Pt 2: Chapter 11 Vocab Flashcards
A legislature that has two chambers, (the House and the Senate)
Bicameral legislature
A proposed law within Congress or another legislature
Bill
A parliamentary maneuver that, if a 3/5 majority votes for it, limits Senate debate to 30 hours and has the effect of defeating a filibuster
Cloture
A temporary committee that is formed to bargain over the differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill. Members are usually appointed from the House and Senate standing committees that originally worked on the bill
Conference committee
The people residing within the geographical area represented by an elected offical
Constituency
A procedural tactic in the us senate whereby a minority of legislators prevents a bill from coming to vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration
Fillibuster
Leslie Knope
The process by which the party in power draws election district boundaries in a way that enhances the reelection prospects of its candidates
Gerrymandering
The current holder of a particular public office
Incumbent
The policy area in which a particular congressional committee is authorized to act
Jurisdiction (of a congressional committee)
A legislative proposal, or bill, that is passed by both the house and the senate and is not vetoed by the president
Law (as enacted by Congress)
The authority (of a legislature) to make the laws necessary to carry out the government’s powers
Lawmaking function
The congressional election that occurs midway through the president’s term of office
Midterm election
An election in which there is no incumbent in the race
Open-seat election
A supervisory activity of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive carries out the laws faithfully
Oversight function
A group that consists of party’s members in the House or Senate and that serves to elect the party’s leadership, set policy goals, and plan party strategy
Party caucus
Members of the House and Senate who are chosen by the Dem or Rep caucus in each chamber to represent the party’s interests in that chamber and who give some central direction to the chamber’s work
Party leaders
The degree to which a party’s House or Senate members act as a unified group to exert collective control over legislative action
Party unity
Spending whose tangible benefits are targeted at a particular legislature’s constituency
Pork (pork-barrel spending)
The reallocation of House seats among states after each census as a result of population changes
Reappointment
The process of altering election districts in order to make them as nearly equal in population as possible. Redistricting takes place every ten years, after each population census
Redistricting
The responsibility of a legislature to represent various interests in society
Representative function
A member of Congress’s consecutive years of service in a particular committee
Seniority
Use of personal staff by members of Congress to perform services for constituents in order to gain their support in future elections
Service strategy
Permanent congressional committees with responsibility for a particular area of public policy. An example is the senate foreign relations committee
Standing committee
The president’s rejection of a bill, thereby keeping it from becoming law unless Congress overrides it
Veto
When the party members meet among themselves to select candidates.
Caucus
An election-type selection process, with general voters going to polling places for a secret ballet
Primary
Delegates chosen locally by each party meet in a central location and select a candidate
Convention
Whoever wins the most votes in the state, even if not a majority, gets all of the delegates
WTA
The state’s delegates are divided up among the candidates, in proportion to their percentage of the vote
Proportional
What is a candidates goal?
To get a majority of delegates for the convention
Whos the House majority leader?
Kevin McCarthy
Whos the House majority whip?
Steve Scalise
Whos the Senate majority leader?
Mitch McConnell
President of the Senate?
VP Biden
Senate pro tempore?
Orin Hatch
Minority leader in the House?
Nancy Pelosi
