Chapter 7 Congress Flashcards
A two-house legislature
bicameral legislature
The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to the proportion of the population
apportionment
A proposed law
bill
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
impeachment
Already holding an office
incumbency
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
redistricting
The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district
gerrymandering
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members
majority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members
minority party
A formal gathering of all party members
party caucus or conference
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
Speaker of the House
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
majority leader
The head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate
minority leader
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
whip
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party.
president pro tempore
Committee to which proposed bills are referred ; continues from one Congress to the next.
standing committee
Standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress setup to conduct investigations or special studies
joint committee
Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
conference committee
Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose.
select (or special) committee
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
discharge petition
Time of continuous service on a committee
seniority
A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor
markup
A tactic 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 and should be consulted before further action is taken.
hold
A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate
filibuster
Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate
cloture
The formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from borrowing law without further congressional action
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.
pocket veto
Act the established the congressional budget process by laying out a plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills.
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
Funds that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects within a state or congressional district
earmark
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
War powers Act
A process whereby congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval.
congressional review
A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs.
senatorial courtesy
Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents opinions and then uses his or her best judgement to make a final decision
trustee
Role played by and elected representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want him or her to, regardless of his or her own opinions
delegate
Role played by and elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue
politico
The political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and congress
divided government
The political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress
unified government
Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support
logrolling
