Congress Test Flashcards
The framers intended congress to be - of the three branches
Most powerful
Why did framers want congress to be the most powerful branch (2)
- Most directly represented the will of the people
2. Free of a powerful presidency (gave it many checks over the president)
20th century: president -
Gained power at the expense of congress
House was - elected
Directly
How many year terms in house, senate?
2 in house, 6 in senate
The house has - representation
Proportional
(Framers intent in house) voting as -, -
Delegates, direct voices/rep people
What are the formal qualifications in house (age, how many years citizen, where to live)
25, 7 years, resident of district
Senate was originally chosen by -
State legislatures
(Framers intent for senate), voting as -, -
Trustees, make decisions based on what is best for nation as a whole
Formal qualifications for senate (age, how many years citizens, where to live)
30 yrs, 9 years, resident of state
Both houses have generally - to - incumbency election rates
70-90 percent
Incumbency rates higher in -
House
Reasons for high incumbency rates (9)
- Access to media
- Campaign finance
- Constituency service
- Experience (known competency factor)
- Redistricting (house only)
- Pork barrel spending
- Name recognition
- Franking privilege
- The “sophomore surge”
Constituency service is also called
Case work
Redistricting is in - only
House
Sophomore surge
Increase in votes that congressmen (house of rep) usually receive when running for their first reelection
Pork barrel spending
Govt spending from localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to reps district
Franking privilege
Priv of sending mail without payment of postage enjoyed by congressmen (can’t be used for campaign purposes)
Where are powers listed in const
Art 1 sec 8
What grants implied powers, what court case
“Necessary and proper clause”, McCulloch v Maryland
Judicial review over state laws case
Marlbury v Madison
Power to create courts
Congress, executive branch
What fraction vote to approve treaties, who does this?
2/3, senate
What’s the advice and consent power (2), what fraction vote
Approve treaties (2/3) and appointments (majority)
What’s senatorial courtesy?
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
What are denied powers of congress? (5)
- No suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (can’t hold anybody without trial)
- No bills of attainer (congress can pass no law that punishes a person for a crime without trial)
- No expose facto law (makes something illegal after it was and someone did it)
- No titles of nobility
- No taxation of exports
How many representatives in the house? Formal or informal?
435, informal
What’s reapportionment?
The act of redistributing these house reps every 10 years
Who does reapportionment?
Census bureau in the dept of commerce
Malapportionment
Drawing districts that are too unequal in population
Minority majority districts
Districts redrawn as to give historically disadvantaged minorities a majority (representation in govt) “affirmative action” for voting districts
What established minority majority districts? What weakened them?
Voting rights act of 1965, sup court rulings (2013)
What’s redistricting
Actual redrawing of districts to reflect reapportionment
What set standards for redistricting and who redraws?
1842 federal laws, state legislators
What three guidelines must be followed in redistricting
- Equality rule
- Compactness rule
- Contiguous rule
What two Supreme Court cases est equality rules
Baker v Carr
Wesburry v sanders (1 man- 1 vote rule)
What were the two recent reverse discrimination cases?
Shaw v Reno
Easley v cromartie
What was est in Easley v cromartie?
Race cannot be predominant and controlling factor
Doctrine now implies all affirmative action cases
Mid-decade redistricting, constitutional?
Redistricting between census, const
Congressional terms are - years
2 years
Terms divided into - sessions that last - years
2, 1
Cong caucus
Group of congressional members that pursue a common legislative agenda
4 main types of caucuses
- Party caucus (most impt)
- Ideological caucus (divisions within party)
- Racial and ethnic caucus
- Interest group caucus
Bioartisan bicameral caucuses
Racial and ethnic caucus, interest group caucus
Bicameral caucus
Ideological caucuses
What are the three formal positions in congress?
Speaker, Vice President, president pro tempore
What are speaker of houses main jobs? (6)
- Presides over house
- Appoints select and conference committees
- Appoints rules committee members
- Assigns bills to committee
- Third in line for pres after vp
- Access to media
What’s most powerful minority in house
Minority leader
Rank and file=
Floor
Who votes in case of ties in senate, presides in place of vp, ceremonial jobs?
Vp, pres pro tempore, both of these
Whose most powerful in senate?
Majority leader
What are majority leaders roles? (5)
- True leader of senate
- Recognized first for debate
- True leader of majority party
- Influences comittee assignments of senators
- Influences senate agenda, along with minority leader
Four types of committees
- Standing
- Select
- Joint
- Conference
Standing committee
Permanent, control over legislation and oversight in specific policy areas
Select committees
Usually temporary, usually formed for specific oversight/investigative purposes
Joint committees
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
Conference committees
Both houses, always temporary, work out compromise bill when both houses have passed different versions of a bill
Most actual work done in - of -
Subcommittees, standing committees
What’s appropriations, what house
Spending bill, senate
Main job of standing committee
Oversee bills pertaining to specialized area
Most bills die in - (-)
Committee, pigeonholed
Most standing committees are divided into more specialized groups called-
Subcommittees
What determines what’s (who) on what committee in house and senate?
House: (dem) steering and policy committee
(Rep): committee on committees
Senate: steering committee
Committee chairmen are generally the - of the majority party in the comm.
Longest serving member
Roles of house rules committee (2)
Calendars (schedules) all bills approved by senate
Assigns rules for debate for all bills
Closed rule
Debate time limits and amendment limits
Rules committee can -, -, or - any bill because it’s -
Kill, speed, delay, most powerful comm in congress
Who calendars bills in senate
Majority party leader
In senate, debate only limited by - vote (-/- or - votes), no - on amendments (- amendments allowed)
Cloture, 3/5, 60 votes, no rules on amendments, ungermane
Germane amendment
Having to do with topic of bill
3 types of legislative staff
- Personal staff
- Committee staff
- Legislative agencies (work for ALL congressmen)
Personal staff main job, hired and fired by
Constituent service, congressman
Committee staff main job, hired and fired by
Legislative specialists, committees/subcommittee chairs
What do legislative agencies do?
Provide info for congressmen, civil service employees (permanent)
3 types of legislative staff agencies
- Congressional research service (CRS)
- General accountability office (GAO) “oversight specialists”
- Congressional budget office (CBO)
Congressional research service
Handle requests for info, track progress of bills
General accountability office
Determines effiency and effectiveness of laws
Congressional budget office
Specialize in revenue taxation/economic policies, analyze budget, make economic predictions, determine costs of bills
Types of legislation passed by congress (3)
Simple resolution, concurrent resolution, joint resolution
Simple resolution
Either house, no pres signature required, laws regarding the house that passed it, do not have force of law
Concurrent resolution
Both houses, housekeeping or procedural matters that affect both houses, do not have force of law
Joint resolution
Both houses, both houses need to react to an issue that requires immediate attention, pres signature, has force of law
Teller vote
File pass clerk in order of yeas and nays
Division vote
Members stand to be counted
Vote used most of the time in congress
Voice vote
Only senate does - vote
Roll call
Only house does - vote
Electronic vote
- write more bills than anyone else
Lobbyists
Actions president can take regarding a bill (4)
Sigh it, veto it, allow it to become law without signature, pocket veto
Fraction for veto override, who?
2/3, both houses
A bill becomes law without signature after - days only if congress -
10, stays in session
Pocket veto
Congress adjourns within 10 days given pres signature and pres does not sign it, fails to become law
Enrolled Bill
Final version of bill sent to pres
Earmarks
Spending authorizations slipped into bills by committee for “pet projects”
Soft/hidden earmarks
Written into notes of committee hearings, not legally binding, but usually followed
Discharge petition
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
Vote will follow party line - of the time (less so in -)
3/4, senate
Trustees
Indiv conscience and judgment, what they think is best for nation
Delegates
Based on what constituent wants
Partisans, vote this way - percent of the time
Should vote party line, 75%
Politicos, also called
Votes based on combination of the three, working polit process
Order of importance of influences leg votes (5)
- Personal ideology
- Political parties
- President
- Constituents
- Interest groups
Best legislative opportunity to influence agenda
Congressional party leaders and committee chairs
Recent examples of wasteful spending/earmarks
2005 consolidated appropriations act (Christmas tree bills)
2005 bridge to nowhere (Alaska)
Who elects pres and vp if no majority
House: pres
Senate: vp
Committee of the whole
House can meet as committee of everybody, less formal rules, rarely used
Senatorial courtesy
Pres appointee must have approval of two senators from each state or the approval of senior senator of that state from pres own party
