Unit 2A study guide

Question 1

bill of attainder

Answer 1

a legislation that imposes punishment on a specific person or group of people without a judicial trial but is unconstitutional because it breaks the idea of checks and balances

Question 2

Mandatory and discretionary spending

Answer 2

Government spending is broken down into two categories: mandatory and discretionary. Every year congress decides the amount given for each. Mandatory represents nearly two-thirds of annual federal spending and is mandated by existing laws. Discretionary spending is money formally approved by Congress and the president during the appropriations process each year. Usually half is given to towards national defense and the rest to fund the administration of other agencies and programs

Question 3

Logrolling

Answer 3

the practice where legislators exchange support for each other’s proposed legislation, helping to secure the passage of bills that may not have sufficient individual support. This tactic leads to compromised and alliances among lawmakers and is used mostly in congress.

Question 4

Powers of congress

Answer 4

Legislative powers: propose laws, propose amendments to the constitution
Economic powers: taxation, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, coin, print and determine the value of currency
Defense powers: raise and support the military, declare war
Administrative powers: establish post offices, maintain interstate roads and highways, admit new states to the union
Checks on other branches: create and dissolve lower courts, override a presidential veto, approval of treaties and presidential appointees

Question 5

House of Representatives

Answer 5

435 members, representation based on state population, members represent a district within a state, at least 25 years old, directly elected by the people

Question 6

Senate

Answer 6

100 members, representation is equal, members represent their entire state, at least 30 years old, originally chosen by state legislatures

Question 7

Congressional powers

Answer 7

HOUSE ONLY: initiates all revenue (taxation) bills, initiate impeachment, if no majority in electoral college then they choose the president
SHARED BY BOTH: declare war, overturn a presidential veto (3/4 vote), regulate commerce, raise and regulate the military, establish courts
SENATE ONLY: offers “advice and consent” to the president –> appointments (1/2 vote) and treaties (2/3 vote), tries impeached officials

Question 8

advise and consent

Answer 8

the authority of the senate to ratify treaties, confirm cabinet and judicial appts.

Question 9

Delegate

Answer 9

elected to represent the interests of a United States territory and its citizens. Delegates are used on the big issues that constituents really care about: abortion, climate change

Question 10

Trustee

Answer 10

The person who holds legal title to the property that is in the trust. You trust your representative to make the decision for you even if it goes against what you want. Happens when the issue is minor, technical and/or the constituents don’t care

Question 11

Politico

Answer 11

A combination of delegate and trustee, the most realistic model.

Question 12

Executive oversight

Answer 12

checks on the executive branch, confirmation hearings= senate must approve presidential appointments; judges and ambassadors, congressional hearings= investigate and evaluate the impact of policies and laws

Question 13

Casework

Answer 13

in a congressional office, refers to the response or services that members of Congress provide to constituents who request assistance. examples include tracking a misdirected benefits payment, helping to fill out a government form, applying for social security, veterans payment

Question 14

Pork barrel

Answer 14

refers to the practice in which lawmakers allocate government funds for local projects, primarily to benefit their constituents and secure political support. Often criticized because it can lead to wasteful spending and favors certain districts over others which raises the question of fairness and overall efficiency of government spending.

Question 15

Earmarks

Answer 15

specific line items in a spending bill for a project or program; not always pork, but often are–> examples: line of transportation bill that would bring construction jobs to a district. banned in 2011

Question 16

Redistricting

Answer 16

the process of drawing and redrawing electoral district boundaries that determine who represents the HOR. Done at a state level

Question 17

Ex post facto law

Answer 17

banned!! A law that imposes criminal liability or increases criminal punishment retroactively. If you committed a crime last week and it was 2 weeks in jail but now the penalty changed to one year even tho you already committed the crime you would still have to stay in jail for a year

Question 18

Revenue bill

Answer 18

a proposal for a federal law that is used by the government to gain appropriation funds. Only the HOR can initiate a revenue bill. Members of the senate can only propose amendments to existing bills, but they cannot make major changes

Question 19

Unanimous consent

Answer 19

an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation. Only used in senate

Question 20

Filibuster

Answer 20

a legislative tactic used in the US Senate to delay or block a vote on a bill or nomination by prolonging debate

Question 21

Cloture

Answer 21

is a legislative procedure used in the US senate to end a filibuster or bring a debate to a close, allowing for a vote on the matter at hand

Question 22

Conference committee

Answer 22

is a temporary joint committee formed by both the House and the Senate to reconcile differences in versions of a bill passed by each house of Congress

Question 23

Discharge petition

Answer 23

a motion of a house member to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up for thirty days in committee sentence

Question 24

Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment

Answer 24

Requires states to practice equal protection

Question 25

Incumbency

Answer 25

the various benefits that current officeholders have over challengers during elections, which can significantly influence their chance of reelection.

Question 26

Gerrymandering

Answer 26

Describes a type of redistricting. Deliberately giving a specific party or incumbent an electoral advantage by concentrating their voters with a district.

Question 27

Incumbency advantages

Answer 27

Visibility: media attention, name recognition & experience. Perks of the office: staff to work the campaign and for casework. Constituency service: unopposed or weakly opposed races. Money

Question 28

Reapportionment

Answer 28

The number of House seats each state gets is reallocated based on changes in population. Done at federal level

Question 29

Pocket veto

Answer 29

The killing of legislation by a chief executive through a failure to act within a specified period following the adjournment of the legislature

Question 30

Joint committee

Answer 30

is a committee made up of the members of the two chambers of a bicameral legislature, it refers to a committee with members from more than one organization

Question 31

House Rules Committee

Answer 31

A committee of a legislative house that determines the rules and procedures for expediting the business of the house and has the power to control the date and extent of debate of a proposed bill and the degree which it may be amended.

Question 32

Writ of habeas corpus

Answer 32

used to bring a prisoner or other detainee (e.g. institutionalized mental patient) before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful.

Question 33

Speaker of the House

Answer 33

elected by a majority party. Every two years, the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives vote on the first day of each new Congress. Both of the major political parties nominate one candidate for the position of Speaker.

Question 34

President of the Senate

Answer 34

an official role held by the vice president of the united states, who presides over the senate sessions and serves as a tie-breaking vote when necessary

Question 35

President Pro Tempore of the Senate

Answer 35

chairs the Senate Rules Committee, working with the four other committee members to confirm certain appointments made by the Governor. The committee is also responsible for assigning senators to various committees and appointing committee chairpersons.

Question 36

Special/Select committee

Answer 36

created for specific purposes such as an investigation

Question 37

Standing committee

Answer 37

a permanent legislative committee established under the rules of each house of congress that handles bills and issues in specific policy areas.

Question 38

House majority whip

Answer 38

leadership position in the House responsible for assisting the majority leader in managing the party's legislative agenda and ensuring party discipline among members.

Question 39

How and why do debates differ between the two chambers?

Answer 39

Size and membership: bc HOR has many more people, debate time is typically limited and strictly controlled whereas the senate is more chill with time and allows for filibuster making the debates potentially much longer. Purpose of the chambers: the senate is designed to act as a deliberative body that ensures thorough examination of issues whereas the house is much closer to the people, with the members serving two-year terms and representing smaller districts. Amendment and debate flexibility: in the house, debate rules are "closed" meaning amendemings are limited or prohibited whereas the senate debates are more "open" allowing senators to propose amendments freely even if unrelated to bill

Question 40

Leadership control in the House and Senate

Answer 40

House: the speaker of the house and majority leadership exert significant control over debate, deciding which bills reach the floor and under what conditions. Senate: the senate majority leader has less control, as individual senators have more autonomy to bring up issues and extend debate

Question 41

When is gerrymandering constitutional and unconstitutional

Answer 41

Partisan gerrymandering or neutral criteria that do not intentionally discriminate against voters based on race or other protected characteristics. It becomes unconstitutional when it violates the Equal Protection Clause, the voting rights act or other legal protections

Question 42

What does it mean that Congress has the ‘Power of the Purse”? What does the budgeting process look like?

Answer 42

The power of the purse is a cornerstone of congressional authority, enabling it to influence national priorities, hold the executive branch accountable and reflect the will of the people in fiscal decisions. Budgeting process: the presidents budget proposal, congressional budget resolution, appropriations process, passage of appropriation bills, implementation5