Unit 2 Congress

Question 1

Which article of the Constitution established the legislative branch?

Answer 1

Article I of the Constitution established the legislative branch.

Question 2

How is the number of representatives allotted to each state?

Answer 2

The number of representatives in the House as a whole is capped at 435, and each state’s representation in the House is in proportion to its population. Each state has at least one representative. The census, taken every 10 years, allows for reapportionment of the number of representatives to the states.
California has the most representatives with 55, and several states only have one representative.

Question 3

How often must representatives stand for election?

Answer 3

Each member of the House of Representatives stands for election every two years.

While senatorial elections are also held every two years, only a third of the Senate stands for election every two years, and senators are elected to six-year terms.

Question 4

What are the three qualifications to be eligible for election to the House of Representatives?

Answer 4

To be a member of the House, one must be:

25 years old
an American citizen for seven years
a resident of the state he/she represents
Not every state requires (but it is traditional) that the representative live in the district which he/she represents.

Question 5

How many members are in the Senate?

Answer 5

There are 100 senators, and each state has two. The vice president, who presides over the Senate and casts any necessary tie-breaking vote, is not considered a member of the Senate.

Question 6

What are the three qualifications to be eligible for election to the Senate?

Answer 6

To be a member of the Senate, one must be:

30 years old
an American citizen for 9 years
a resident of the state he/she represents

Question 7

How often do senators stand for election?

Answer 7

Senators stand for election every six years, but only 1/3 of the Senate stands for election every two years.

Question 8

How did the 17th Amendment modify senatorial elections?

Answer 8

The 17th Amendment provided for Senators to be elected by the people directly. Prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, Senators were elected by their state legislatures.

The Founding Fathers established indirect elections as a check on factions; but the amendment passed out of fears that the process had become corrupt.

Question 9

When may the vice president cast a vote in the Senate?

Answer 9

The vice president may only cast a vote in the Senate in the event of a tie.

Question 10

Define the “incumbency effect”

Answer 10

The incumbency effect refers to the advantage enjoyed by current officeholders in running for reelection against their opponents.

Incumbent advantages include name recognition and easier access to campaign resources such as campaign workers, monetary funds, and group endorsements.

Question 11

Define “term limits”

Answer 11

Term limits restrict the number of terms an existing office holder may serve. While the 22nd Amendment limits the president to two consecutive terms, members of Congress do not have term limits.

The Supreme Court has held that absent a congressional amendment, term limits may not be passed into law.

Question 12

What congressional duties does the Speaker of the House perform?

Answer 12

The Speaker of the House is the House’s most powerful member. As the leader of the House’s majority party, the speaker:

refers bills to committees
controls floor debate over bills
assigns members to committees

Question 13

The _____ _____ _____ is typically the longest serving Senator of the majority party.

Answer 13

President Pro Tempore

The role of the President Pro Tempore is largely ceremonial, but the person is third in line to the presidency.

Question 14

What role does the House and Senate majority leader fulfill?

Answer 14

The House majority leader is the Speaker of the House’s primary assistant. Generally, the majority leader is responsible for management of the House committees and for maintaining the House floor’s legislative calendar, but the majority leader’s role can vary based upon the leadership style of the Speaker of the House.

The Senate majority leader serves many of the same functions in the Senate, although he/she also has direct control over his/her party.

Question 15

What roles do the House and Senate majority and minority whips play?

Answer 15

The majority and minority whips manage their respective parties’ legislative programs on the House and Senate floor. The whips’ primary task is to make sure that all party members are present to vote upon important measures.

Question 16

What role is typically fulfilled by the House and Senate minority leaders?

Answer 16

The House and Senate minority leaders serve as the spokespersons of the minority party in the House or Senate.

The minority leader’s main role is to spearhead the effort to retake majority control of the House or Senate. Efforts range from stalling congressional debates, promoting the party’s agenda, and providing campaign assistances.

Question 17

n the House and Senate, what bodies typically perform most of the day-to-day work?

Answer 17

Committees perform most of the Congress’ day-to-day work and handle specific duties (rather than the general duties of the Congress as a whole).

Not all the House and Senate committees mirror each other; for instance, only the House has a committee on Natural Resources, while only the Senate has an Indian Affairs committee.

Question 18

How is membership on a given congressional committee determined?

Answer 18

Committee membership is determined by the percentage of each party’s membership in their respective houses. Deference is given where possible to the interests of committee members’ districts (e.g. congressmen for Alaska may serve on the committee overseeing fisheries).

Question 19

In the House, which committees assign members of their party to other committees?

Answer 19

In the House, Democratic Party members are assigned to various committees by the Steering and Policy Committee of the House Democratic Caucus.

For the House Republican Conference, this function is carried out by the Republican Steering Committee.

Question 20

Each House and Senate committee is headed by a chairperson, who is typically the majority party’s longest serving member of the committee. What does this individual do?

Answer 20

The chairperson is typically responsible for managing floor debate when one of the committees’ bills is presented. The chairperson assigns members to sub-committees within the committee and determines which witnesses to call during committee hearings.

Question 21

How often must representatives stand for election?

Answer 21

Each member of the House of Representatives stands for election every two years.

While senatorial elections are also held every two years, only a third of the Senate stands for election every two years, and senators are elected to six-year terms.

Question 22

What are select committees?

Answer 22

Select committees are congressional committees established for specified purposes. As an example, the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming existed from 2007-2011.

Question 23

Define Joint Committees

Answer 23

Joint committees are composed of members of both the House and the Senate and are convened for a special purpose.

During the Civil War, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was established to investigate the conduct of several Union generals and was composed of four senators and four representatives.

Question 24

What role do conference committees play in the lawmaking process?

Answer 24

Since bills passed by the House and Senate may contain varying language and provisions, conference committees are joint committees that resolve differences between bills. After a perfected bill is created, the conference committee returns it to the House and Senate for a final vote.

Question 25

What function does the House Rules Committee have?

Answer 25

Controlled by the Speaker, the House Rules Committee establishes the rules under which a bill is presented to the House. The Rules Committee can limit the number of amendments from the floor and the time for debate.

Since the Rules Committee can limit the time for debate, filibusters cannot take place in the House. In the Senate, however, there is no committee on rules or debate time limits. Only in the Senate are filibusters possible.

Question 26

In the congressional context, what are caucuses?

Answer 26

Caucuses are informal congressional groups formed by legislators who share similar beliefs and goals. There are a wide variety of caucuses, ranging from the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children to the Congressional Black Caucus.

Question 27

What role does each branch of Congress play in the impeachment process?

Answer 27

The House of Representatives may vote to impeach the president or other official for committing “bribery, treason, or high crimes and misdemeanors.”

The Senate determines whether or not to remove a government official by holding an impeachment hearing, presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Question 28

In the event no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, what role does the House of Representatives play?

Answer 28

Pursuant to the Constitution, if no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the new president from among the top three candidates.

The Senate performs the same function, if no candidate receives the majority of the electoral votes for vice president.

Question 29

After a congressional member introduces a bill on the floor of either the House or the Senate, what happens next?

Answer 29

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to the appropriate committee. The bill is then often sent to a sub-committee. For instance, a House bill on the speed limit would likely go to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and then to the Sub-Committee on Highways and Transit.

The sub-committee then studies the bill and returns it to the committee with a recommendation. The committee then votes yea or nay on the bill.

Question 30

Once a committee approves a bill, what happens next?

Answer 30

If a committee approves a bill, it is introduced to the House and Senate for debate and amendments, and a vote is taken. If the bill passes, it is sent to the other house of Congress, where the process repeats itself.

Question 31

If both the House and Senate have approved a bill, how are differences between the two bills resolved?

Answer 31

A joint conference committee, composed of members of the House and Senate, hammers out the differences between the two bills. Identical bills are then sent to the House and Senate for a final vote.

Question 32

Once both the House and Senate have passed a final version of a bill, it goes before _____ _____.

Answer 32

the president

The president may either veto the bill (deny) or sign the bill (enact into law). If the president vetoes the bill, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds majority in each house.

If the president does not affix his signature within 10 days, the bill automatically becomes law.

Question 33

Define filibuster

Answer 33

A filibuster is a means of extending or delaying a vote on a given bill. A formal filibuster can only take place in the Senate. Senate rules allow a senator, or a number of senators, to speak for as long as they wish on any topic they wish.

The longest filibuster on record is 24 hours and 18 minutes by Strom Thurmond against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Question 34

Define Cloture

Answer 34

Cloture is a Senate motion to end a filibuster, and it requires the approval of 60 senators.

Question 35

_____ are attachments to pieces of legislation, generally having no connection with a bill.

Answer 35

Riders

There are two reasons riders are used. First, riders can be attached to a bill to make it unpalatable to a majority; this is known as a “poison pill.” Second, a rider can be attached to a bill because the rider usually wouldn’t pass on its own.

Question 36

What are earmarks?

Answer 36

Earmarks are special spending projects that an individual congressperson includes in a bill, especially for their constituents.

An earmark can take the form of a project grant, a grant-in-aid, and almost any form of federal funding.

Question 37

Both the Senate and the House have a committee on appropriations. What do these committees do?

Answer 37

The committees on appropriation are responsible for setting specific monetary expenditures by the federal government. The Constitution requires “appropriations made by law” and, after a budget is approved, the committees pass legislation appropriating funds.

Question 38

How are representative districts determined?

Answer 38

After the decennial census, the individual state legislatures redraw the state district lines. Depending on population shifts and other factors, this process of redistricting can sometimes eliminate some districts, and/or add others.

Question 39

Define Gerrymandering

Answer 39

Gerrymandering is the drawing of legislative districts to benefit a particular political party.

For instance, if a state legislature is in control of the Democratic Party, state-level districts may be drawn to ensure that a safe number of Democratic voters reside in each district, ensuring the election of a Democratic representative.

Question 40

When does reapportionment take place?

Answer 40

Reapportionment takes place every 10 years, after the decennial census.

Since the House is capped at 435 members, shifts in population require a change in representation from each state. Thus, every ten years the number of representatives for each state is reapportioned.