government institutions: congress Flashcards
bicameral legislature
type of government that has 2 separate legislative houses or chambers
parliament.
the legislature within a parliamentary system of government. 3 functions: representation, legislation, and oversight. Duties: making laws and scrutinizing the government
descriptive representation
elected representatives will represent their interests of race, socioeconomic group, and etc.
substantive representation
elected officials support an agenda based on their personal and political party’s views
trustee
an individual or organization which holds or manages and invests assets for the benefit of another
delegate
a person chosen or elected by a group to speak, vote, etc. for them, especially at a meeting
majority-minority district
congressional districts designed to make it easier for citizens of a racial or ethnic minority to elect representatives.
malapportionment
an inappropriate or unfair proportional distribution of representatives to a legislative body
marginal district
political districts where candidates win elections with less than 55% of the vote
gerrymandering
pushing political boundaries of voting districts for one party’s advantage.
safe districts
political districts where incumbents win with 55% or more of the vote
wesbury vs. sanders
James P. Wesberry, Jr. filed a suit against the Governor of Georgia, Carl E. Sanders, protesting the state’s apportionment scheme.
connection: represents an act against apportionment
baker vs. carr
A case in which the Court found that redistricting issues present justiciable questions, and in which the Court reframed its political question doctrine
shaw vs. reno
the court believed that north carolina was evidence of an attempt to separate voters based on race and ethnicity
miller vs. johnson
was a United States Supreme Court case concerning “affirmative gerrymandering/racial gerrymandering”, where racial minority-majority electoral districts are created
congressional caucus
an organization or members of Congress based on party, interest, or social group such as gender or race.
committee
a group of people appointed for a specific function, typically consisting of members of a larger group.
committee of the whole
all representatives serve and meet in the house chamber for ideas on the union calendar
house rules committee
reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a House committee before they go to the full House.
conference committees
committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to resolve disagreements on a particular bill passed
filibuster
trying to defeat a bill in the senate by preventing the senate from taking action on the bill
cloture
a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate, also used by a filibuster
party caucus
when all party members in the house have a conference or meeting.
connection: Participants set legislative agendas, select committee members and chairs, and hold elections to choose various Floor leaders.
party whip
appointed person who assists each floor leader and keeps track of how party members vote and persuades member’s votes.
majority leader
legislative leader elected by the party members holding the majority of seats in the house of representatives.
connection: hold more power
minority leader
legislative leader elected by the party members with a less amount of seats held in the house of representatives
connection: goes against majority leader
franking privilege
allows members of congress to mail letters and other objects by using their facsimile signature for postage.
connection: benefits for congressional memebers.
spohomore surge
an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection.
constituency service
what parliamentarians do to serve and represent the interests of their constituents.
connection : helps represent the peoples interest
incumbency
the holding of an office or the period during which one is held by someone.
connection: incumbents have more power than other runner ups
speaker of the house
presiding officer of the house. also takes over as president in the case that the president and vp die. Duties: appoints rules committee, assigns bills to committees, may recommend leaders but cannot appoint.
president pro tempore
officer of the senate selected by the majority to act as chair in the absence of the vice president-president of the senate
ways and means committee
writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole.
reapportionment
divides # of state representatives among the states population to determine that the districts have equal size. connection: each district must have an equal size
congressional oversight
congress watching over the executive branch. for example: monitoring federal agencies connection: influences the executive branch.
redistricting
redraws united states electoral boundaries. connection: creates fair vote
hold
when a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor.
connection: stops the bill from coming to the floor until the hold is removed.
senatorial courtesy
when the US Senate refuses to confirm a presidential appointment to office opposed by both senators from the state of the appointee
impeachment
when someone in office is guilty of something and may be removed.
connection: takes an official out of office
discharge petition
a petition signed by the members of the House of Representatives to bring a bill from committee to the floor for consideration. connection: finds a resolution for a bill
logrolling
“you have my back, i have your back” Vote trading, voting yea to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support
standing committee
committee formed to do its assigned work on an ongoing basis. connection: proposed bills are sent there
select committee
a committee that is formed to examine and report on a specific bill or issue
joint committee
a committee made up of members of both chambers of a bicameral legislature.
connection: work together to to reach a compromise on their differences concerning a particular issue.
private bill
provides benefits to a specified group of individuals connection : usually used by organisations to give themselves powers beyond, or in conflict with, the general law
public bill
apply to everyone within their jurisdiction
connection: may become a public law or public act.
simple resolution
an espression of opinion, without the force of law, either in the House or the Senate
connection: settles housekeeping or procedural matters in either body
concurrent resolution
an espression of opinion without the force of law that reuires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the President
joint resolution
a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president;
connection: joint resolutions usually propose a constitutional amendment that needs to be approved by the president
appropriation
the act of setting aside money for a specific purpose.
for example: a company or a government appropriates funds in order to delegate cash for the necessities of its business operations.
authorization
permission or power granted by an authority; sanction.
a legislative act that allows money to be spent on governmental programs and etc.
sequential referral
a congressional process by which a speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting
connection: resents the process of a bill
multiple referral
when a bill may be referred to several committees that consider it simultaneously in whole or in part
connection: resent process of a bill
markup discharge petition
bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee
connection: determines whether a committee supports a bill without anything negative.
calendar (congressional)
congressional calendar is an agenda or list of business awaiting possible action by the House or Senate
open rule
an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor
closed rule
an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate and forbids a particular bill from being amended on the floor
restrictive rule
an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made to a bill on the floor
connection: may reject a bill
germane vs. non-germane
a non germane amendment is an amendment to a bill that is not related to the purpose of the bill
germane amendments must be strictly relevant to the bill on focus. Germane amendments must be strictly relevant to the bill on focus.
amendments
proposed by Congress to ratify the Constitution.
for example : amendment 13, abolition of slavery.
pork barrel legislation
legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hopes of winning their votes in return
connection: money spent during elections and etc
riders
a provision attached to a bill
connection: determines whether a bill will havepassage or defeat
christmas tree bill
when a bill has lots of riders
connection: a bill that attracts many floor amendments.
quorum call
the minimum number of members required to be in attendance for Congress to conduct official business
roll call vote
a congressional procedure that consists of members answering yea or nay when their names are called
connection: type of way to call for votes
teller vote
A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, first the yeas, then the nays. Since 1971, teller votes are recorded at the request of twenty members.
voice vote
A congressional voting procedure used in both houses in which members vote by shouting yea or nay
connection: way of determining votes.
abstention
a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot.
