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Government > Legislative Branch - Test > Flashcards

Legislative Branch - Test Flashcards

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1
Q

the Legislative branch of the federal gov. is also known as what?

A

Congress

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2
Q

jobs of Congress

A

1) to represent the people and do the day to day work
2) they translate the will of the people into law!

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3
Q

why is there bicameral legislature?

A

1) Historical Reason: British parliament also had two houses
2) Practical Reason: settled conflict between small and large states
- one based on population, one equal representation
3) Theoretical Reason: Check and Balance each other

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4
Q

one year time period during which Congress conducts its business

A

Session

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5
Q

to suspend business temporarily during a session

A

Recess

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6
Q

to suspend business until the next session

A

Adjourn

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7
Q

neither house can adjourn without the consent of the other houses

A

“Sine die”

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8
Q

the president has the power to end a session when the two houses can’t agree to adjourn

A

Prorogue

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9
Q

when the President calls Congress together for an emergency meeting

A

Special Session

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10
Q

powers of the House of Representative

A

1) Impeach the President
2) decide presidential election if no winner
3) all tax bills start here

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11
Q

the seats of the House of Representatives are redistributed every 10 years (census)
- how much population each state has and how many reps. they get

A

Reapportionment

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12
Q

why does the party in power usually lose seats in the Mid-Term Elections?

A

the party in power is blamed for all of the problems in the country

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13
Q

geographic districts from which one representative is chosen from a field of candidates

A

Single-Member Districts

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14
Q

representative chosen from the state as a whole

A

At-Large Districts

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15
Q

the drawing up of district lines to the advantage of the party in power

A

Gerrymandering

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16
Q

two ways of gerrymandering

A

1) Packing: concentrate the opposition’s voters in as few districts as possible
2) Cracking: spread the opponents voters out in as many districts as possible

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17
Q

qualifications of being a House of Representatives member

A

1) be 25 years old
2) be a citizen of the US for 7 years
3) live in the state they represent

18
Q

the people they represent (entire state in the Senate)

A

Constituencies

19
Q

all seats are never up for election at the same time (stagger the terms) 1/3 at a time

A

Continuous Body

20
Q

qualifications of being a Senator

A

1) must be 30 years old
2) citizen of the US for 9 years
3) live in the state they represent

21
Q

powers of the Senate

A

1) holds impeachment trials
2) ratifies treaties
3) confirms executive office appointments (judges, cabinets, etc.)

22
Q

5 major roles of a member of congress

A

1) Legislators - make laws
2) Representatives - voice of the people
3) Committee members - screen bills
4) Servants to constituents - provide help to the people
5) Politicians - work for the government

23
Q

process through which Congress checks to see if the executive branch (president) is following its policies/laws

A

Oversight Function

24
Q

3 major types of committees

A

1) Standing committees (permanent): deal with subject matter
- education, finance, environment, agriculture, etc.
2) Special Committee (temporary): deal with investigations and presidential appointments
3) Joint Committee: deal with matter of both houses (Housekeeping - daily activities, records, budgets, etc.)

25
Q

2 types of bills

A

1) Public Bill: law involving everyone
2) Private Bill: law involving specific group/area

26
Q

where do ideas for bills come from?

A

1) Executive Branch
2) People
3) Congressman
4) Special Interest Groups

27
Q

who introduces bills?

A

congressmen

28
Q

what is the only kind of bill that cannot be introduced by either house?

A

Tax Bills - start only in the House of Representatives

29
Q

how does a bill become a law? (6 steps)

A

1) Bill introduced by a Congressman
2) Committee Action (standing committee)
- they pass it on or pigeon-hole it! (most bills die here!
3) Floor Action - full House of Rep. or Full Senate
- debate and vote!
4) Conference Action/Committee: members from both houses
- “iron out” the bill
5) Floor Action: same as step 3
6) Presidential Action: Sign = Becomes law
- Veto = Refuse to sign

30
Q

when a bill fails to become law because the president does not sign it within 10 days and within that time period, Congress adjourns

A

Pocket Veto

31
Q

how can a veto be overridden?

A

only if there is a two-thirds majority in each house of congress

32
Q

addition to a bill that has nothing to do with the original bill
- one that will not pass on its own merit, so they attach it to a bill they know will get passed

A

Rider

33
Q

models of representation: 4 ways in which congressmen vote

A

1) Delegate: vote in the interest of the people
2) Partisan: vote along party lines
3) Trustee: vote on their conscience/merit of the bill
4) Politico: a blend of all the other 3

34
Q

what is the percent of bills introduced that are actually passed?

A

4% of 5000 or 200 are passed

35
Q

attempt by the Senate to stop the passage of a bill by “talking it to death” - unlimited timer

A

Filibuster

36
Q

only way to stop a filibuster (60% vote to stop)

A

Cloture

37
Q

who is the Chairman of the Senate?

A

The Vice President

38
Q

who is the 3rd most powerful person in the government

A

The Speaker of the House

39
Q

“fringe benefits” of congressmen

A

1) Housing tax allowance
2) Travel Allowance
3) Cheap health insurance
4) Pension plan
5) Free office and expenses for staff

40
Q

three limits on Congressional Pay raise

A

1) president can veto
2) voter backlash - most important
3) 27th Amendment (pay raise does not take effect until next term)

41
Q

average age of a congressman

A

60

42
Q

protects congressmen from law suits for libel or slander arising from their speeches in Congress
- purpose: encourages/allows for free and open Legislative debate in Congress

A

Speech and Debate Clause

Government (9 decks)

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