congress factual knowledge test Flashcards
how many members are there in the house of representatives
435
how many members are there in the senate
100
what terms do members serve in both houses
house of representatives - 2 years
senate - 6 years
on average how many people are there in a congressional district
700,000
how many congressional districts does Wisconsin currently have
8
how many congressional districts does California have
53
name 4 exclusive powers for the senate
- Confirm Presidential appointments.
- Ratify Treaties.
- Try the accused in cases of impeachment.
- Elect the Vice President in the case of Electoral College deadlock.
what changes did the 17th amendment
direct election of senators
what was the situation before the 17th amendment
senators origonally chosen indirectly by state legislatures
name 4 exclusive powers of the house of representatives
- initiate money bills
- impeachment
- elect president if electoral college is in deadlock
name 3 concurrent powers shared by both houses of congress
pass legislation override the presidential veto initiate constitutional amendment's declare war confirm a newly appointed vice president
where does it stipulate congress’ powers in the constitution
article 1 section 8
why was the house of representatives given the power to initiate money bills
at the time only directly elected, founding fathers believed that the directly elected representatives should have the first say in spending the peoples money
how many times has the house used the power to impeach a member of either the executive or the judiciary
17 tiems since 1789
how many times has the electoral college been deadlocked
twice 1800, and 1824
which president was impeached by the house and tried by the senate in 1999
bill clinton
what kind of majority is required in the senate to confirm an appointment made by the president
simple majority
what is ‘senatorial courtesy’?
president can confer with any senator in his own party before he makes nomination to fill a vacancy for a federal office affecting the state
what is the most important of the concurrent powers of congress
the passage of leigslation
all bills must pass through all stages in both houses, neither can override the other. Both must agree the same passage beofre it is sent to president for his signature
give 2 reasons why north Carolina’s 12th congressional district is contentious
100 miles long and gerrymerederd for purposes of representation of minorities
