Unit 2 Flashcards
trustee role
elected official will ultimately rely on their own judgement when making decisions. Politicians believe that their constituents have elected them because they trust their judgment to make the right decision to advance the interests of the nation.
delegate role
: Elected officials view themselves only as a mirror of their constituents. To the extent that it is possible, their behavior will reflect the wishes of the people in the district, even if it goes against the conscience of the elected official
politico role
the elected official will follow the trustee model until their constituents push them towards the delegate model on certain issue
partisan role
voting on party lines
political gerrymandering
practice of dividing a geographic area into electoral districts, often of highly irregular shape, to give one political party an unfair advantage by diluting the opposition’s voting strength
racial gerrymandering
district lines are drawn to prevent racial minorities from electing their preferred candidates
reapportionment
process of reallocating seats in the House every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census
redistricting
redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following a census , to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population
safe seat
an area in which the candidate from one particular party nearly always wins by a large number of votes.
constituency
The individuals who live within the geographical area represented by an elected official
caucus
association of congressional members who advocate a political ideology, regional, ethnic, or economic interest
congressional committees
groups of Members appointed to investigate, debate, and report on legislation
standing committee
permanent committees focused on particular policy areas
i.e committee on transportaion
majority party controls legislation
joint committee
congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses
members do routine management and research
select committee
short term congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose
ie watergate invsitgation
confernece committee
committee created to iron out the differneces in versions of a vill passed by house and senate
finished bill is sent to pres
speaker of the house
office mandated by the Constitution; is chosen in practice by the majority, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant
president of senate
VP
only called in to breake ties
President Pro Tempore
high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the Vice President
Majority/minority Leader
serve as the spokesperson for their party’s positions on the issues and coordinate their respective legislative strategies.
majority/minority whip
party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party
committee chairspersn
presiding officer of a committee
scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house
Rules Committee
review most bills after they come from the full committee and before they go to the full chamber for consideration. They determine the date the bill will be debated, the time allotted for discussion, and often what amendments can be made.
committee of the whole
the House of Representatives operating as a committee on which every Member of the House serves
elax the usual limits on debate, allowing a more open exchange of views without the urgency of a final vote
filibuster
strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation try to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question., based on unlimited debate
cloture
a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster
quorom
The number of senators that must be present for the Senate or House to do business. The Constitution requires a majority of senators (51) and representatives (218) for a quorum
hold
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of the bill or nomination
unanimous consent
Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings
discharge petition
a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee.
prevents a minority from stopping a majoritys desire to discuss a bill
logrolling
exchange of political favors for support of a bill
franking privelege
privilege that allows members of Congressmen to mail letters and other materials to constituents postage-free
discretionary spending
money formally approved by Congress and the President during the appropriations process each year
diveded into defense and nondefense
Mandatory Spending
funding for entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security and other payments to people, businesses, and state and local governments
entitlements
rights granted to citizens and certain non-citizens by federal law
include Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and welfare programs.
budget deficit
occurs when money going out (spending ) exceeds money coming in (revenue ) during a defined period
debt ceiling
total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations
pork barrel legislation
the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to direct expenditures to a representative’s district in return for their political support,
earmarks
a provision inserted into a discretionary spending appropriations bill that directs funds to a specific recipient while circumventing the merit-based or competitive funds allocation process
rider
an addition or amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own merits
divided government
one party controls the White House (executive branch), while another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress
advise and consent power
The role of the Senate to confirm presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts and international treaties.
good behavior clause
indicates that judges are not appointed to their seats for set terms and cannot be removed at will; removing a federal judge requires impeachment and conviction for a high crime or misdemeanor
formal powers of the president
powers listed in article II of the const
ie veto, nominations, commander in chief, make treaties, recieve ambassadors, recommend legislation, state of union
informal powers of the president
powers not in const that pres has adopted ovre time
executive agreements, exeutive orders, signing statements
pocket veto
when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill and the president simply lets the bill die by neither signing it nor sending it back.
congressional override
override a veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate
executive agreement
international agreements without the advice and consent of the Senate
executive order
official documents … through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the Federal Government
signing statement
a statement issued by a president upon the signing of a bill into law by which the president indicates his or her interpretation of the law
executive privilege
ight of the president of the United States to keep confidential certain communications from subpoenas and other oversight measures by the legislative and judicial branches of government
executive action
executive orders, executive afreements, signing statements
cabinet
advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments.
nominated and confimerd
ambassadors
apptd by pres and nominated by senate
30 are political apptments
white house staff
work for and report directly to the president
political appointees of the president, do not require Senate confirmation and can be dismissed at the discretion of the president
20th ammendment
lame duck ammendment
22nd ammendment
2 terms
25th amendment
presidential succession
state of union address
a message from the President to Congress and the people about important issues facing Americans and offers his ideas on solving the nation’s problems, including suggestions for new laws and policies.
bully pulpit
a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.
imperial presidency
a situation where the power and influence of the President of the United States surpasses what is intended by the Constitution, leading to an unbalanced concentration of authority in the executive branch
judicial review
power of the courts of a country to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the constitution
precedent/stare decisis
requires courts to apply the law in the same manner to cases with the same facts.
judicial activism
the practice of judges making rulings based on their policy views rather than their honest interpretation of the current law
judicial restriant
following the text and/or the original intent of const
strict constructionism
a particular legal philosophy of judicial interpretation that limits or restricts the powers of the federal government only to those expressly, i.e., explicitly and clearly, granted to the government by the United States Constitution
originalism
a type of judicial interpretation of a constitution (especially the US Constitution) that aims to follow how it would have been understood or was intended to be understood at the time it was written.
living document interpretation
believe that the meaning of the constitutional text changes over time, as social attitudes change, even without the adoption of a formal constitutional
loose constructionism
interpreting a law or document in a way that is broad and flexible, taking into account the situation and purpose of the writing
orignial jurisdiction
court has the right to hear the case first
appellate jurisdiction
the court hears an appeal from a court of original jurisdiction
concurrent jurisdiction
more than one court has the power to hear a case.
federal bureaucracy
the part of the US government that carries out policy
departments
larfest ogranization with largestion mission
highest rank in federal heiarchy
create agemncies that establish rules and regulations
independent executive agencies
gov agencies not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, and gov corporatios
narrow focus area
establish industry specfiic regulations
independent regulatory agencies
protect public interest by enforcing rules andresolving disputes over gederal regulations of the confuct of indiviuals or company in the private sector
gov coroporations
provide a service that could be delivered by the private sector byt for nonprofit
can write regulations carried out through iversight
iron triangle
interest-bassed relationship b.w a bureaucratic agency, a congressional committee and an interest group focused on a given issue
cong offers funding and political support to B
B offers law regulation and special favors to Int Groups
Int groups offer electoral support to cong
cong offers friendly legislation to interest groups
int group offer info and support for budget to B
B offers info abt industry and help with constutient complaints to cong
issue networks
network of interet groups, congredsional committes, bureaucratic agencies, universities, local gov and mass media who regularly debate a particular issue
patronage
filling vacancys with party members regardless of merti
political machine
party organization, headed by a single boss or small autocratic group, that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state
civil service
end of patroanafe
merit based apptments
Office of Personnel Management
an independent agency of the United States government that manages the United States federal civil service. The agency provides federal human resources policy, oversight, and support, and tends to healthcare (FEHB), life insurance (FEGLI), and retirement benefits (CSRS and FERS, but not TSP) for federal government employees, retirees, and their dependents.
discretionary authority
The power given to an agency to make decisions about the implementation of existing laws, using its discretion and judgment
red tape
excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules and formalities, increasing time
congressional oversight
The power of Congress to scrutinise and check the activities of the bureaucracy
committee hearing
congressional appropriation
provide spending for the agencies and programs previously authorized.
authorization
bills establish, continue, or modify agencies or programs
Compliance monitoring
the act of continuously assessing whether an organization is adhering to regulatory requirements, including internal policies and specific industry standards
impeachment and removal process
The House of Representatives brings articles (charges) of impeachment against an official. …
If the House adopts the articles by a simple majority vote, the official has been impeached.
The Senate holds an impeachment trial. …
If found guilty, the official is removed from office.
baker v carr
held that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state’s drawing of electoral boundaries, i.e. redistricting, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
shaw v reno
race could no longer be the sole basis for creating or modifying a voting district.
fed 70
argues in favor of the unitary executive created by Article II of the United States Constitution. According to Hamilton, a unitary executive is necessary to: ensure accountability in government.
fed 78
ndicates that the federal judiciary has the power to determine whether statutes are constitutional and to find them invalid if in conflict with the Constitution
house of reps
initiates all revenue bills
passess all articles of impeachment
435 members, 25 yrs, citixen for 7 yrs, live in state they represent
2 yr terms
more influentil on budget
more centralized leadership
limited debate
senate
advice and consent
impeachment trials
100 members, 30 yrs, citizen for 9 yrs, lige in state they represent
6 yer term
more influential on foreign affairs
less centralized leadrship
unlimited debate
department of homeland security
set immigration and naturalzation process
approve/deny vis apps and citixenship petitions
department of transportation
set standards for airline safety
investigate airline accidents and issue fines for non compliance
dept of veterans affairs
set requirements for disability benefit
sapprove/deny disability claims
epa
set rules for waste disposal
invesitgate violations and issue fines for non compliance
federal electoins commission
set requored format/conent of campaign finance disclousurs
audit disclousires and enfoce on non complaint
sec
define insideer trading violations and proscure
dept of ed
set rules for acccrediting agencies for post secondary education
congressional checks on B
appropriations, authorization, oversight, rewrite legislation, advise and consent
presidential checks on B
apptments/removals
executie orders
reorganization
change budget proposals
propose policies to alter activities
judicial checks on B
judicial review
due process/lawsuits
