Unit 3: Interactions Among Branches pt. 1 Flashcards
Congressional Representation trends:
gender (increase in women)
race (diversity increasing)
Religion (mostly christian)
incumbency (highly favor incumbents)
Incumbents advantages
-Fundraising advantages
-Ranking privilege
-Name recognition
-Record of bringing home money to the constituents
-Congressional district construction
Powers of Congress
-lawmaking
-budgeting
-exercising oversight of the federal bureaucracy and other public officials
pork barrel spending
legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states
Redistricting
states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census
partisan gerrymandering
drawing of districts boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party
gerrymandering
the intentional use of Redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters
incumbency
being already in office as opposed to running for the first time
why is incumbency a greater advantage in the House than the senate
-Senators have longer terms, lost touch with state residents
-Harder to please voters
Speaker of the House
the leader of the House, chosen by an election of it’s members
Political action committee (PAC)
an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns
House majority leader
Second in command in the House
Whip
a member of Congress chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline
Minority Leader
the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members
Senate Majority Leader
the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats
committee chair
leader of a Congressional committee who has authority over the committees agenda
House Rules Committee
determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor
Committee of the Whole
consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber it is government by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation
filibuster
a tactic through which an individual senator mayuse the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation
cloture
the procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it
delegate role
the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes
trustee role
the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment
politico role
representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interest of their constituents and parties in making decisions
Bipartisanship
agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation
lame duck period
period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees
formal/enumerated powers
powers expressly granted in the Constituoion
Informal Powers
powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties
State of the Union Address
the annual speech from the prez. to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs
Veto
formal rejection by the prez of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress
pocket veto
sn informal veto
-prez chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session
presidential pardon
presidential authority to release individuals convicted of a crime from legal consequences and set aside punishment for a crime
executive privilege
a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress
executive agreement
an agreement between prez and another nation that does not require Senate approval
executive order
policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval
War Powers Resolution
a law passed over President Nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the prez to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without Congressional approval
bully pulpit
presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies
what are two parts of Congress and their difference
House
-represent districts
Senate
-represent states
Lawmaking process
bill must pass through House and Senate before it is able to be passed onto prez.
select committee
Temporary, investigate an issue (response to a crisis or scandal)
Joint committee
Contain members from House & Senate, raise attention on an issue, gather info, speed things along in legislative process
“powers to check” in Congress
-confirm presidential nominees
-power to remove federal officials
-declare war
-ratify treaties
-impeachment
Baker v. Carr (1962)
-congressional boundaries debate
-Tennessee districts were out of date and didn’t accurately represent pop.
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
-congressional boundaries debate
-majority-minority districts
-Equal Protection Clause
standing committees
Permanent and divided by policy area, members serve in for multiple years (expertise)
Conference Committee
Temporary joint committee that resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill
step 1 in legislative process
Introduction:
House or Senate can introduce a bill
step 2 in legislative process
Referral to a Committee:
-Committees hold hearings to hear and learn about the bill -“Graveyard” of bills
step 3 in legislative process
Floor Consideration:
consideration of the bill in the House and Senate
step 4 in the legislative process
Presidential Action:
-veto
-sign
-pocket veto
how does gerrymandering affect votes
-threatens democracy; everyone needs a voice
-votes loose value
what broad power is granted to prez
executive power
-enforce laws
-appoint people to enforce them
Federalist 70;
why energy in the executive
-protect
-administration of laws
-liberties
-unite
Fed 70;
single better than plural executive?
-more people=more conflict/disagreement
