Congress/committees

Question 1

Structure of congress

Answer 1

Made up of two houses - bicameral

Question 2

How many House of Representatives

Answer 2

435

Question 3

How are representatives given

Answer 3

Proportional to state population

Question 4

How many are in the senate

Answer 4

100
2 for each state

Question 5

What resulted in direct election of senators

Answer 5

17th amendment 1914

Question 6

How many women were elected to HoR in 2016

Answer 6

83

Question 7

How many African Americans in HoR in 1980 and 2017

Answer 7

16
46

Question 8

3 main powers of congress

Answer 8

Representative
Legislative
Oversight of branches

Question 9

How are legislative powers granted to congress

Answer 9

In Article I of the constitution

Question 10

How are legislative powers of congress limited

Answer 10

President can veto laws

Question 11

What legislative powers specfically given to the House of Representatives

Answer 11

Ability to start the consideration of money bills
Vote on impeachment
Elect president if electoral college deadlocks

Question 12

Legislative powers only of the senate

Answer 12

Confirm president appointments
Elect the VP in case of electoral college deadlock

Question 13

How does congress oversee the executive branch (checks and balances)

Answer 13

Override presidential veto
Approves budget
Impeach president

Question 14

How can congress override veto

Answer 14

2/3 majority vote

Question 15

How can congress confirm presidential appointments

Answer 15

Powers given by constitution with s simply majority

Question 16

How are HoR representative but senate not

Answer 16

HoR members are proportional to state e.g Wyoming has lowest population (1 representative) California has highest (53 representatives)

Senate has 2 for every state

Question 17

3 differences between senate and house

Answer 17

-Senators are more likely to chair a committee (they are more representative and serve longer terms)
-house seek election for senate but reverse is unknown
-senators have exclusive powers viewed as more significant (ratification, confirmation)

Question 18

3 ways of equality in both houses

Answer 18

All bills go through all stages of both houses
Both have powerful standing committees (hearings at committee stage)
2/3 majority in both houses needed for veto

Question 19

4 types of committees

Answer 19

Standing
House rules
Comference
Select

Question 20

What are standing comittees

Answer 20

Permanent policy specialists

Question 21

What are most standing committees devided into

Answer 21

Subcommittees
E.g. house science and technology committee is a subcommittee of energy and environment commitee

Question 22

Where are standing committee chairs drawn from

Answer 22

The majority party in the house
E.g. in 2009 all the house and senate committee chairs were democrats

Question 23

What are the three functions of standing comittees

Answer 23

Conduct committee stage of legislative process
Investigate into comittees policy area
SENATE ONLY- begging confirmation process of president

Question 24

House rules committee functions

Answer 24

Timetables considered bills on floor of house
Gives important bills quick passage to floor
Gives a rule to each bill for second reading e.g. if it needs any amendments

Question 25

Why are conference comittees recruited

Answer 25

Prodoctuion of two different bills through house and senate

Question 26

Features of comference comittees

Answer 26

Ad hoc
Have members of both houses
Reconcile the differences between two versions of same biol

Question 27

What are select comittees

Answer 27

Ad hoc committees set up especially to investigate something in particular

Question 28

3 recent examples of select comittees

Answer 28

one for CIA, one for political assassinations, one to whitewater affair

Question 29

Order of legislative process

Answer 29

First reading
Comittee stage
Timetabling
Second reading
Third reading
Conference committee
Presidential action

Question 30

How do comittees get witness and evidence

Answer 30

They can subpoena evidence
E.g. senate foreign relations committee investigated effect of NATO enlargement

Question 31

3 examples of standing comittees

Answer 31

Energy and environment commitee
Budget committee
Finance committee

Question 32

factors influencing voting in congress

Answer 32

party
constituents
administration
pressure groups
personal beliefs

Question 33

how does party influence voting in congress

Answer 33

no threat of de-selection
far less centralized than uk
constituents control selection of candidates through primaries
house members subject to elections every 2 years

Question 34

how do constituents influence voting in congress

Answer 34

members will have lived in the districts they repesent
visits/ townall meetings/ surgeries

Question 35

how does the administration influence congressional voting

Answer 35

members of exec will try pursuade ciongress
will need to be regular and bipartisan

Question 36

how do pressure groups influence voting in congress

Answer 36

raising money to fund politicians who support there cause

Question 37

law making powers of congress

Answer 37

distributed in article 1
limited govt - congress only has the given powers
all bills must pass through both houses and all stages
e.g HoR is explicitly granted the power to consider money bills because they are more directly elected

Question 38

veto override Bush example

Answer 38

2007 - Bush water resource development bill
381-40

Question 39

ratifying treaties 2010 example

Answer 39

210 senate 71-26 votes to ratify START negotiated by Obama with his Russian counterpart

Question 40

judicial impeachment example

Answer 40

judge porteous in 2010 for perjury and corruption

Question 41

legislative function summary

Answer 41

to initiate, debate, amend and pass
either chamber can block leg
senators often filibuster
need 3/5 to invoke cloture
presidents will either sign or veto
congress may override veto with 2/3 majoirty

Question 42

effectiveness of legislative function of congress

Answer 42

only 2-3% of bills become legislation may be due to codified constitution
increased used of closed rules
vetoes are rarely overturned and are dependent on the nature

Question 43

function power of the purse summary

Answer 43

to ensure the peoples representatives give their consent to taxation and spending levels
only congress can raise revenue
all tax bill start in the house]senate can however amend tax bills
still need approval from both houses

Question 44

effectiveness of PoP function

Answer 44

congress can extract key decisions from the president in return for passing the budget
if comproimise can’t be reached then congress can refuse the budget and may result in a government shutdown

Question 45

5 reasons senate is seen as more powerful

Answer 45

senators represent a whole state
house seek election to senate not other way round
senates are more though of as likely presidential candidates
senators have exclusive powers such as ratifying treaties and confirmation of appointments

Question 46

equality of both houses

Answer 46

bills must go through same stages in both houses
both have powerful standing committees
both houses compromise at the conference committee stage

Question 47

leadership in congress

Answer 47

speaker of house
minority and majority leader
standing committee chairs

Question 48

speaker of the house powers

Answer 48

intereprets and enforces rules for the house
refers bills to committee
appoints and selected committee chairs