Jade lamas-Chapter 6 Flashcards
bicameral legislature
def: a two-house legislature.
sent: The bicameral legislature was created by the framers.
apportionment
def: the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its proportion of the population, following the decennial census.
sent: The apportionment adjusts the number of seats allotted to each state.
impeachment
def: the power delegated to the house of representatives in the constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other “civil officers, “including federal judges, with “treason, Bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” this is the first step in the constitutional process of removing government officials from office.
sent: The house also has the power of impeachment, or to charge the president, vice president, or other “civil officers,” including federal judges with high crimes.
edmund burke
def: conservative British political philosopher of the 18th century who articulated the view that elected representatives should act as “trustees” and use their own best judgement when voting.
sent: Edmund Burke also served in the British Parliament and believed it was his duty to represent the interests of the entire nation.
trustee
def: role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’ opinions and then uses his or her best judgement to make a final decision.
sent: According to Burke, a representative should be a trustee who listens to the opinions of constituents.
delegate
def: role played by a representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want, regardless of personal opinions; may refer to an elected representative to the party convention.
sent: A second theory of representation holds that a representative should be a delegate.
politico
def: an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue.
def: A third theory of representation holds that a politico alternately dons the hat of a trustee or delegate, depending on the issue.
incumbency
def: already holding an office.
sent: Incumbency helps members stay in office once they are elected.
redistricting
def: 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.
sent: Redistricting is a largely political process.
gerrymandering
def: the drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district.
sent: The redistricting process often involves gerrymandering.
majority party
def: the political party in each house of congress with the second most members,
sent: The majority party in each house is the party with the most members.
minority party
def: the political party in each house of congress with the second most members.
sent: The minority party in each house is the party with the second most members.
party cactus (or conference)
def: a formal gathering of all party members.
sent: At the beginning of each new congress, the members of each party formally gather in their part cactus (or conference).
speaker of the house
def: 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.
sent: The speaker of the house is the only officer of the house of representatives specifically mentioned in the constitution.
majority leader
def: 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.
sent: The majority leader controls most seats in the house.
minority leader
def: the head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the house of representatives or the senate.
sent: The minority leader controls second highest number seats.
whip
def: party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote counts on key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within a party.
sent: The republic and democratic whips assist the speaker and majority and minority leaders in their leadership efforts.
president pro tempore
def: the official chair of the senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party.
sent: Another word for president pro tempore is pro tem.
standing committee
def: committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one congress to the next.
sent: Standing committees are those those to which bills are referred for consideration.
joint committee
def: standing committee that includes members from both houses of congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies.
sent: Joint committees focus public attention on major matters such as the economy, taxation, or scandals.
conference committee
def: special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the house and senate.
sent: Conference Committees are special joint committees created to reconcile differences in bills.
select (for special) committee
def: temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose.
sent: Select (for party) Committees are appointed for specific purposes.
hillary clinton
def: first female major party candidate for president of the united states, a democrat, who ran against president donald j. trump in 2016. secretary of state from 2009-2013; new york senator from 2001-2009; formal first lady.
sent: Hillary Clinton acted on benghazi and she used a private email server.
house committee on rules
the influential “rules committee” determines the scheduling and conditions, such as length of debate and type of allowable amendments, for all bills in the house of representatives (but not in the senate, where debate is less regulated).
sent: The house committee on rules no longer exists in the Senate.
discharge petition
def: petition that gives a majority of the house of representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face or committee inaction.
sent: A discharge petition signed by a majority of the house membership can force bills out of a house committee.
seniority
def: time of continuous service on a committee.
sent: Committee chairs in the house are no longer selected by seniority.
markup
def: a session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor.
sent: Is subcommittee votes in favor of the bill then it goes through mark up.
committee of the whole
def: a procedure that allows the house of representatives to deliberate with a lower quorum and to expedite consideration and amendment of a bill.
sent: When the day arrives for floor debate, the house may choose to form a committee of the whole.
hold
def: a procedure by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or nomination is brought to the floor. this request signals leadership that a member may have objections to the bill and should be consulted before further action is taken.
sent: A hold signals the senate leadership and the sponsors of the bill.
filibuster
def: a formal way of halting senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate.
sent: Filibusters grew out of the absence of rules to restrict speech in the senate.
cloture
def: mechanism requiring the vote of 60 senators to cut off debate.
sent: After a cloture motion passes the senate floor, members may spend no more than 30 additional hours debating the legislation at issue.
veto
def: the formal, constitutional authority of the president to president to reject the bills passed by both houses of congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without further congressional action.
sent: The president can veto a bill.
pocket veto
def: 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 the president’s signature.
sent: The president can choose not to sign the bill and that is called a pocket veto.
richard m. nixon
def: the 37th president, a republican, who served from 1969-1974. nixon advocated detente during the cold war and resigned rather than face impeachment and likely removal from office due to the watergate scandal.
sent: Richard M. Nixon exposed several shortcomings in the system.
congressional budge act of 1974
def: act that established the congressional budgetary process by laying out a plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills.
sent: The congressional budge act of 1974 established the congressional budgetary process in use today.
reconciliation
def: a procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to 20 hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster.
sent: The congressional budge act of 1974 is reconciliation.
pork
def: legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs.
sent: Representatives often seek to win appropriations known as pork.
programmatic requests
def: federal funds designated for special projects within a state or congressional district. also referred to as earmarks.
sent: Programmatic requests were once called earmarks.
divided government
def: the political condition in which different political parties control one house of congress.
sent: These hearings are among congress’s most visible and dramatic actions, especially in times of divided government.
war powers resolution
def: passed by congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a 60 day period in peacetime unless congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period.
sent: In 1973, congress passed the war powers resolution over president nixon’s veto.
congressional review
def: a process whereby congress can nullify agency regulations within a 60 day window by passing a joint resolution of legislative disapproval of the resolution or a 2/3 majority vote in both houses to overrule a presidential veto is also required.
sent: The process of nullifying actions is congressional review.
senatorial courtesy
def: a process by which presidents generally allow senators from the state in which a judicial vacancy occurs to block a nomination by simply registering their objection.
sent: Senators often have considerable say in the nomination of judges from their states through senatorial courtesy.
unified government
def: the political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and congress.
sent: Unified Government is true in times of the party attempting to coerce members to support his legislative package.
logrolling
def: vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support.
sent: On issues that are of little interest to a legislator, logrolling, or vote trading, often occurs.
congressional research service (CRS)
def: created in 1914, the non-partisan CRS provides information, studies, and research in support of the work of congress, and prepares summaries and tracks the progress of all bill.
sent: Additional help from members come from the congressional research service.
government accountability
def: established in 1921, the GAO is an independent regulatory agency for the purpose of auditing the financial expenditures of the executive branch and federal agencies; until 2004, the GAO was known as the general accounting office…
sent: Additional help from members come from the government accountability also.
congressional budget office
def: created in 1974, the CBO provides congress with evaluations of the potential economic effects of proposed spending policies and also analyzes the president’s budget and economic projections.
sent: The CBO was created in 1974 to evaluate economic effect of different spending programs and to provide information on the cost of proposed policies.
bill
def: a proposed law
sent: No bill or proposed law, can become law without the consent of both houses.
