Unit 2 (Congress)

Question 1

House Ways and Means Committee

Answer 1

oversees taxing and spending legislation

Question 2

Rules Committee
Which house/s?

Answer 2

responsible for determining how long a bill will be debated and whether to allow an open or closed rule for amending the bill
HOR

Question 3

Open Rules
Which house/s?

Answer 3

allow amendments to a bill
HOR

Question 4

Closed Rules
Which house/s?

Answer 4

Does not allow amendments to a bill
HOR

Question 5

Riders

Answer 5

amendments not relevant to the bill, allowing senators to add amendments to aid their home state or prohibit actions of executive agencies

Question 6

Pork Barrel

Answer 6

riders designed to bring federal money to a home state

Question 7

Earmarks
Which house/s?

Answer 7

legislation that appropriates money to a specific project (not allowed in the HOR)

Question 8

Poison-pill Amendments

Answer 8

an amendment made by a legislator who disagrees with the principles of a bill and who seeks to make it useless by moving amendments to either make the bill malformed and nonsensical

Question 9

Cloture
which house?

Answer 9

the only way to end a filibuster, requiring the vote of 60 members
Senate

Question 10

Conference Committee

Answer 10

when a bill passes in the two houses differently, members from each house come together to settle differences

Question 11

Chairs

Answer 11

leaders of the committee usually the most senior member

Question 12

Subcommittee

Answer 12

when a committee assigns a bill to an even smaller group for consideration and often determine how much money is spent (recently become very powerful)

Question 13

Standing Committee

Answer 13

permanent, specialized committees use to kill or pass bills

Question 14

Joint Committee

Answer 14

made up of both Houses, use for communicating to the public but does not send bills to the floor

Question 15

Select Committee

Answer 15

temporary, organized for specific purpose, often to carry out investigation

Question 16

Pigeonholed

Answer 16

a bill stuck in a House or Senate committee

Question 17

Discharge Petition

Answer 17

parliamentary mechanism to force a bill out of a committee

Question 18

Speaker of the House

Answer 18

Chosen by the majority party
Influence over committee assignments and the Rules Committee
Most powerful

Question 19

Majority and Minority Leader of HOR

Answer 19

keeps party members in line and helps determine party policy and legislative agenda

Question 20

Vice President of the Senate

Answer 20

the president of the senate (rarely on the floor except to break a tie)

Question 21

President Pro Tempore
Which house/s?

Answer 21

when the vice president is absent, they preside. Considered an honorary position and is given to the most senior member of the majority party of the Senate

Question 22

Senate Majority Leader

Answer 22

controls legislative agenda and policy initiation, and acts as a power broker (most power in Senate)

Question 23

Senate Minority Leader

Answer 23

can act as a power broker but can’t direct legislative agenda and policy

Question 24

Power Broker

Answer 24

someone who influences people to vote for a specific person or legislation

Question 25

Whip
Which house/s?

Answer 25

helps keep members loyal to their agenda and encourage them to support proposed legislation
Both Houses

Question 26

Logrolling

Answer 26

influencing someone to vote on a specific bill by promising to help them later