Exam 1 Flashcards
Three types of government- Aristotle
Monarchy- rule by 1
Aristocracy- rule by few
Polity- rule by many
Types of democracy
Direct
Indirect
Things Governments do
create and enforce laws create money and regulate it provides goods that wouldn't exist on the free market regulates market protects civil liberties
What is a republic?
a system of government that allows indirect representation of the popular will
What is a constitution?
A document that allocates power and responsibilities , also limits power
Amendment processes
- national convention called by congress by request of state legislators
- proposal for change by 2/3 vote in both houses of congress then ratification by states
Basic duties of congress
Representation of people Law Making Consensus Building Policy Clarification Investigating the operation of government agencies
Candy Desk
a tradition started in 1965 in the Senate. A candy “desk” or drawer is kept in the desk of the Senator that has the desk on the back row of the Republican side, on the aisle, closest to the most used entrance. Currently, it is Senator Pat Toomey’s desk…Republican Senator from Pennsylvania.
Casework
Assistance provided by members of Congress to their constituents (voters) in solving problems with the federal bureaucracy or addressing specific concerns
Caucus
the organization of Democrats within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party’s positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions
Conference
the organization of Republicans within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party’s positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions
Censure
done when a body’s members wish to publicly reprimand the President of the United States, a member of Congress, a judge, or cabinet member. It is a formal statement of disapproval.
Cloture
a procedure where the Senate can limit the time debating a bill (cutting off a filibuster) if a supermajority of 60 senators agree
Committee System
crucial part of the legislative structure…mainly where all of the law begins.
Committee Types
Standing committees: permanent part of House or Senate structure. Ongoing membership and jurisdictions. Has more importance and authority than the other types of committees. Where most of the work of Congress gets done. Standing committees usually have subcommittees.
Select committees: committees in the House or Senate created to address a specific issue for one or two terms.
Joint committees: committees that contain members of both the House and Senate but have limited authority.
Conference committees: temporary committees created to negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation that has passed through both chambers.
Constituents
The citizens from their jurisdiction that Congress represents; the voters
Continuing resolutions
legislation in the form of a joint resolution enacted by Congress when the new fiscal year is about to begin or has begun to provide budget authority for Federal agencies and programs to continue in operation until the regular appropriations can be passed.
Cracking
one of the two principle tactics used in gerrymandering (the other is packing) having to do with redistricting. Cracking is spreading like-minded voters across multiple districts to dilute their voting power in each. This denies the group representation in multiple districts.
Discharge Petition
a petition signed by members of the House to move a bill out of committee to the House floor for consideration. It requires the signature of an absolute majority (218 members) of the members.
Earmarks
Federally funded local projects attached to bills passed through Congress
Entitlements
Any federal government program that provides benefits to Americans who meet requirements specified by law (Medicaid)
Filibuster
A tactic used by senators to block a bill by continuing to hold the floor and speak – under the Senate rule of unlimited debate – until the bill’s supporters back down
Formal Powers of Congress
Given by the Constitution…regulating commerce, coining money, raising and supporting armies, creating the courts, establishing post offices and roads, declaring war, and levying taxes
Franking Privilege
basically allows members of Congress to mail things with their signature and no postage pursuant to certain rules. Congress reimburses the postal service for the mail through appropriations.
Gerrymandering
attempting to use the process of re-drawing district boundaries to benefit a political party, protect incumbents, or change the proportion of minority voters in a district. (See cracking and packing also)
Gridlock
an inability to enact legislation because of partisan (party line) conflict within Congress or between Congress and the president
Hold
an informal practice in which a senator informs his floor leader that he does not wish a particular bill to reach the floor for consideration. The majority leader need not follow the senator’s wishes but is on notice that the senator may intend to filibuster any motion to consider the bill.
House of Representatives
one of the two chambers of Congress.
435 members-fixed at this number in 1929. The number of representatives for each state is based on population (the census every 10 years). The population of each state determines the number of districts for that state. Every state is guaranteed at least one representative
Serve 2 year terms
Have to be at least 25 years old
Special powers: originates all tax bills and brings impeachment charges
Speaker of the House is the elected leader of the House. Elected by the majority party to lead the House. Check notes for other duties.
How a bill becomes a law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otbml6WIQPo. See her outline and class notes
Impeachment power
the power of the House of Representatives to remove a president from office
Incumbency advantage
The advantage that the person who already holds the office has at the next election to be re-elected. Members of Congress are rarely defeated in their attempts for re-election.
Incumbent
The person that currently holds the office
Joint committees
committees that contain members of both the House and Senate but have limited authority.
Legislative oversight
Congressional reviewing and monitoring of the executive branch and numerous federal executive agencies
Log rolling
a form of reciprocity in which members of Congress support bills that they otherwise might not vote for in exchange for other members’ votes on bills that are very important to them
Majority leader
The elected head of the party that holds the majority of seats in the House or Senate. In the House, he aids the Speaker of the House. The key national spokesperson for the party and also helps with the day-to-day operation of the legislative process.
markup
one of the steps through which a bill becomes a law, in which the final wording of the bill is determined
minority leader
the leader of the party holding the minority of seats in the House or Senate
minority whip
second in command to the Majority Leader. Same duties as Majority Whip.
minority-majority districts
voting districts with majority populations of minority voters. Current law: race cannot be a predominant factor in drawing congressional district lines, but it can be one of the factors
open rule, restricted rule, closed rule
Open rule: referring to the Rules Committee which is a standing committee that decides whether and when a bill comes to the floor. Under an open rule allows any member to offer germane amendments to the bill.
Restricted rule: referring to the Rules Committee which is a standing committee that decides whether and when a bill comes to the floor. Under restricted rule, it limits those amendments to only the amendments referred to in the bill.
Close rule: referring to the Rules Committee which is a standing committee that decides whether and when a bill comes to the floor for consideration. Under a close rule, no amendments to the bill are permitted.
packing
one of the two principles used in gerrymandering (the other is cracking) having to do with redistricting. Packing is redrawing a district boundary so that more of the party’s supporters are crammed into a district that is already heavily slanted towards that party. This causes those extra votes to be “wasted” since the candidate would have won anyway.
party unity
the extent to which members of Congress in the same party vote together on party votes
party vote
a vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other party so the members vote “along party lines”
pocket veto
the automatic death of a bill passed by the House and Senate when the president fails to sign the bill in the last 10 days of a legislative session. Normally the president has 10 days to veto a bill or it becomes law. Both the House & Senate can vote to override the veto by 2/3ds majority. If not the bill dies. The pocket veto occurs at the end of legislative session when Congress has no opportunity to override the “veto.”
politico
a member of Congress who is more likely to acts as a delegate (see “delegate”) on issues that are especially important to his constituents (such as immigration reform) but is more likely to act as a trustee (see “trustee”) on issues that constituents don’t feel strongly about or on very complex issues (such as some foreign policies)
pork barrel projects
legislative appropriations that benefit specific constituents, created with the aim of helping local representatives win re-election
president pro tempore
a largely symbolic position usually held by the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate. According to the Constitution, this position presides over the Senate when the Vice-President is not present; however, it rarely happens that this person presides over the Senate, and the task is typically given to a more junior member
presidential coattails
when the party of the winning presidential candidate wins a lot of seats in Congress, it is said that the newly elected members of Congress “rode the coattails of the president.”
ranking member
typically, the most senior member of a congressional committee from the minority party
reapportionment
the process of deciding how many seats a state will have in the House of Representatives when its population changes after the census (every 10 years)
redistricting & apportionment
Apportionment:the process of assigning the 435 seats in the House to the states based on increases or decreases in state population (basically the same as reapportionment?)
Redistricting:the process of deciding how areas will be divided into sections or districts bases on the number of seats a state has
republican conference
the organization of Republicans within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party’s positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions
riders
an additional provision added to a bill, having little connection to the subject matter of the bill. This is a tactic to pass a controversial provision that would not pass on its own.
roll call vote
a recorded vote on legislation; members may vote “yes,” “no,” “abstain,” or “present”
safe district
an additional provision added to a bill, having little connection to the subject matter of the bill. This is a tactic to pass a controversial provision that would not pass on its own.
select committees
committees in the House or Senate created to address a specific issue for one or two terms.
senate
one of the two chambers of Congress.
Two from every state=100 senators
Six year terms
Must be at least 30 years old
1/3 of senators are up for re-election every 2 years so it’s a continual body
Special powers: ratifies treaties, confirms presidential appointees, impeachment trial
Filibuster allowed here only
See “closture”
Unanimous consent
Vice-President presides over Senate
Senatorial courtesy: a courtesy shown to senators by the president when the president is nominating a district court judge, the president consuls with his party’s senator from the relevant state before choosing the nominee
seniority rule
refers to the custom in Congress that gives chairmanship of a committee to a majority party member who has served who has served on the committee for the longest amount of time. The service must be “unbroken” service (continual service) on that committee for the seniority rule to apply.
seniority system
a collection of formal and informal rules in which long-serving members have more privileges and resources than the more junior members
signing statements
a document issued by the president when signing a bill into law explaining his or her interpretation of the law, which often differs from the interpretation of Congress, in an attempt to influence how the law will be implemented
speaker of the house
the elected leader of the House of Representatives. Head of the majority party. Influences the legislative agenda, committee assignments, scheduling, and overall party strategy. (Paul Ryan is currently Speaker of the House)
standing committees
permanent part of House or Senate structure. Ongoing membership and jurisdictions. Has more importance and authority than the other types of committees. Where most of the work of Congress gets done. Draft legislation and oversee implementation of the laws they pass. Standing committees usually have subcommittees.
subcommittees
subdivision of a congressional committee that considers specific matters and reports back to the full committee. Subcommittees are formed by most committees to share specific tasks within the jurisdiction of the committee.
substantive representation
when a member of Congress represents constituents’ interests and policy concerns
ticket splitting
refers to when a voter in an election votes for candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided by a single election, as opposed to a “straight ticket” where a voter chooses candidates from the same political party for every office up for election
trustee
a member of Congress who represents the constituents’ interests from a distance, taking into account and weighing numerous national, collective, local, and moral concerns that sometimes cause the member to vote against the preference of the majority of his constituents.
unanimous consent agreements
a unanimous consent request setting terms for a specified bill or measure. These agreements are usually proposed by the Majority Leader and reflect the negotiations of senators interested in the bill or measure. Many are “time agreements” which limit the amount of time that the bill can be debated and/or who will control the debate. They can deal with amendments and other provisions too. (Only in the Senate?)
Majority whip
Oversees the whip system which is an organization of House leaders who work to disseminate information and promote party unity in voting on legislation. The whips pass along the information to colleagues in their respective parties and indicate the party’s position on the bill (Whip comes from English fox hunting referring to the person who keeps the hounds from wandering too far from the pack)
Unitary government
system in which the national, centralized government holds ultimate authority. It is the most common form of government in the world
Unfunded Mandates
federal laws that require the states to do certain things but do not provide state gov’ts with funding to implement these policies
State’s rights and state’s power
Idea that states are entitled to a certain amount of self government, free of federal government intervention. This became a central issue in the period before the civil war
spillover effects
economic events in one context that occur because of something else in a seemingly unrelated context
revenue sharing: new federalism
the distribution of a portion of federal tax revenues to state and local gov’ts
privileges and immunities clause
requires that states must treat non-state residents within their borders as they would treat their own residents. This was meant to promote commerce and travel between states
preemption
impositions of national priorities on the states through national legislation that is based on the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause
police power
the power to enforce laws and provide for public safety
picket fence federalism
a more refined and realistic form of cooperative federalism in which policy makers within a particular policy area work together across levels of gov’t
nullification
The doctrine that States can set aside federal laws if they deem them unconstitutional
new federalism
introduced in a limited form by President Nixon in the early 1970s; It was the idea of giving states more control over programs
McCullogh vs. Maryland
Court ruled in favor of the national gov’t on Congress having the right to create a bank due to its implied powers, and to create a bank due to the National Supremacy Clause
Marshall Court
supreme court when John Marshall served as Chief Justice for the US (1801-1835)
Intergovernmental Organizations
orgs that seek to coordinate policy across member nations
General Revenue Sharing
unrestricted funds provided by the federal gov’t
Full faith and credit clause
requires each state’s laws be honored by other states. A legal marriage in one state must be recognized across state lines
Formula Grant
a rule that tells potential recipients precisely how they can calculate the quantity of aid to which they are entitled under the provisions of law
Fiscal federalism
a form of federalism in which federal funds are allocated to the lower levels of gov’t through transfer payments or grants
Federalism
Division of power across the local, state, and national government
Ex post facto
a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law.
Dual Federalism
“layer cake”; the form of federalism favored by Chief Justice Roger Taney in which national and state gov’ts are seen as distinct entities providing separate services. This model limits the power of national gov’t
Dred Scott v. Sanford
- Ultimately contributed to the Civil War; Missouri state law was completely overlooked in the case. Example of dual federalism
Denied Powers
powers that are specifically withheld from the states or the national government. Examples for states are that they may not print money, impair obligations of contracts, or enter into treaties with other countries. For national gov’t this can include changing state boundaries, violating the bill of rights, or imposing export taxes among states
Cooperative federalism
‘marble cake’/ shared federalism
Cons about federalism
no national standards can create inequities, dispersion of power can allow groups to protect interests which may be undemocratic and contrary to national trends, low visibility and information flow about local governments
Confederal government
form of gov in which the states hold power over a limited national gov
Concurrent Power
responsibilities for particular policy areas, such as transportation, that are shared by federal, state, and local governments
Competitive Federalism
states compete to attract business, but this often leads to race to the bottom
Commerce clause
gives Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.”
Coercive federalism
only gives money if states create certain laws. Ex: drinking age
Civil War amendments
13th- abolish slavery, 15th- gives former male slaves the right to vote, 14th- due process
Centralist v. Devolutionist
Centralist wanted to take power and bring it to the central government while devolutionist wanted to bring it to the local government
Categorical grants
strings attached, ex- medicaid
Block grants
grants with few or no strings attached
10th amendment
reservation clause
14th amendment
due process
