Unit 3: Congress Flashcards
Divided Government
when control of the executive branch and the legislative branch is split between two parties
- Typical to have divided government
- judicial branch isn’t included because their supposed to be unbiased
Filibuster
–debate over a proposed piece of legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision being made on the proposal
Hold
\
—–Putting a pause on the debate, saying im gonna filibuster if debate keeps going (Will move on to another bill)
Cloture
a rule to allow a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster
—-Can call for a cloture vote, acc closes debate on the bill, which would prompt a vote
Unanimous Consent
Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings
—Would call for it bc Senate has unlimited debate/filibuster and they’d get nothing done —(((an agreement to limit the time of debate(not getting rid of unlimited debate but an informal agreement that everyone wants to go home)
Germaneness Requirement –
“having to do with”, an amendment must address the same subject as the matter being amended
which body has germaneness
house, NOT THE SENATE
–By not having it in the senate, technically the minority and majority party work together to schedule a vote is bc of non-germaness. (If the majority party only schedules their bills, the minority could add their off topic bill as an amendment to the majority’s bill)
Discharge Petition
- A petition used in the House of Representatives that starts a process to force a bill out of committee and to the House floor for a vote.
Standing Committee
- a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee’s subject matter.
Rules Committee
- determines whether, and in what order, to schedule their consideration on the floor of the House.
Closed Rule
- no amendments and very limited debate
Open Rule
- can offer any amendments as long as it applies to House rules and allows debate under the 5-minute rule
Committee of the Whole
- A committee of the people on the floor of the House in which all revenue and most other bills are discussed. closed rule.
Allows for the entire house to meet as a committee, allows for a looser application of the rules to meet
Appropriations Committee -
actually attaches money to a bill, deciding where the money goes, this program is getting
How much money they acc get
Budget committee
- how much we plan to give each category
Omnibus bills
-FAT BILL a single document that is accepted in a single vote by a legislature but packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects.
In the house this can be problematic
Ways and Means
TAXES- The Committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures
Conference committee -
committee established to resolve differences between two versions of a bill.
Seniority Rule
- the longest someone has been in that committee gets to be the chair of the committee
Mark-up
- taking a pen and marking up the bill
Partisanship
- siding with your party
Polarization
- the extent to which opinions on an issue are opposed
Gridlock
- a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people.