Unit 2: exam - congress Flashcards
which article is congress detailed
article 1
why is congress the longest in the consitution
they thought it would be the most powerful
who/what does the house represent
districts (closer to the people)
who/what does the senate represent
their state
powers of congress (overview)
- legislative authority
- Budgeting (power of the purse)
- oversight
legislative authority
powers of congress
- most important
- ability to pass laws
- both enumerated and express (necessary and proper clause expanded it)
- economic policy, foregin policy, national security, etc
budgeting
powers of congress
- sets the national budget
- Appropriates money for agencies and programs
- power of the purse
- significant power over policy
- pork barrel spending/earmarks: allocation of money
logrolling
congress
trading votes (u vote for my law i vote for yours)
oversight
pwoers of congress
keeps an eye on the executive branch to ensure they are operating legally and in alliance with congressional goals
checks the legislative branch can impose on other branches
congress
- declare war
- create federal court systems below SCOTUS
- (senate) advise and consent - Article II, section 2
- impeach
what does advise and consent include
congress - senate
- ratify treaties
- Confirm federal judges
- confirm executive appointments
process of impeachment
congress
- article II: section 2
- house brings charges (with majority vote)
- trial is conducted by the senate (2/3 vote to convict): Article 1; section 3
why is someone impeached
congress
“treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdeameanors”
consitituency
def: body of voters in a particular area who elect a representative or senator
- house of rep: district based by population
- senate: state wide
how many seats are in the house
435
which is more formal and why
senate: more people, more rules
where is the necessary and proper clause in the constitution
article 1, section 8
what are three areas of congress that are legislated with the necessary and proper clause
- economics
- Environmental issues
- social issues
(S or R)
- filibusters, unanimous consent agreements, holds
senate
(S or R)
- ratifying treaties
senate
(S or R)
- tax/revenue bills, impeachment, discharge petition
house of rep
(S or R)
- rules committee, committee of the whole
(S or R)
- confirm nonimations
senate
what are the 5 enumerated powers of congress
- pass the federal budget (power of the purse)
- raise revenue (income taxes and tariffs)
- coin money
- declare war
- raise and maintain an armed force
requirements to serve in the house of rep.
- 25yrs old
- 7 yrs a citizen
- Resident of the state they want to serve
requirements to serve in the senate
- 30yrs old
- 9yrs a citizen
- resident of the state they want to serve
why do senators serve longer terms
they are more insulated from political pressure, they don’t have to constantly reflect the changing opinions of their state
when does redistricting occur, and why does it occur
after the census, to properly portion out citizens so they get the right amount of representation
gerrymandering
the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest group or voters
partisan gerrymandering
gerrymandering that benefits a political party
Baker v. Carr - facts
- Tennessee hasn’t redrawn it’s district lines in a while - leading to the small rural communities having more power than the large urban areas (each district had one person)
- Why did Tennessee not redrawn it’s borders? SCOTUS said it was not justiciable: the court had no business in areas of redistricting (thought it was solely a state matter)
Baker v. Carr - Constitutional principle
14th amendment (state infringements on liberty) - equal protections clause
Baker v. Carr - arguments
by refusing to redraw the districts and reapportioning representatives…all citizens in Tennessee were not protected under the law (as they weren’t equally represented as expected by the 14th amendment), the question is in deed judiciable
Baker v. Carr - decision
- issue of reapportionment were justiciable
- SCOTUS did have authority to rule on questions of legislative reapportionment
Baker v. Carr - impact
- 1 person 1 vote
- altered political representation across (making sure rural votes werent stronger than urban votes)
- SCOTUS is now involved in political questions
committee system (overview)
- the majority party controls committees
- control what bills hit the floor
- exercise oversight and conduct investigations
select committee
temporary - conducts investagations
standing committees
Permeant - hearings, oversight, where majority of work is conducted
Conference committees
compromises bills between the house and senate
joint committee
Includes members of the house and Senate (and both parties)
how does a bill become a law
- member of congress introduces it
- goes to a committee (where most die)
- floor consideration
- resolve any differences between the senate and house (as it has to be identical to be passed)
- the president either signs or vetos it
what organization assists the president in making the federal budget
Office of management and budget (OMB)
the ____ of the federal budget has already been allocated
majority (mandatory spending)
how does the gov take in revenue
taxes and fees
budget surplus vs deficit
a deficit is when we spend more than we have, a surplus is when revenue is more than we spend
roles of legislatures
- trustee - making decisions based off of knowledge and judgement (trust me ik best)
- delegate - carrying out constituent’s wishes (i’m at ur service)
- politico role - based on the current politics
