1914, the non-partisan CRS provides information, studies, and research in support of the work of Congress, and prepares summaries and tracks the progress of all bill
Sentence: Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a non-partisan organization.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Established in 1921, the GAO is an independent regulatory agency for the purpose of auditing the financial expenditures of the executive branch and federal agencies; until 2004, the GAO was known as the General Accounting Office
Sentence: Government Accountability Office (GAO) audites finances.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Created in 1974, the CBO provides Congress with evaluations of the potential economic effects of proposed spending policies and also analyzes the president’s budget and economic projections
Sentence: Congressional Budget Office (CBO) evaluates economic effects.
cloture
Mechanism requiring the vote of sixty senators to cut off debate
Sentence: In order to halt debate cloture must take place.
bill
A proposed law
Sentence: A bill can be vetoed by congress.
