Congress Quiz Flashcards
What are the two houses in Congress?
The Senate and the House of Representatives?
How is the Senate different from the House?
- The Senate has 100 members, 2 from each state.
- Each member serves a term of six years before re-election.
- They are less democratic so as to be separated from popular opinion
- They are elected on a statewide basis, not districts
How is the House different from the Senate?
- The House has 435 members, with the number of members dependent on the state population size
- Each member serves for a term off two years before re-election.
- They are more prone to popular opinion and are therefor more democratic
- Each member is elected in a district, not on a state-wide basis.
What are the duties of the Senate?
- To ratify the appointments the president makes (cabinet, Judicial, etc.)
- To ratify the (and work with) the President’s treaties.
What are the duties of the House?
They start the process on the money making bills (“Money starts in the house.”)
What are the Judicial Powers of Congress?
- They established the court system
- Punish counterfeiters
- Punish illegal acts on the high seas.
(“Courts, Counterfeiters, and high seas.”
What are the economic powers of Congress?
- Impose taxes
- Establish import tariffs
- Borrow money
- Regulate interstate commerce
- Coin and print money (They also established the Federal Reserve)
What are the national security powers of Congress?
- Declare war
- Raise and regulate armed forces
- Call up and regulate the national guard
- Defend the nation through these forces.
What are the regulatory powers?
- Establish standard weights and measures.
- Regulate copyrights and patents
What are the administrative powers of Congress?
- Establish procedures for naturalizing citizens
- Establish post offices
- Govern the District of Columbia
What is a Standing Committee?
A permanent committee in Congress, with a defined area of policy to owrk under.
What are examples of standing committees in the House?
- Appropriations
- Budge
- Rules
- Ways and Means
What is the Appropriations Committee for?
Decides how much money needs to be spent in each level of the government.
What are examples of standing committees in the Senate?
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Judiciary
What is the purpose of the Foreign Relations committee?
The Seante ratifies treaties
What is the purpose of the Judiciary committee?
Confirm federal judges
What is a select committee?
A committee that is called for a specific purpose, but does not necessarily last a long time.
What are some examples of a select committee?
- House and Senate Intelligence Committee
- Senate Aging Committee
What is a Subcommittee?
A subordinate committee that handles specific areas of a standing committee’s overall work
What is an example of a subcommittee?
The House Energy Subcommittee on communications and Technology
What are some of the processes in the House?
- Hearings
- Markups
What is a hearing?
Sessions held by committees or subcommittees to gather information and views from experts
What is a markup?
The process by which members of committees add suggested changes or new language to a bill to be amended.
What is a Rules Committee?
One of the most important committees in the House, which decides the length of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill.
What is a Filibuster?
A procedural move by a member of the Senate to attempt to halt the passage of or change a bill, during which the senator can speak for an unlimited time on the Senate floor.
What is a Cloture?
A procedural move in which a supermajority of 60 senators agrees to end or prevent a filibuster
What is a Conference Committee?
A bicameral and bipartisan committee of legislators whose job it is to reconcile the House and Senate version of a bill, so as to send a final bill to the president.
