Chapter 6 KTR Flashcards
Representation
Those we elect should look out for local interests and carry out represented wills
Represent constituency
Body of voters in specified area who elect representative to legislative body
Policy representation
Congressional work for laws that advocate economic and social interests of constituency
Allocative representation
Congressperson gets projects and grants for district
Pork Barrel
Paid for by all taxpayers but enjoyed by a few Congress members
Casework
Constituency service; covers things such as civilian problems
Symbolic representation
Members of Congress represent positive values that Americans associate with public life and government
National lawmaking
Address country’s social/economic problems through passing laws that serve interests of entire nation
Congressional Powers/Responsibilities
- Laid out in Article I, Section 8
- Tax, pay debt, common defense
- Initiate legislation and must pass every bill in identical form before signed by pres.
Senate
- Higher educated, intellectual
- 100 members
- 6 years; can suspend preoccupation with next campaign for 5 years
- 30 year old minimum
- Tries official who is being impeached
- Ability to confirm appt.
House
- 435 members; hierarchal system
- 2 year term
- 25 year minimum
- Initiate Budget Bills
- Impeaches with treason, bribery, high crimes
Checks and balances
- Congress’ bills: (1) Pres. signs or refrains from voting; (2) 2/3 majority to override
- Congressional oversight
- Congress sets up lower federal courts/salaries/establishes issues of jurisdiction
Congressional oversight
-Congress keeps president/executive branch in check through hearings, selective investigations of executive actions
of Senators/House
- 2 Senators/state
- Based on population for House
Reapportionment
-435 House seats are reallocated among the states after 10 year census
Redistricting
-Redrawing district lines in states with more than one rep.
Gerrymandering
-Process of drawing district lines to benefit one group
Pro-Incumbent Gerrymandering
-State legislature so closely divided members can’t agree who to favor; agree to create districts that reinforce current power structure
Partisan Gerrymandering
-Draw districts to maximize number of House seats their party can win
Racial Gerrymandering
District lines to favor or disadvantage of racial group
Coattail Effect
Added votes congressional candidates of winning presidential party receive in presidential election year as voters generalize enthusiasm for national candidate to whole party
Midterm Loss
Regularity with which presidential party loses seats in Congress in midterm elections (between presidential election years)
Party/Leadership in House
- Majority party decides rules; Speaker of the House, maj./min. leaders, whips
- Mechanism for advancement, stand for wide variety of problems
- Speaker elected by majority party
Party/Leadership in Senate
- More decentralized
- Presiding officer is VP; casts tie-breaking vote when necessary
- President Pro Temper of Senate presides when VP not present
- Real leadership in majority and minority leaders; influence scheduling of bills
Whips
Find out how people intend to vote so leaders can adjust legislation and negotiate acceptable amendments to garner support
Committee System
- Details of legislation are worked out; hand work of considering alternatives and draft legislation
- Undertake congressional oversight
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
Act that supports congressional oversight; continuous watchfulness
Standing Committee
- Most of work accomplished; permanent committees created by statute and carry over from session to session
- Review legislation; amend, kill
Rules Committee
- Only in House
- Decides rules and are controlled by Majority Party
Select Committee
- Temporary, do not recommend legislation
- used to gather info
Joint Committees
- Made up of both houses of Congress
- Coordinated activities to expedite consideration of legislation
Conference Committees
Temporary committees of both houses of Congress commissioned to resolve differences
Congressional Research Service
- Unit of Library of Congress
- 180 people
Government Accountability Office
- 5,000 employees
- Audits books of executive members with economic estimates
Congressional Policymaking:
-Bicameral
-All congressional policy has to be passed by both houses
Congressional Policymaking:
-Fragmentation
-Legislation is broken into bits; each considered by individual committees
Congressional Policymaking:
-Congressional Norms
-Informal rules of procedure learned by newcomers; work hard, develop specialization…
Bill Becomes Law:
-Proposed, legislative agenda
- Problem that is possible, appropriate, and timely for Congress to solve
- Gets public attention, triggered by well of publicized event, members find it in own interest
Policy Entrepreneurship
Finding right policy to push at right time
Legislative Process
- Bill introduced
- Committee/subcommittee consider
- House/Senate consider an vote
- Conference committee to resolve
- Bill passes
- President signs
House Legislative Process
- Bill proposed in hopper
- Bill taken by clerk, number
- Standing to Rules Committee
Senate Legislative Process
- Guarantee open rule by default
- Majority leader/minority schedule legislation for consideration
Filibuster
-Sometimes used to tie up floor in debate; stopped by cloture
Roll Call Voting
-Congressional voting; all votes public record, party is most important factor
Veto Override
-Congress can attempt to override with 2/3 vote
Pocket Veto
-Pres. does not sign bill within 10 days of the end of session; Congress cannot veto override after that
