Legislative Branch Flashcards
Bicameral Legislature
A Legislative body that consists of two (bi)
separate chambers/houses.
Bill
A draft of a law presented to a Legislature for enactment. Must be passed by both houses in order to pass it.
Casework
When members of Congress and their staff work on behalf of constituents to resolve difficulties with federal agencies
Speaker of the House
Leader of the House of Representatives, who assigns people to committees, directs floor debate, and gives bills to the appropriate committee.
Majority Leader
Leader of the Majority Party (behind the speaker)
Minority Party
Leader of the party with the second most members
Whip
An official that ensures party discipline in legislature (maintains communications between the leadership of the party and the members, counts votes on key legislation, persuades members vote for their party’s ideologies)
House Rules Committee
Standing (permanent) Committee of the House that determines whether the bills have closed rule (no amendments, time limit on debate) or open rule (open to relevant, germane amendments, no time limit)
*It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives
Caucus
A closed meeting to discuss the candidate nomination process in which party members meet to discuss and decide on candidate.
Pork Barrel
Metaphor for the appropriation (without permission) of government spending for localized projects secured solely/primarily to direct expenditures to a representative’s district (adding extra, unrelated programs to bills that would benefit their constituents).
Committee Chairs
An individual elected to lead a particular committee as a member of Congress
Standing Committee
Permanent committees with full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities. Specializes in the consideration of particular subject areas.
Select (Special) Committee
Temporary groups with limited purposes to perform a particular study or investigation.
Joint Committee
Includes members of both houses to perform housekeeping tasks of studies (debates and reports on matters concerning the Congress rather than issues of public policy)
Conference Committee
Temporary Joint Committee that reconciles the Senate and House’s differences in versions of a bill passed by each house of Congress.
Seniority System
(House of Representatives): Collection of formal and informal rules and norms according to which long-serving members possess more procedural privileges and control more resources than their junior colleagues.
Legislative Oversight
Review and evaluation of selected activities, services, and operations and the general performance of the executive branch.
Filibuster
Political tactic to delay a vote on a bill or to keep a bill from passing
Cloture
A method used in the Senate to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or debate, securing an immediate vote on a measure that is before a deliberative body. (used to overcome a filibuster)
Incumbents
Those who are already holding office (most likely to win because the people know how these incumbents work).
Trustee Role
Person or firm that holds and administers property or assets and always align with the grantor’s wishes.
Delegate Role
Person that is selected to represent a group of people in a political assembly of the U.S.
Gerrymandering
Political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency.
Appropriations Bill
Legislation to appropriate federal funds to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs.
Authorization Bill
Create, modify, and/or extend agencies, programs for a limited amount of time (with expiration) or make the perpetual (without expiration).
Budget
Comprehensive accounting of the government’s spending. revenues, and borrowing
Budget Resolution
Non-binding Congressional outline for federal spending and revenues for the next fiscal year (along with targets for the following four fiscal years).
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
Established a new Congressional Budget process, limits on revenues and spending that may be enforced in Congress through procedural objections called points of order
*Provides the President with very limited authority to withhold funding and created a process the President must follow to delay or cancel funding provided by Congress
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Produces “independent analysis of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional Budget process” (in the legislative branch that provides budget and economic information to Congress)
Continuing Resolution (CR)
Temporary spending bills that allows federal government operations to continue when final appropriations haven’t been approved by Congress and the President.
A type of appropriation legislation that provides budget authority for Federal agencies, special activities, or both to continue operation until the regular appropriations are enacted.
Deficit
When the federal government’s spending exceeds its revenues
Entitlements
Any government-provided or government-managed benefit or service to which some or all individuals are entitled by law (ex. medicaid, medicare, social security, welfare programs…)
Expenditures
All amounts of money paid out by a government during its fiscal year (accounting period), other than retirement of debt, purchase of investment securities, extension of loans, and agency or private trust transactions.
Federal Debt
Amount of money borrowed by the government to cover the outstanding balance of expenses incurred over time.
House Ways and Means Committee
Oldest tax-writing body in the U.S. House of Representatives, shapes fiscal legislation including taxes, tariffs, and social service programs. Maintains the bills that deal with Medicare and other entitlement programs.
Income Tax
Type of tax, governments impose an income generated by businesses and individuals within their jurisdiction, used to fund public services, pay government obligations, and provide goods for citizens.
Incrementalism
Method of change by which many small policy changes are enacted over time in order to create a larger broad based policy change.
Earmarks
Congressional funding for a specific local project; gives individual law makers some power to decide which local project get federal funds
*funds provided by Congress for projects or programs that curtail (reduce) the ability of the Executive Branch to manage critical aspects of the funds allocation process
Reconcilation
A way for Congress to enact legislation on taxes, spending, and the debt limit with only a majority
Revenues
Income received from taxes and other sources to pay for government expenditures
16th Amendment
Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
Social Security Act (Aug. 14, 1935)
President Roosevelt created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement.
Tax Expenditures
special provisions of the tax code such as exclusions, deductions, deferrals, credits, and tax rates that benefit specific activities or groups of taxpayers. (shows how more tax revenues could have been collected if it werent for these groups)
*Provisions of the tax code that can reduce how much a taxpayer owes, turning it into federal revenue
Uncontrollable Expenditures
A portion of the uncontrollable Federal budget spending limits that is spent on programs (ex. social security, military and civil pensions, income loans, and food stamping programs), that the President and Congress aren’t able to change (mandatory/entitlement programs).
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
Prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Provided for direct federal intervention to enable African Americans to register and vote and banned tactics long designed to keep them from the polls
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
Protects people with Disabilities from discrimination
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act) of 2002
Decreased the role of soft money (money spent by a political party to support or against a candidate/unlimited amounts of money) in political campaigns as the law places limits on the contributions by interest groups and national political parties.
