Congress II

Question 1

Logrolling

Answer 1

The practice of congressmen voting for each other’s bills, even if unpopular, in order for them to be passed.

Question 2

majority leader

Answer 2

The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

Question 3

majority-minority districts

Answer 3

Congressional districts designed to make it easier for minority citizens to elect minority representatives. These districts are drawn so that the majority of their voters are minorities.

Question 4

mark-up

Answer 4

Revisions and additions to legislation made by committees and subcommittees. These changes are not part of a bill unless approved by the house of which the committee is a part.

Question 5

minority leader

Answer 5

The head of the minority party in each house of Congress chosen by the caucus of the minority party. This person formulates the minority party’s strategy and program.

Question 6

open rule

Answer 6

Consent from the Rules Committee of the House of Representatives which permits amendments from the floor on a particular piece of legislation.

Question 7

Pigeonholing

Answer 7

practice where committees set aside a bill and refuse to examine it for further consideration. This effectively kills the bill without a vote.

Question 8

pork-barrel legislation

Answer 8

A bill introduced by a member of Congress that gives tangible benefits, like a highway or bridge, to constituents in the hopes of winning votes in return.

Question 9

president pro tempore

Answer 9

A position created in the Constitution to serve as presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Question 10

quorum call

Answer 10

A calling of the roll in either house of Congress to see whether the number of representatives in attendance meets the minimum number required to conduct official business.

Question 11

Redistricting

Answer 11

the redrawing of congressional district boundaries within a state after each census to ensure that they are balanced numerically

Question 12

Revenue Bill

Answer 12

bill which raises money for the government, usually through taxes or tariffs. ALL revenue bills must begin in the House of Representatives

Question 13

rider

Answer 13

A nongermane (unrelated and non important to the bill) amendment to an important bill. It is added so the measure will “ride” to passage through the Congress. When a bill has lots of riders, it is called a Christmas tree bill.

Question 14

Rules Committee

Answer 14

In the House of Representatives, the committee that decides which bills come up for a vote, in what order, and under what restrictions on length of debate and on the right to offer amendments. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee, by contrast, possesses few powers.

Question 14

roll-call vote

Answer 14

A method of voting used in both houses in which members answer yea or nay when their names are called. These votes are recorded and occur in the House at the request of 20 percent of its members.

Question 15

select committee

Answer 15

Congressional committee appointed for a limited time period and purpose.

Question 16

senatorial courtesy

Answer 16

The tradition observed in the Senate in which that body refuses to confirm an appointment to a federal office when the candidate is personally obnoxious to either senator from the candidate’s state.

Question 17

Seventeenth Amendment

Answer 17

A constitutional amendment ratified in 1913 requiring the popular election of U.S. senators. Senators were previously chosen by state legislatures.

Question 18

Speaker of the House

Answer 18

The constitutionally mandated presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is chosen in the caucus of the majority party and is empowered to recognize members to speak on the floor, to rule whether a motion is germane, to assign bills to committee, to appoint House members to select and joint committees, and to appoint the majority members of the Rules Committee.

Question 19

standing committees

Answer 19

The permanent committees of each house with the power to report bills.

Question 20

voice vote

Answer 20

A method of voting used in both houses in which members vote by shouting yea or nay. Votes are not recorded.

Question 21

whip

Answer 21

A member of the party leadership in each house who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking, rounds up members when important votes are to be taken, and attempts to keep a nose count of how the voting on a controversial issue is likely to go.