Interactions Among Branches of Government: Chapters 10-13, Unit 2 Flashcards
CHAPTER 10 - THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES ( congress) 1-48
senate (4)
-elections concerned about national issues
-6 year terms
-elections by state (popular vote)
-100 people (2pr state)
house of representatives
-elections concern local issues
-2 year terms
-elections by district
-435 people (based on population)
constituents
residents of a congressional district or state
reapportionment
assigning of congressional seats after each census
redistricting
redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following a census to keep districts equal/ fair
gerrymandering
diving districts to benifit a party, group or incumbent
safe seat
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.
incumbent
the current holder of an elected office
earmarks
special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents
enumerated powers
powers explicitly given to congress in the constitution
enumerated powers of congress (5)
-borrow/ make money
-regulate commerce
-unify the country
-declare/fund war
-create the inferior federal courts
bicameralism
principle of a two-house legislature
Powers of Congress: House(2), Senate(2)
House:
-propose legislation
-raise revenue
Senate:
-confirm presidential appointees (by majority vote)
-ratify treaties (by 2/3 vote)
party caucus (in house)
held at the beginning of a congressional term to elect the Speaker, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, and whips
The Speaker of the Hosue
the leader of the house
-presides over each session and is largely responsible for assigning representatives to committees to party positions
-ONLY IN HOUSE
Majority Leader (of the house)
assists the speaker of the house in adding majority party members to committees and scheduling legislation
Minority Leader (of the house)
leads minority party in opposing agenda of the majority party and in choosing minority party members for committees
party whips
responsible for counting votes for proposed legislation, and working with members of their party to get enough votes
-in both house and senate and for both minority and majority parties
open rule
rule in the house that permits amendments and changes to be made to a bill
closed rule
opposite of open rule,
no changes can be made to a bill
who determines if a bill will be opened or closed rule?
speaker of the house
Who is the president of the senate
the vice president
-though it is more of a formal role than active (they don’t do much)
–ONLY FOR SENATE
Majority Leader (in senate)
manages the schedule of debate and rallies party voters for party legislation, or against minority party proposals
Minority Leader (in senate)
rallies the support of minority party around legislation and acts as the spokes person
president pro tempure
acts as chair in the absence of the vice president
-normally the person who has been in the senate the longest
-ONLY FOR SENATE
committees
responsible for researching, assessing, and revising the bills introduced to congress
legislative oversight
monitoring the federal agencies and the execution of law
fillibuster
practice ONLY IN SENATE, where a senator wants to prevent a vote from happening so they keep the debate going by saying unrelated stuff
cloture
the procedure of ending debates, especially fillibusters
-need 60 votes
quorm
the minimum number you need present to pass a bill (majority present)
standing committees
handle specific policy areas, such as agriculture or finance
- and each committee is often divided into subcommittees
-in both house and senate
joint committees
responsible for legislation that overlaps policy areas
-includes members of both branches of congress
special/ select committees
handle a specific issue, such as an investigation or impeachment
-normally temporary
conference committees
iron out the differences between house and senate versions of bills
- members for both branches
committee chairs
influence the agenda of committtees
-chair is always a member of the majority party
majority party v. minority party
majority party: the party that is the same as the president
minoirty party: the party that isn’t
Ex. right now, democrats are majority and republicans are minority party
House Rules Committee
-revies all bulls before they go to the house floor
-assigns their slots on the calender
-allocates time for debates
-decides whether the bill maybe amended or not
most powerful committee
House Ways & Means Committee
-writes bulls concerning tac and other public revenue, which are subjected to approval from both houses
Senate Finance Committee
-works in conjunction with the Hosue Ways & Means Committee to write bills on tax and revenue
Appropriations Committee
-decides how money will be appointed to federal agencies
- in each branch
-largest committee in both branches
How a bill becomes a law
1) gets introduced
2)goes to the subcommittee of the appropriate standing committee
3) subcommittee conducts research, makes edits, etc
4) approved bill goes to the standing committee, which decides whether to pass it or kill it
5) bill is introduced for debate
6) If the bill is passed in both houses, it goes to the president who approves it or vetos it
discharge petition
a petition that if signed by a majority of members in the house, will be brought to the floor for consideration
-ONLY IN HOUSE
rider
a provision attached to a bill, which may or may not be related
-bill attached to another bill
- ONLY IN SENATE
pocket veto
only happens during the 10 day term when Congress isn’t in session,
when a president doesn’t do anything about a bill until congress is on recess so there’s no possibility for an override
override
reverse veto, takes 2.3 majority for house and senate
logrolling
a mutual aid and vote trading among legislatures
-“ I’ll vote for your bill if you vote for mine”
attentive public
one who follows public affairs closley
apportionment
Distribution among the states based on the population of each of the states.
incumbency effect
is the tendency of those already holding office to win reelection
seniority system
with the majority party member having the longest length of committee service chosen as chairperson.
-no longer used
CHAPTER 11 - THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH (president) (53- 87)
parliamentary system
gov in which legislature selects prime minister/ president
presidental ticket
a joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot
-required by the 12th amendment
Commander and Cheif
president is in charge of military
Diplomat in chief/ Chief Diplomat
president is in charge of negotiations with foreign governments and leader
Administration in chief
president is the head of the executive branch
Cheif of state
president represnts out country
vesting clause
the presidents constitutional authority to control most executive functions
Executive powers (formal):
negotiations and treaties
a pubic agreement between US president and other nation leaders
- approved by 2/3 of senate
executive agreement
a formal agreement between US president and leaders of other nations that does NOT require senate approval
congressional-executive agreement
a formal agreement between US president and another nations leader that requires approval from BOTH houses of congress
Executive powers (formal):
The appointment power
president can appoint people into power
recess appointment
a presidential appointment made without senate approval during congresses recess
Executive powers (formal):
The pardon power
presidents power to pardon someone from a jail sentence
Executive powers (formal):
The veto power
the presidents power to veto (reject a bill from congress)
Executive powers (formal):
The take care power
follows take care clause… (next card)
take care clause
constitutional requirement that the president take care that the laws are carefully executed, even if they disagree with them
Executive powers (formal):
The power to inform and convene congress
presidents power to adjourn/ discontinue or bring together congress in certain circumstances
Executive powers (informal?):
executive orders
a formal order issued by the president to direct action to manage the federal government
-does not need approval from congress
formal power
given to president in the constitution (?)