UGH Flashcards
what are the requirements to be a member of the house of reps and how many members are there?
- 25 years old
- Has been a citizen for at least 7 years
- Lives in the state in which he or she is elected.
-435 members-
What are the requirements to be a member of the Senate and how members are there?
- 30 years old
- Has been a citizens for at least 14 years
- Lives in the state in which he or she is elected
-100 members-
- What is the length of term for Representatives?
2 years
- What is the length of term for Senators?
6 years
What is an appropriation bill?
a legislative bill that allows the government to spend money
- How many votes are needed to end a filibuster? What is the process called?
60 votes. the cloture vote.
- What goes on in committees? Why? What can a committee do to a bill?
committees help organize the most important work of congress. the committee makes an initial determination if the proposal should go forward in the legislative they can also suggest amendments
- What is Gerrymandering and how does it apply only to the House of Reps?
to create as many “safe” districts as possible- districts almost certain to be won by the party in control of the line-drawing process. manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
how does one get assigned to a committee?
Each party assigns, by resolution, its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among subcommittees. The Senate places limits on the number and types of panels any one senator may serve on and chair.
what is a subcommittee
a committee composed of some members of a larger committee, board, or other body and reporting to it.
divided government
One party controls the White House and one party controls one or both houses of government.
Senatorial courtesy
a custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee’s state, especially from the senior senator of the president’s party from that state.
Log Rolling
the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member.
Bicameralism
the principle of a two-house legislature.
e. The House Rules Committee
An institution unique to the House of Representatives that review all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a House committee before they go to the full house.
f. Closed Rule
an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate and forbids a particular bill from being amended on the floor
open rule
an order from teh HOuse Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor
Seniority System
the practice of granting privileges to members of Congress (Senators and Representatives) who have served the longest.
how is the speaker of the house chosen
When a Congress convenes for the first time, each major party conference or caucus nominates a candidate for Speaker. Members customarily elect the Speaker by roll call vote.
- What bills by tradition are introduced in the House?
bills that were already prefiled. appropriation bills are also introduced to the house
War Power Acts 1973
This act stated that the president must report to Congress within 2 days of putting troops in danger in a foreign country, and there would be a 60 to 90 day limit for over seas troop presence.
watergate
Nixon was accused of spying on the DNC and this ensuing scandal eventually led to Nixon’s resignation.
The Iran-Contra Affair
scandal that erupted during the Reagan administration when it was revealed that US government agents had secretly sold arms to Iran in order to raise money to fund anti- communist “Contra” forces in Nicaragua. Those acts directly contravened an ongoing US trade embargo with Iran as well as federal legislation limiting aid to the Contras. Several Reagan administration officials were convicted of federal crimes as results
Executive Privilege
The right of the executive officials to refuse to appear before, or to withhold information from, a legislative committee. Executive privilege is enjoyed by the president and by those executive officials accorded that right by the president.
Executive Agreement
An international agreement made by the president, without senatorial ratification, with the head of a foreign state.
Civil Service Commission
created by the Pendleton Act in 1883,a government agency to conduct exams for federal jobs
Pendleton Act
Pendleton Act of 1883 was the federal legislation that created a system in which federal employees were chosen based upon competitive exams. This made job positions based on merit or ability and not inheritance or class. It also created the Civil Service Commission. ECONOMIC.
Hatch Act
congressional law that forbade government officials from participating in partisan politics and protected government employees from being fired on partisan grounds; it was revised in 1993 to be less restrictive
