Chapter 6 - Interest Groups Flashcards
Amicus Curiae Brief
Persuasive doc intended to bring to the attention of a court relevant matters not already brought to its attention by the parties
Citizens United v. FEC
Landmark case
Supreme Court allowed unlimited political contributions by corporations, labor unions, and associations
Dark Money
Spending meant to influence political outcomes where the source of money is not disclosed
“Dominant/complementary” State
State in which factors are more favorable to the existence and overwhelming influence of special interest groups
Earmarks
Funds that an appropriations bill designates a for particular purpose within a state or congressional district
Electioneering
Activity that attempts to persuade people to vote for a particular candidate/party that is sympathetic to that group
Free Ride Problem
Situation where individuals are able to consume a good without paying
Grassroots Lobbying
Approach that asks the general public to contact legislators and government officials concerning issues at hands. as opposed to conveying the message to the legislators directly
Interest Group
Organization of individuals with shared goals that attempts to influence governmental decisions and public policy through a variety of activities
Ligiation
Process of resolving disputes between individuals, organizations, and government entities by filing a lawsuit with a court of law that is empowered to hear a case that ultimately will result in a desired judgment - to pursue their causes
Lobbying
Method by which interest groups attempt to influence government officials
“Open Shop” State
A state in which employees in the state maintain the option of whether or not to join a certified union
Political Action Committee (PAC)
A group specifically created to collect funds from donors and distributed them to parties and candidates who support its issues
Public Interest Group
A group that promotes the broad, collective good of citizens and consumers
Revolving Door
Movement of high-level employees from public-sector jobs to private-sector jobs and vice versa
Targeted Mass Mailings
Mailings that spotlight a specific audience profile and which speak directly to those individual prospects through specifically crafted, personalized mailers, by mailing pamphlet or other documents to a large list of individuals the group is attempting to influence
501(c)(3) Organization
Organization that qualifies as a public interest group that enjoys tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Amount required registration if you are being paid to represent others as lobbyists
$1000
A formal association of individuals or organizations that attempts to influence government decision-making and/or the making of public policy is an:
Interest Group
Political Action Committee is initially created by the appointment of a:
Treasurer
The Texas Ethics Commission consists of
Eight (8) Commissioners
In Texas, political action committee can donate up to this amount to a candidate for state representatives during on election cycle
No limit
Major techniques used by interest groups to influence public policy:
Electioneering
Lobbying
Interest groups with a membership consisting of individuals engaged in the same industry are often called
Professional Associations
Business interest groups with companies as members are generally referred to as
Trade Associations
Someone who represents an interest group before government is called
A lobbyist
A formal association of individuals or organizations that attempts to influence government decision-making and/or the making of public policy is
An interest group
Founding father warned the danger of “factions” in Federalist #10 even as he helped design a system that guaranteed collection action
James Madison
The right to form interest groups to act collectively on public policy issues is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution’s
First Amendment
Economic Groups
Business groups, labor unions, and professional associations are among the most notable
Non-Economic groups
Promote issues in which they believe and work for causes that benefit society as a whole, but they do not provide members with individual financial benefits
Issues and Ideological Groups
Focus on specific matters and ideological perspectives
Often heavily partisan
Persuasion Campaigns
Technique includes running media campaigns to convince the public to support their position on issues and creating and publicizing advertisements intended to help a political candidate or political party achieve victory
According to the Texas Ethics Commission, “making direct communications with the members of the legislative or executive branch of Texas state government to influence legislation or administrative action” is lobbying, which often requires
Periodic activity reports
An association of small beer brewers puts a postcard in every 12-pack, inviting customers to contact their legislators to support a pending bill to allow the direct sale of beer from brewpubs is an example of
Grassroots lobbying
Business Political Action Committees often follow a “friendly incumbent rule”, which means
They rarely support challengers to officeholders seeking reelection
