multiple choce chapter 4 Flashcards
What are the requirements to be a member of the house of representatives
you have to be at least 25 years old and you have to be a US citizen for at least seven years
what are the requirements to be a member of the senate
you have to be at least 30 years old and US citizen for at least nine years
how long is the term for the House of Representatives
two years
how long is the term length for the severe
six years
which constitutional amendment allowed senators to be directly elected
seventeenth amendment
how are senators elected before the 17th amendment?
they were appointed by state legislators
what is the pork barrel spending
When a member of congress try’s to get federal money for a project in their district
What is logrolling
Members of congress that trade votes to get their earmarks passed
what are enumerated powers of just the house of representatives
all bills to raise revenue have to start in the house of representatives
what are enumerated powers of the senate
The Senate approves all federal judges, or members of the cabinet
what are constituencies
voters in the area that elect a representative or senator
what is apportionment
it decides how many representatives each state gets using census data
what is redistricting
when states re-draw the boundaries of the electoral districts
what is gerrymandering and what is partisan gerrymandering
Uses redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters
what are majority-minority districts
majority voters of minority ethnicity within a district
what is an incumbent
A person who already holds office
what is the incumbency advantage and what are some advantages incumbents have
they usually have more money, greater name, recognition, case work, and they have the ability to use office aid.
what is the franking privilege
if you are in office, you can use the US mail for free
what is casework
The ability to help citizens with issues from the government
what is the majority party
the party with the most seats in the chamber
what is the minority party
The party with the second most seats in the chamber
what jobs do party leaders have
assign committees, set legislative goals, and unify party messages
what role does the speaker of the house have
they are the leader of the house
what is the role of the majority leader in both the house and senate
number one person if majority party of the senate and number two person of majority party in the house
what is the role of the minority leader in both the house and the senate
leader of the party with second highest number of seats and coordinates majority party activity
what is the role of the whip in both the house and the senate
they are vote counters, and they state the reasons behind it. They are the same idea as majority, but for minority, they also try and convince people to vote if they need more voters.
what is the role of the vice president in the Senate?
they are the leader of the senate, but they are early there and when they are there they need a tie-breaking vote so they’re only there to vote
what is the role of the president pro tempore?
honorary position that has no power. They preside over Chambers proceedings when the vice president is not there.
what does it mean to hold something
when the senator objects of bill or part of the bill
what is the role of the committee chair?
they almost are always for the majority party. The house committee is larger than the Senate. They are head of committee that sets the gender of member of a majority party and nominated terms.
what is the standing committee?
it is a permanent committee that is divided by policy
what is a joint committees?
they gather info for Congress for both house and senate and their permanent committee
what is a conference committee?
A temporary committee, where if two bills are different, they hold a conference committee until one version of the bill is made for both house and senate
what is a select committee
what temporary committee usually for investigations
what is a discharge petition
when a member of the house pushes to get a bill out of committee
what is the role of the house rules committee?
they come up with rules of debate for the house when the bill gets to the floor
what is a unanimous consent agreement
fast tracks a bill, but no one can disagree with a senate or else it will not happen
what is a cloture
- Senators vote to advance the bill to a final vote.
what is a filibuster
unlimited debate to stop a vote from happening
what is a veto
when a president sends a bill back to Congress with his objections
what is mandatory spending
does not have to vote on it every year. It is already in the budget, it is 2/3 of the budget. it is used for shop, Social Security, Medicare, and interest on debt
what is an entitlement program
A program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law (for things like medicare) regardless of income
what is discretionary spending
it is 1/3 of the budget they have to pass. It includes things like military education, scientific research and agriculture.
What is the budget spending process
President send a budget to Congress ones Congress passes it gets sent back to the president for him to pass
what is a budget surplus
when the government brings in more revenue in one year than it spends
what is a budget deficit
spends more than collected on taxes
what is national debt
The total amount of money that the government owes
what is national debt
The total amount of money that the government owes
what is Social Security
it is meant to be a monthly payment mainly for senior citizens
what is a delegate role?
when you vote based on what majority of your constituents vote for
what is the trustee role
when a member of Congress makes decisions using their own knowledge and judgment
what is the politico role
emphasizes that Congress is a politicized body that has a lot to balance all at once
what is a gridlock?
A slow down because no one could compromise
what is divided government
when a party controls the presidency or both chambers of Congress split
what is bipartisanship
When the two political parties work together to pass legislation
what is descriptive representation
When Congress mirrors the make up of the country
