Government

Question 1

Who draws U.S. congressional district lines and how often are these redrawn?

Answer 1

State legislatures redraw the lines, and they are redrawn after ever census (10 years)

Question 2

What’s the difference between redistricting and reapportionment?

Answer 2

Reapportionment is the movement of seats around in the House of Representatives with the change in representation, done after redistricting, which is the changing of congressional districts.

Question 3

Why is bicameralism important in our congress?

Answer 3

It ensures that the states are equally represented and it supports the separation of powers

Question 4

What are some of the major differences in the different houses of congress?

Answer 4

House of Representatives: 435 members, term length: 2 yrs, Qualifications: must be atleast 25, have been a citizen of the US for the past 7 years, and live in the district they represent, elected by voters, Senate: 100 members, term length: 6 years, Qualifications: must be at least 30, US citizen for 9 years, and be a resident in the state they represent, elected by state

Question 5

Explain who has more power; a representative or a senator?

Answer 5

Senator, they have longer terms and more of an opportunity to make an impact

Question 6

What is the most powerful job in congress?

Answer 6

Speaker of the House (House of Representatives), or President of Senate (Senate)

Question 7

Who does the senate have the power to confirm?

Answer 7

Supreme Court Justices and Executive Staff Offices

Question 8

What checks does the congress have on the presidency and the judiciary?

Answer 8

On presidency: may reject appointments, may reject treaties, may impeach a president, may override a veto; On Judiciary: may propose constitutional amendments to overrule judicial decisions, may impeach supreme court justices

Question 9

Carefully and explicitly list the steps by which a bill becomes a law.

Answer 9

Bill introduced, sent to committee, sent to subcommittee for hearings and study, mark ups done by subcommittee, committee takes action to report bill, debated and voted on in chamber, sent to another chamber, conference committees, final action by president, legislature can override veto

Question 10

How does a whip keep party members in line?

Answer 10

“convince” members of their party to vote for a bill, cut deals with party leaders

Question 11

What congressional portion does it take to override a presidential veto

Answer 11

2/3 vote in both the house and senate

Question 12

List five specific ways to kill a bill

Answer 12

voted down on floor, pigeonhold (ignore) , turned down by committee, put on hold, veto/pocket veto, filibuster

Question 13

What power does the Rules Committee have

Answer 13

Determines length of floor debate for all bills
Decides if a bill can be amended (open) or not (closed)
Can delay the consideration of a bill

Question 14

How does divided government affect the ability of the congress to work with the presidency

Answer 14

results in bickering and makes it difficult for any work to get done, often results in the passing of very few bills, deadlocks

Question 15

What is the relationship between congressional subcommittees and congressional parent committees

Answer 15

Subcommittees work under the rule of the parent committees

Question 16

List some of the powers of the Speaker of the House.

Answer 16

Represents constituents, appoints members and committee chairs, determines House agenda

Question 17

Describe and analyze the committee system in the law-making process.

Answer 17

monitor the efficiency and operations of the government, find problems and push them to the front of the agenda, create problem solving courses of action

Question 18

Explain why there is more minority representation in the House than the Senate.

Answer 18

There are more seats in the House than in the Senate, so there are more opportunities for minority representation

Question 19

List the top five powers of congress in order.

Answer 19

Tax, borrow money, regulate commerce, declare war, and make an army

Question 20

What is the historical effect of midterm elections on the composition of Congress?

Answer 20

shifts party lines, Senate/House may lose or gain seats

Question 21

Explain why Senators are more likely to be trustees than Representatives are.

Answer 21

Senators represent a larger area of people and are trusted to make decisions that will be best for them, whereas the House represents few people so they may not have that same trust.

Question 22

List the top five considerations a representative makes when voting on a bill.

Answer 22

Proximity of election, voters, their own political opinions, party view, interest groups/PACS, Lobbyists

Question 23

How have congressional demographics changed over the past three decades?

Answer 23

It has become more diverse, with more minority representation than ever, larger population than ever

Question 24

What’s the difference between an authorizing committee and an appropriations committee?

Answer 24

authorization committees authorize the use of funds, whereas appropriation committees provide additional funds

Question 25

Impose Taxes

Answer 25

House of Representatives

Question 26

Approve treaties

Answer 26

Senate

Question 27

Impeach the President or a judge

Answer 27

House of Representatives

Question 28

Confirm Supreme Court nominees

Answer 28

Senate

Question 29

Try the President or a judge after he or she has been impeached

Answer 29

Senate

Question 30

Filibuster (not in Constitution)

Answer 30

Senate

Question 31

Westburry v. Sanders

Answer 31

One person gets one vote, gave more representation

Question 32

Gibbons v. Ogden

Answer 32

Upheld commerce clause, Congress can define interstate commerce

Question 33

McCulloch v. Maryland

Answer 33

Upheld Necessary and Proper Clause, said Congress had power to set up a bank because they had power to coin money

Question 34

US v. Lopez

Answer 34

Upheld power of state government, guns on school campuses, Congress could not outlaw that because they can’t oversee education

Question 35

Constituents

Answer 35

A person who is represented politically by a designed government official or officeholder, especially when the official is one that the person represented has the opportunity to participate in selecting through voting or perhaps through other methods of indicating political confidence and support

Question 36

Gerrymandering

Answer 36

The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district

Question 37

Majority leader

Answer 37

The head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as its most powerful member

Question 38

Minority leader

Answer 38

The head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate

Question 39

Filibuster

Answer 39

A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate

Question 40

Whip

Answer 40

Party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote counts on key

Question 41

Closed rule

Answer 41

Under a closed rule no amendments may be offered other than amendments recommended by the committee reporting the bill (illuminates the opportunity to amend the bill on the floor, except under unanimous consent)

Question 42

Open rule

Answer 42

Under an open rule, any member may offer an amendment that complies with the standing rules of the House and the Budget Act (permits floor debate and makes amendments easier)

Question 43

Cloture

Answer 43

Mechanism requiring the vote of 60 senators to cut off debate

Question 44

Standing committee

Answer 44

Committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next

Question 45

Select committee

Answer 45

Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose

Question 46

Reapportionment

Answer 46

The reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census

Question 47

Redistricting

Answer 47

The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state

Question 48

Safe seat

Answer 48

An electoral district in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally, or a combination of both

Question 49

Incumbent

Answer 49

The current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election

Question 50

Bicameralism

Answer 50

A bicameral legislature has legislators in two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses

Question 51

Enumerated powers

Answer 51

The powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution

Question 52

Speaker (of the House of Reps)

Answer 52

The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority party

Question 53

Party caucus (or conference)

Answer 53

A formal gathering of all party members

Question 54

President pro tempore

Answer 54

The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party

Question 55

Hold

Answer 55

An informal practice by which a senator informs his or her floor leader that he or she does not wish a particular bill or other measure to reach the floor for consideration

Question 56

Joint committee

Answer 56

Standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies

Question 57

Seniority rule

Answer 57

The custom in Congress providing for the assignment of a committee chairperson-ship to that member of the majority party who has served on the committee the longest (entitles a senator with greater seniority to preferential treatment in matters such as committee assignments)

Question 58

Conference committee

Answer 58

Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

Question 59

Delegate

Answer 59

Role played by representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want, regardless of personal opinions; may refer to an elected representative to Congress or a representative to the party convention

Question 60

Trustee

Answer 60

Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinions and then uses his or her best judgment to make a final decision

Question 61

Logrolling

Answer 61

Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support

Question 62

Attentive public

Answer 62

A group of individuals within a society who have a high level of interest in a subject or issue and who believe that they are reasonably well informed about that subject

Question 63

Discharge petition

Answer 63

Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction

Question 64

Rider

Answer 64

A non-germane amendment to a bill or an amendment to an appropriation bill that changes the permanent law governing a program funded by the bill

Question 65

Pocket veto

Answer 65

If Congress adjourns during the 10 days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without president’s signature

Question 66

Override

Answer 66

The process by which each Chamber of Congress votes on a bill vetoed by the president. To pass a bill over the president’s objections requires a 2/3 vote in each chamber.