Chapter 7 Congress Flashcards
Bicameral legislature
A two-house legislature.
apportionment
The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to their proportions of the population.
bill
A proposed law
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.
incumbency
Already holding an office.
redistricting
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.
gerrymandering
The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district.
majority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members.
minority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members.
party caucus or conference
A formal gathering of all party members.
Speaker of the House
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.
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 regarded as its most powerful member.
minority leader
The head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate.
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.
president pro tempore
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party.
seniority
Time of continuous service on a committee.
markup
A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor.
hold
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 (or nomination) and should be consulted before further action is taken.
filibuster
A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate.
cloture
Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate.
veto
The formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without further congressional action.
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.
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
Act that 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.
reconciliation
A procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, therby ending threat of a filibuster.
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.
War Powers Act
Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period on peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period.
congressional review
A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval.
senatorial courtesy
A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs.
trustee
Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinions and then uses his or her best judgment to make a final decision.
delegate
Role played by an elected representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want him or her to, regardless of his or her own opinions.
politico
Role played by an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue.
divided government
The political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and Congress.
unified government
The political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress.
logrolling
Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for promise of future support.
