Unit 4b: chapter 12

Question 1

casework

Answer 1

activities of members of congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through the bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.

Question 2

incumbents

Answer 2

those already holding office. in congressional elections, incumbents usually win.

Question 3

select committees

Answer 3

congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the watergate investigation.

Question 4

conference committees

Answer 4

congressional committees formed when the senate and the house pass a particular bill in different forms. party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

Question 5

joint committees

Answer 5

congressional committees on a fee subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses.

Question 6

standing committees

Answer 6

separate subject-matter committees in each house of congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

Question 7

minority leader

Answer 7

the principle leader of the minority party. in the house of representatives or in the senate.

Question 8

whips

Answer 8

party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

Question 9

majority leader

Answer 9

the principle partisan ally of of the speaker of the house or the party’s wheel horse in the senate. the majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the party’s legislative positions.

Question 10

speaker of the house

Answer 10

an office mandated by the constitution. the speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.

Question 11

filibuster

Answer 11

a strategy unique to the senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation try to talk it to death, based on the tradition of unlimited debate. today, 60 members present and voting can halt a filibuster.

Question 12

house rules committee

Answer 12

an institution unique to the house of representatives that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a house committee before they go to the full house.

Question 13

bicameral legislature

Answer 13

a legislature divided into two houses. the US congress and every american state legislature except nebraska’s are bicameral.

Question 14

pork barrel

Answer 14

the mighty list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges, and institutions available in a congressional district.

Question 15

caucus

Answer 15

(congressional): a group of members of congress sharing some interest or characteristic. most are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.
(state party): a meeting of all state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national party convention. caucuses are usually organized as a pyramid.

Question 16

legislative oversight

Answer 16

congress’ monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.

Question 17

committee chairs

Answer 17

the most important influences of the congressional agenda. they play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.

Question 18

seniority system

Answer 18

a simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. the member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled congress became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence.

Question 19

bill

Answer 19

a proposed law, drafted in precise, legal language. anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the house of representatives or the senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.