Congress Cards Flashcards
incumbent
- individuals who already hold office
- usually win.
casework
- responses and services Congress offers to constituents
- often used to cross red tape, get away with something, etc.
- Congress has to do it so it often clogs up activity
pork barrel
Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to State and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district.
bicameral legislature
A legislature divided into two houses. the US Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska’s are bicameral.
Speaker of the House
- congressional position
- mandated by the constitution
- chosen in practice by the majority party
- has both formal and informal powers
- second in line (after the Vice President) to succeed to the presidency
majority leader
- ally of the Speaker of the House or the majority party’s manager in the senate
-activities include scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party’s legislative positions
whips
Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waivers whose votes are crucial to the passage of a bill favored by the party.
minority leader
The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.
standing committee
- most important
- permanent
- deal with policy issues
conference committees
- formed when two different versions of the bill are passed in House and Senate
- fix the two versions to be the same
- not permanent
committee chairs
- most important influencers of their committee’s agenda
- activities include scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house
seniority system
- simple rule for picking committee chairs
- in legal effect until the 1970s
caucus
A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.
bill
A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.
legislative oversight
Congress’s monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through committee hearings.
filibuster
unlimited debate in senate
current majority leader
Steve Scalise
current whips in house and senate
Congress: Tom Emmer (majority) and Katherine Clark (minority)
Senate: Dick Durbin (majority) and John Thune (minority)
current Minority Leader (House and Senate)
Hakeem Jefferies
Why do Congress members seek out spots on specific committees?
If they feel more passionate about certain topics they may seek to be on specific committees, but they may also join certain committees to appeal to their voters to ensure they win re-election.
Judiciary Committee in House
- rarely used
- jurisdiction over matters relating to the administration of justice in federal courts, administrative bodies, law enforcement agencies, and impeachments
Overall, it considers legislation relating to judicial proceedings.
Judiciary Committee in Senate
- influential
- oversight of key activities of the executive branch (mostly oversees the Department of Justice)
- judicial nominations for the federal judiciary, including Supreme Court nominations, appellate court nominations, and district court nominations.
Rules Committee: House
- mechanism that the Speaker uses to maintain control of the House Floor
- two broad categories of jurisdiction: special orders for the consideration of legislation and original jurisdiction matters
- has a lot of power because they can essentially do anything they want as long as the majority of the House votes for the special rule that allows them to do so
Rules Committee: Senate
- responsible for the rules of the Senate, administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate
- less power than the House’s Rules Committee because of the Senate’s tradition for unlimited debate
Foreign Relations Committee: House
- jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs of the United States
- oversees the U.S. Department of State, American embassies and diplomats, and the U.S. Agency for International Development
- the House does focus more on bills while the Senate looks at things submitted by the executive office
Foreign Relations Committee: Senate
- only committee in the Senate with jurisdiction to deliberate and report treaties that have been submitted by the President for the Senate to consider
- conducts public hearings on each treaty
- the Senate looks at things submitted by the executive office.
Debate in House versus Senate
Senate: unlimited debate (filibuster)
House: limited debate set by House Rules Committee
Amendments House versus Senate
House:
- offer amendment after bill has been read
- debate for 5 minutes (5 mins in pro and con)
Senate:
- same as House but unlimited debate
Committee Assignments House versus Senate
House:
- each party has a party caucus to decide who is assigned to which committee
- each party has different ways of assigning
Senate:
- representatives for committees elected by entire Senate
- party conferences often make a “committee on committees” to help with the decision
Selection of Committee Chairs House versus Senate
House: two steps
- each respective party recommends members to serve on committees, the majority party recommends a Chairman, and the minority party recommends a Ranking Member
- House approves the recommendations
Senate:
- choose chairs based on whichever party member has seniority
House traits:
- institutionalized
- more hierarchy and rules
- more party loyalty
- initiate all bills and start impeachment process
Senate traits:
- ratify treaties
- confirm presidential nominations
- hold impeachment trials
- less disciplined and less centralized
- filibuster
purpose of committees:
control agenda and guide legislation
joint committee:
- representatives from both the House and Senate
- deal with issues within Congress itself
select committees
- formed to serve a special function
- usually not permanent
how does a bill go through the committees?
first goes through standing committee, then goes to subcommittee to make the “marked up bill” to add in changes
legislative oversight
- review of activities of Congress and how the bureaucracy is implementing laws
- all they can do is pressure agencies, no punishment, budget-cutting, firing, etc.
- mainly done through hearings
