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Congress Test Flashcards

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1
Q

The framers intended congress to be - of the three branches

A

Most powerful

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2
Q

Why did framers want congress to be the most powerful branch (2)

A
  1. Most directly represented the will of the people

2. Free of a powerful presidency (gave it many checks over the president)

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3
Q

20th century: president -

A

Gained power at the expense of congress

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4
Q

House was - elected

A

Directly

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5
Q

How many year terms in house, senate?

A

2 in house, 6 in senate

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6
Q

The house has - representation

A

Proportional

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7
Q

(Framers intent in house) voting as -, -

A

Delegates, direct voices/rep people

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8
Q

What are the formal qualifications in house (age, how many years citizen, where to live)

A

25, 7 years, resident of district

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9
Q

Senate was originally chosen by -

A

State legislatures

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10
Q

(Framers intent for senate), voting as -, -

A

Trustees, make decisions based on what is best for nation as a whole

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11
Q

Formal qualifications for senate (age, how many years citizens, where to live)

A

30 yrs, 9 years, resident of state

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12
Q

Both houses have generally - to - incumbency election rates

A

70-90 percent

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13
Q

Incumbency rates higher in -

A

House

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14
Q

Reasons for high incumbency rates (9)

A
  1. Access to media
  2. Campaign finance
  3. Constituency service
  4. Experience (known competency factor)
  5. Redistricting (house only)
  6. Pork barrel spending
  7. Name recognition
  8. Franking privilege
  9. The “sophomore surge”
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15
Q

Constituency service is also called

A

Case work

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16
Q

Redistricting is in - only

A

House

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17
Q

Sophomore surge

A

Increase in votes that congressmen (house of rep) usually receive when running for their first reelection

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18
Q

Pork barrel spending

A

Govt spending from localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to reps district

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19
Q

Franking privilege

A

Priv of sending mail without payment of postage enjoyed by congressmen (can’t be used for campaign purposes)

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20
Q

Where are powers listed in const

A

Art 1 sec 8

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21
Q

What grants implied powers, what court case

A

“Necessary and proper clause”, McCulloch v Maryland

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22
Q

Judicial review over state laws case

A

Marlbury v Madison

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23
Q

Power to create courts

A

Congress, executive branch

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24
Q

What fraction vote to approve treaties, who does this?

A

2/3, senate

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25
Q

What’s the advice and consent power (2), what fraction vote

A

Approve treaties (2/3) and appointments (majority)

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26
Q

What’s senatorial courtesy?

A

Custom, not law
President must consult the senators of his political party of a given state before nominating any person to a federal vacancy within that senators state, only federal offices that have jurisdictions within a state

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27
Q

What are denied powers of congress? (5)

A
  1. No suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (can’t hold anybody without trial)
  2. No bills of attainer (congress can pass no law that punishes a person for a crime without trial)
  3. No expose facto law (makes something illegal after it was and someone did it)
  4. No titles of nobility
  5. No taxation of exports
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28
Q

How many representatives in the house? Formal or informal?

A

435, informal

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29
Q

What’s reapportionment?

A

The act of redistributing these house reps every 10 years

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30
Q

Who does reapportionment?

A

Census bureau in the dept of commerce

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31
Q

Malapportionment

A

Drawing districts that are too unequal in population

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32
Q

Minority majority districts

A

Districts redrawn as to give historically disadvantaged minorities a majority (representation in govt) “affirmative action” for voting districts

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33
Q

What established minority majority districts? What weakened them?

A

Voting rights act of 1965, sup court rulings (2013)

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34
Q

What’s redistricting

A

Actual redrawing of districts to reflect reapportionment

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35
Q

What set standards for redistricting and who redraws?

A

1842 federal laws, state legislators

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36
Q

What three guidelines must be followed in redistricting

A
  1. Equality rule
  2. Compactness rule
  3. Contiguous rule
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37
Q

What two Supreme Court cases est equality rules

A

Baker v Carr

Wesburry v sanders (1 man- 1 vote rule)

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38
Q

What were the two recent reverse discrimination cases?

A

Shaw v Reno

Easley v cromartie

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39
Q

What was est in Easley v cromartie?

A

Race cannot be predominant and controlling factor

Doctrine now implies all affirmative action cases

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40
Q

Mid-decade redistricting, constitutional?

A

Redistricting between census, const

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41
Q

Congressional terms are - years

A

2 years

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42
Q

Terms divided into - sessions that last - years

A

2, 1

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43
Q

Cong caucus

A

Group of congressional members that pursue a common legislative agenda

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44
Q

4 main types of caucuses

A
  1. Party caucus (most impt)
  2. Ideological caucus (divisions within party)
  3. Racial and ethnic caucus
  4. Interest group caucus
45
Q

Bioartisan bicameral caucuses

A

Racial and ethnic caucus, interest group caucus

46
Q

Bicameral caucus

A

Ideological caucuses

47
Q

What are the three formal positions in congress?

A

Speaker, Vice President, president pro tempore

48
Q

What are speaker of houses main jobs? (6)

A
  1. Presides over house
  2. Appoints select and conference committees
  3. Appoints rules committee members
  4. Assigns bills to committee
  5. Third in line for pres after vp
  6. Access to media
49
Q

What’s most powerful minority in house

A

Minority leader

50
Q

Rank and file=

A

Floor

51
Q

Who votes in case of ties in senate, presides in place of vp, ceremonial jobs?

A

Vp, pres pro tempore, both of these

52
Q

Whose most powerful in senate?

A

Majority leader

53
Q

What are majority leaders roles? (5)

A
  1. True leader of senate
  2. Recognized first for debate
  3. True leader of majority party
  4. Influences comittee assignments of senators
  5. Influences senate agenda, along with minority leader
54
Q

Four types of committees

A
  1. Standing
  2. Select
  3. Joint
  4. Conference
55
Q

Standing committee

A

Permanent, control over legislation and oversight in specific policy areas

56
Q

Select committees

A

Usually temporary, usually formed for specific oversight/investigative purposes

57
Q

Joint committees

A

Composed of both houses, usually temporary, may be for joint housekeeping and procedural matters, investigative/oversight matters, or to point attention to specific policy matters

58
Q

Conference committees

A

Both houses, always temporary, work out compromise bill when both houses have passed different versions of a bill

59
Q

Most actual work done in - of -

A

Subcommittees, standing committees

60
Q

What’s appropriations, what house

A

Spending bill, senate

61
Q

Main job of standing committee

A

Oversee bills pertaining to specialized area

62
Q

Most bills die in - (-)

A

Committee, pigeonholed

63
Q

Most standing committees are divided into more specialized groups called-

A

Subcommittees

64
Q

What determines what’s (who) on what committee in house and senate?

A

House: (dem) steering and policy committee
(Rep): committee on committees

Senate: steering committee

65
Q

Committee chairmen are generally the - of the majority party in the comm.

A

Longest serving member

66
Q

Roles of house rules committee (2)

A

Calendars (schedules) all bills approved by senate

Assigns rules for debate for all bills

67
Q

Closed rule

A

Debate time limits and amendment limits

68
Q

Rules committee can -, -, or - any bill because it’s -

A

Kill, speed, delay, most powerful comm in congress

69
Q

Who calendars bills in senate

A

Majority party leader

70
Q

In senate, debate only limited by - vote (-/- or - votes), no - on amendments (- amendments allowed)

A

Cloture, 3/5, 60 votes, no rules on amendments, ungermane

71
Q

Germane amendment

A

Having to do with topic of bill

72
Q

3 types of legislative staff

A
  1. Personal staff
  2. Committee staff
  3. Legislative agencies (work for ALL congressmen)
73
Q

Personal staff main job, hired and fired by

A

Constituent service, congressman

74
Q

Committee staff main job, hired and fired by

A

Legislative specialists, committees/subcommittee chairs

75
Q

What do legislative agencies do?

A

Provide info for congressmen, civil service employees (permanent)

76
Q

3 types of legislative staff agencies

A
  1. Congressional research service (CRS)
  2. General accountability office (GAO) “oversight specialists”
  3. Congressional budget office (CBO)
77
Q

Congressional research service

A

Handle requests for info, track progress of bills

78
Q

General accountability office

A

Determines effiency and effectiveness of laws

79
Q

Congressional budget office

A

Specialize in revenue taxation/economic policies, analyze budget, make economic predictions, determine costs of bills

80
Q

Types of legislation passed by congress (3)

A

Simple resolution, concurrent resolution, joint resolution

81
Q

Simple resolution

A

Either house, no pres signature required, laws regarding the house that passed it, do not have force of law

82
Q

Concurrent resolution

A

Both houses, housekeeping or procedural matters that affect both houses, do not have force of law

83
Q

Joint resolution

A

Both houses, both houses need to react to an issue that requires immediate attention, pres signature, has force of law

84
Q

Teller vote

A

File pass clerk in order of yeas and nays

85
Q

Division vote

A

Members stand to be counted

86
Q

Vote used most of the time in congress

A

Voice vote

87
Q

Only senate does - vote

A

Roll call

88
Q

Only house does - vote

A

Electronic vote

89
Q
  • write more bills than anyone else
A

Lobbyists

90
Q

Actions president can take regarding a bill (4)

A

Sigh it, veto it, allow it to become law without signature, pocket veto

91
Q

Fraction for veto override, who?

A

2/3, both houses

92
Q

A bill becomes law without signature after - days only if congress -

A

10, stays in session

93
Q

Pocket veto

A

Congress adjourns within 10 days given pres signature and pres does not sign it, fails to become law

94
Q

Enrolled Bill

A

Final version of bill sent to pres

95
Q

Earmarks

A

Spending authorizations slipped into bills by committee for “pet projects”

96
Q

Soft/hidden earmarks

A

Written into notes of committee hearings, not legally binding, but usually followed

97
Q

Discharge petition

A

Device in house that forces a bill out of a committee for consideration on the floor, requires sig of majority of house (218), rarely used

98
Q

Vote will follow party line - of the time (less so in -)

A

3/4, senate

99
Q

Trustees

A

Indiv conscience and judgment, what they think is best for nation

100
Q

Delegates

A

Based on what constituent wants

101
Q

Partisans, vote this way - percent of the time

A

Should vote party line, 75%

102
Q

Politicos, also called

A

Votes based on combination of the three, working polit process

103
Q

Order of importance of influences leg votes (5)

A
  1. Personal ideology
  2. Political parties
  3. President
  4. Constituents
  5. Interest groups
104
Q

Best legislative opportunity to influence agenda

A

Congressional party leaders and committee chairs

105
Q

Recent examples of wasteful spending/earmarks

A

2005 consolidated appropriations act (Christmas tree bills)

2005 bridge to nowhere (Alaska)

106
Q

Who elects pres and vp if no majority

A

House: pres
Senate: vp

107
Q

Committee of the whole

A

House can meet as committee of everybody, less formal rules, rarely used

108
Q

Senatorial courtesy

A

Pres appointee must have approval of two senators from each state or the approval of senior senator of that state from pres own party

History (29 decks)

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