Legislative Branch

Question 1

Bicameral Legislature

Answer 1

A Legislative body that consists of two (bi)
separate chambers/houses.

Question 2

Bill

Answer 2

A draft of a law presented to a Legislature for enactment. Must be passed by both houses in order to pass it.

Question 3

Casework

Answer 3

When members of Congress and their staff work on behalf of constituents to resolve difficulties with federal agencies

Question 4

Speaker of the House

Answer 4

Leader of the House of Representatives, who assigns people to committees, directs floor debate, and gives bills to the appropriate committee.

Question 5

Majority Leader

Answer 5

Leader of the Majority Party (behind the speaker)

Question 6

Minority Party

Answer 6

Leader of the party with the second most members

Question 7

Whip

Answer 7

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)

Question 8

House Rules Committee

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Caucus

Answer 9

A closed meeting to discuss the candidate nomination process in which party members meet to discuss and decide on candidate.

Question 10

Pork Barrel

Answer 10

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).

Question 11

Committee Chairs

Answer 11

An individual elected to lead a particular committee as a member of Congress

Question 12

Standing Committee

Answer 12

Permanent committees with full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities. Specializes in the consideration of particular subject areas.

Question 13

Select (Special) Committee

Answer 13

Temporary groups with limited purposes to perform a particular study or investigation.

Question 14

Joint Committee

Answer 14

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)

Question 15

Conference Committee

Answer 15

Temporary Joint Committee that reconciles the Senate and House’s differences in versions of a bill passed by each house of Congress.

Question 16

Seniority System

Answer 16

(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.

Question 17

Legislative Oversight

Answer 17

Review and evaluation of selected activities, services, and operations and the general performance of the executive branch.

Question 18

Filibuster

Answer 18

Political tactic to delay a vote on a bill or to keep a bill from passing

Question 19

Cloture

Answer 19

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)

Question 20

Incumbents

Answer 20

Those who are already holding office (most likely to win because the people know how these incumbents work).

Question 21

Trustee Role

Answer 21

Person or firm that holds and administers property or assets and always align with the grantor’s wishes.

Question 22

Delegate Role

Answer 22

Person that is selected to represent a group of people in a political assembly of the U.S.

Question 23

Gerrymandering

Answer 23

Political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency.

Question 24

Appropriations Bill

Answer 24

Legislation to appropriate federal funds to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs.

Question 25

Authorization Bill

Answer 25

Create, modify, and/or extend agencies, programs for a limited amount of time (with expiration) or make the perpetual (without expiration).

Question 26

Budget

Answer 26

Comprehensive accounting of the government’s spending. revenues, and borrowing

Question 27

Budget Resolution

Answer 27

Non-binding Congressional outline for federal spending and revenues for the next fiscal year (along with targets for the following four fiscal years).

Question 28

Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

Answer 29

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)

Question 30

Continuing Resolution (CR)

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

Deficit

Answer 31

When the federal government’s spending exceeds its revenues

Question 32

Entitlements

Answer 32

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…)

Question 33

Expenditures

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

Federal Debt

Answer 34

Amount of money borrowed by the government to cover the outstanding balance of expenses incurred over time.

Question 35

House Ways and Means Committee

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

Income Tax

Answer 36

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.

Question 37

Incrementalism

Answer 37

Method of change by which many small policy changes are enacted over time in order to create a larger broad based policy change.

Question 38

Earmarks

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Reconcilation

Answer 39

A way for Congress to enact legislation on taxes, spending, and the debt limit with only a majority

Question 40

Revenues

Answer 40

Income received from taxes and other sources to pay for government expenditures

Question 41

16th Amendment

Answer 41

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.

Question 42

Social Security Act (Aug. 14, 1935)

Answer 42

President Roosevelt created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement.

Question 43

Tax Expenditures

Answer 43

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

Question 44

Uncontrollable Expenditures

Answer 44

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).

Question 45

Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)

Answer 45

Prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin

Question 46

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Answer 46

Provided for direct federal intervention to enable African Americans to register and vote and banned tactics long designed to keep them from the polls

Question 47

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990

Answer 47

Protects people with Disabilities from discrimination

Question 48

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act) of 2002

Answer 48

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.