Unit 2 Flashcards
What is Congress’s job?
Congress creates laws
Congress is divided into ___ branches as a _____ legislature
2; bicameral
Which house of Congress represents the states equally?
Senate
Which house of Congress represents the states by population?
The House of Representatives
How did the 17th amendment impact Congress’s bicameral legislature?
It gave people the right to elect their senators, thus broadening democracy
Which house of Congress gets reelected every 2 years and why is that important?
House of Reps - since Representatives face reelection more often than Senate, they are more responsive/in touch with their districts needs/population.
What does the Reapportionment Act of 1929 do?
It mandates the periodic distribution of US Congressional seats according to changes in the census each decade
What must happen to a bill for it to become law?
It must pass both houses of Congress with a simple majority and then be signed by the president
What are enumerated powers?
A limited number of specific powers listed in the Constitution (for Congress, for example)
What are implied powers?
Congress’s powers which aren’t directly stated, but given/required to fulfill the obligations of the enumerated powers
What part of the Constitution gives Congress implied powers
The Necessary and Proper clause
What is public policy
another name for laws that govern the us
What is Congress’s first enumerated power in the Constitution?
Raising revenue (tax)
What was the Gibbons v. Odgen case and what was the ruling?
A dispute over whether state and national governments had the authority over the regulation of navigable US waterways; Supreme Court sided with national government and solidified Congress’s commerce authority
T or F: Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce
True
T or F: Congress is a key player in foreign policy and oversees the military
True
What act attempted to reign in the president’s gained power in 1964 while still understanding the need for certain action?
The War Powers Act
What can the House of Reps do?
It can create tax laws, select the president if no candidate wins Electoral College, and can impeach federal officers
What power is unique to the House of Representatives?
The House of Reps is the only one who can introduce a revenue bill
What are the Senate’s powers?
Can approve treaties, use the power of advise and consent
What is the power of advice and consent (Senate)?
Senate can recommend/reject major presidential appointees such as Cabinet secretaries/federal judges
What power is unique to Senate?
Only Senate can try officials for wrongdoing
Who is at the top of the power pyramid in the House of Representatives?
The speaker of the house
Who is in the House of Reps hierarchy after the Speaker of the House and what do they do?
The floor leaders (majority and minority leaders) lead the debate among their party and guide the discussion from their side of the aisle. They are the first speakers recognized in the debate and have become spoke persons for the party in press conferences and interviews.
What is the deputy floor leader (whip) in charge of in the House of Reps?
Keeps party discipline; keeps a tally of votes among their party members; make sure party members remain in good standing and act in an ethical and professional capacity.
Each party has a ________ (below the whip) who takes care of party matters
Conference chair
Who is named the nonvoting president of the Senate by the Constitution?
The Vice President of the US
What is the VP’s role as president of Senate?
Break ties by voting
Who is the president pro tempore and what do they do
Temporary president; directs Senate in absence of nonvoting president (VP)
Which person in Senate wields more power than the VP or protem?
The Senate majority leader
What does the Senate majority leader do?
Sets the legislative calendar, determining which bills reach the debate floor and which don’t. Also guides thee party caucus on issues and party proposals
T or F: Parties can create their own private committees to further party goals and help elect party members to each house (they CANNOT create law or policy)
True
What are examples of private committees created by parties?
The National Republican Senatorial Committee and the House Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
What are standing committees?
Permanent committees focused on a particular subject and authorized under the rules of each house. They discuss the accept/reject bills
What is an example of a standing committee?
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
T or F: The majority party always controls the majority seats in a standing committee, and therefore controls the flow of legislation
True
What does the House Judiciary Committee do?
Drafts crime bills that define illegal behavior/punishments and handle impeachments
What are the Democrats’ and Republicans’ committees for the purpose of assigning members to standing committees (to try and create favorable bills)
Dem: Steering and Policy Committee
Rep: Committee on Committees
What are joint committees
Committees with members from both house and Senate
What is an example of a joint committee
The Joint Committee on Taxation
What are temporary/select committees
Committees formed periodically by both houses for some particular (and typically short lived) purpose. They investigate issues/major scandals
What are conference committees
Committees created temporarily to iron out differences on bills that passed each house but in slightly different forms
Compromises for bills that passed in slightly different forms in the houses are discussed during ______
markup sessions
T or F: Committees oversee how executive agencies oversee the laws that Congress creates
True
What is a caucus
Nongovernmental groups of like-minded people inside Congress; usually unite around a particular belief. Each party has a group in each house.
What do caucuses do?
Gather to elect their leaders, set legislative agendas, and name committee members.
T or F: Caucuses are an official part of the lawmaking process
False: Caucuses can draft legislation and have meetings, but they aren’t officially part of the legislative process
What committees are key to the House of Rep’s efficiency
Ways and Means Committee and Rules Committee
What does the Ways and Means Committee do
determines tax policy, is first to outline details when proposals are put forth to raise/lower income taxes
What does the Rules Committee do
Can easily dispose of a bill or define the guidelines for debate. Nothing reaches the debate floor unless the Rules Committee allows it!
What is the Committee of the Whole and what does it do
Unique to the House of Reps; includes but doesn’t require all the representatives.
The Committee was created to allow longer debate among fewer people and allow members to vote as a group.
What is a discharge petition
A modern device that functions as a step toward transparency and democracy in the House; can bring a bill out of a reluctant committee and onto the House debate floor. Prevent the minority from stopping the majority on advancing the bill
Which house of Congress is most centralized and hierarchical?
House
What is a filibuster and who can use it?
A filibuster is when you try to stop/stall a bill by speaking for an extremely long time; can be used by Senators
What does the term unanimous consent refer to
the approval of all senators
What is a hold (Senate)
Measure to stand a bill
What is the cloture rule (Senate)
enables and required 2/3 super majority to close up/stop debate on a bill and call for a vote
What was the cloture rule created as a response to
Response to the delay of legislation for wartime during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency
Who is a bill sponsor
The member who introduced the bill and typically assumes authorship
What does it mean when a House’s amendments are germaine
Directly related to the bill’s topic
What is an omnibus bill?
A bill that is large and addresses several facets of a law
What is pork-barrel spending?
A product of legislative add-ons; when funds are directed at a very specific purpose to direct expenditures to a Representative’s district.
What happens if multiple committees have overlapping jurisdiction on a bill?
the bill can be given multiple referral status, which allows both committees to address it simultaneously. Or it can get sequential referral (one at a time addressing)
What is logrolling?
Trading votes to gain support for a bill
What is a delegate model?
A model that members trying to reflect the will of their constituency follow
What are the 2 types of representation?
- Substantive - advocating on behalf of certain groups/constituents
- Descriptive - advocating for views of constituents and for factors that make those constituents unique (geography, occupation, gender, etc)
What is the trustee model?
A model used by members (especially Senate) where Representatives believe that they are entrusted by their constituency to use their best judgement, regardless of how constituents may view the issue. Sidesteps any concern over an uninformed constituency reacting from emotion
What is the politico model?
Attempts to blend the delegate and trustee models; they consider a wide variety of factors and decide their actions based on what makes the most sense at the time.
