Congress

Question 1

what is the structure of Congress?

Answer 1

Bicameral, HoR elections every 2 years, S elections every 6

Question 2

Congress was designed as a compromise:

Answer 2

seats in HoR based on population, every state gets 2 senators

Question 3

how many members in Senate? HoR?

Answer 3

S- 100, HoR- 435

Question 4

what are the roles of congress?

Answer 4

passing legislation, representing the people, overseeing the executive, declaring war

Question 5

what powers do both houses have?

Answer 5

initiate legislation, both houses approve a bill, override pres. veto, initiating amendments, declare war, federal budgets

Question 6

what powers does the Senate have?

Answer 6

ratify treaties, approve presidential appointments

Question 7

how effective is legislative process?

Answer 7

yes- 10-15000 bills become law
no- 2-3% of bills become law, gridlock, bipartisanship, filibuster

Question 8

how effective is oversight?

Answer 8

yes-
no- oversight weak in times of united govt, investigations can be lengthy,

Question 9

HoR terms of office

Answer 9

2 years

Question 10

Sen. term of office

Answer 10

6 years

Question 11

what is a congressional caucus?

Answer 11

a group of members of congress working together to achieve similar legislative aims

Question 12

example of a caucus that involves both parties

Answer 12

congressional black caucus, congressional hispanic caucus

Question 13

who was the first woman speaker?

Answer 13

Nancy Pelosi- 2007-2011

Question 14

is party discipline traditionally strong or weak?

Answer 14

weak

Question 15

When is party discipline particularly important?

Answer 15

when a party lacks a majority.

Question 16

Has congress become more or less polarised?

Answer 16

more

Question 17

Have party unity votes increased significantly?

Answer 17

yes

Question 18

Features of a standing committee?

Answer 18

permanent, focus on a specific policy area

Question 19

Functions of a standing committee?

Answer 19

Committee stage: hold hearings, vote. investigate, focus on committee policy area

Question 20

significance of standing committees?

Answer 20

hearings often highlight profile, long term members become experts, chairs are influential, system provides crucial oversight

Question 21

features of select committees

Answer 21

temporary, made of members from one house

Question 22

functions of select committees

Answer 22

investigate specific question, prevent the relevant standing committee from being overloaded by a single urgent issue

Question 23

significance of select committees

Answer 23

provide focused scrutiny, high profile, can be controversial and partisan

Question 24

features of house rules committee

Answer 24

standing committee is the HoR, small membership (13), favours in majority party in a 2:1 ratio

Question 25

functions of House Rules Committee

Answer 25

sets ‘rules’ for bills, closed rules do not allow amendments to improve bills

Question 26

significance of house rules committee

Answer 26

the chair is one of the most important people in congress, 115th congress (2017-2019) 56% of bills were debated under closed rules, the highest ever

Question 27

features of a conference committee

Answer 27

temporary, members from both houses approve a

Question 28

functions of a conference committee

Answer 28

considers two different versions of the same bill, merges them into one

Question 29

significance of a conference committee

Answer 29

can play an important role in developing legislation, either/both houses can vote against final combined bill

Question 30

what is a committee system?

Answer 30

a system of different types of committee used by Congress to divide its workload.

Question 31

how do members of congress perform functions?

Answer 31

‘town hall’ meetings, debating/voting/amending legislation, sit on relevant committees, lobby, constituency casework

Question 32

what is the delegate model?

Answer 32

representatives vote according to constituents’ wishes, ignoring their own judgment if it conflicts with that of their constituents

Question 33

what is the trustee model?

Answer 33

representatives should vote according to their best judgement. this assumes that representatives are in a better place to make decisions.

Question 34

in what areas do the House and Senate have joint powers?

Answer 34

legislation, oversight, overriding a presidential veto, initiating amendments to the Constitution, declaring war