Vincent Avila Ch. 6 Flashcards
Apportionment
Measures the population so that seats in the U.S. House of Representatives can be correctly apportioned among the states
Apportionment makes sure that each state has the equal amount of representatives per population.
Bicameral Legislature
A legislature with two houses, or chambers
The United States Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate
Bill
A draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion
Bills are the beginning of the law making process.
Cloture
A procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote
Cloture happens toward the end of discussion, before a vote.
Committee of the Whole
The whole membership of a legislative house (as the House of Representatives) sitting as a committee and operating under informal parliamentary rules
Committee of the whole consists of every member discussing issues.
Conference Committee
A committee of the United States Congress appointed by the House of Representatives and Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill
Conference committee is a very important process that a bill might take.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
A federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress
The CBO deals with the economical side of the legislative branch.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
A branch of the Library of Congress that provides objective, nonpartisan research, analysis, and information to assist Congress in its legislative, oversight, and representative functions
CRS Reports are the encyclopedic research reports written to clearly define issues in a legislative context
Congressional Review
The law empowers Congress to review, by means of an expedited legislative process, new federal regulations issued by government agencies and, by passage of a joint resolution, to overrule a regulation
This allows congress to be able to overrule a regulation that they don’t like.
Delegate
A person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference
A delegate is usually the member of a group and is often a representative
Discharge Petition
A means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by “discharging” the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution
Allows the majority to be able to force a floor vote on a bill.
Divided Government
Describes a situation in which one party controls the executive branch while another party controls one or both houses of the legislative branch
A government in which the same party controls both the white house and both houses of Congress is a divided government.
Edmund Burke
An Irish statesman born in Dublin, as well as an author, orator, political theorist and philosopher, who after moving to London in 1750 served as a member of parliament (MP) between 1766 and 1794 in the House of Commons with the Whig Party
Burke appealed to British values.
Filibuster
An action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures
Filibusters could be seen as a form of procrastination.
Gerrymandering
Manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class
People gerrymander to achieve the results they want.
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
An independent agency that investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars
The head of the GAO is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a list of candidates proposed by Congress
Hillary Clinton
An American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. She served as the 67th United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton was also first lady at one point.
Hold
A parliamentary procedure permitted by the Standing Rules of the United States Senate which allows one or more Senators to prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor
A hold allows Senators to block a bill that they don’t like.
House Committee on Rules
It is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor.
The Rules Committee also reviews, adopts and schedules consideration of floor resolutions
Impeachment
Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body levels charges against a government official.
Impeachment usually ends with the individual being from office.
Incumbency
The current holder of an office
Incumbents have advantages over challengers during elections.
Joint Committee
Committees including membership from both houses of Congress
Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation
Logrolling
The trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member
Logrolling is seen as “mutual praise by authors of each other’s work”
Majority Leader
The leader of the majority party in a legislative body, especially the party member who directs the activities of the majority party on the floor of either the Senate or the House of Representatives
The majority leader helps plan daily, weekly, and annual legislative agendas
Majority Party
A political party having electoral strength sufficient to permit it to win control of a government usually with comparative regularity and when defeated to constitute the principal opposition to the party in power
The current majority party is the Republican Party.
Markup
The process by which a U.S. congressional committee or state legislative session debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation
The markup process varies by locality.
Minority Leader
The head of the minority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives
Minority leaders act as chief spokespersons and strategists for their parties.
Minority Party
A political party whose electoral strength is so small as to prevent its gaining control of a government except in rare and exceptional circumstances
Four major types of minor parties: enduring, single-issue, candidate-centered, and fusion parties
Party Caucus (or conference)
A meeting that party members attend to decide policies and choose candidates to run for office
The political parties of the U.S. are chosen by the party caucus.
Pocket Veto
An indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session
Pocket vetoes are vetoes that weren’t dealt with and time and can no longer be passed.
Politico
A politician or person with strong political views
A politico is someone that’s involved in politics.
Pork
A metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district
Pork in election campaigns is a term that is used in derogatory fashion to attack opponents
President Pro Tempore
A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the vice president
The president pro tempore can be labeled as the “president for a time”
Programmatic Requests
Guidance solicited by the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees from Members of Congress
Earmarks are branded as being “programmatic requests.
Reconciliation
A legislative process of the United States Congress that allows expedited passage of certain budgetary legislation on spending, revenues, and the federal debt limit with a simple majority vote in both the House (218 votes) and Senate (51 votes)
Reconciliation uses two sets of records to ensure figures are correct and in agreement
Redistricting
The process of redrawing legislative districts
The quality of our representation is affected by redistricting.
Richard M. Nixon
The 37th president of the United States from 1969 until 1974 and the only president to resign from the position
Richard M. Nixon subsequently served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II.
Select (or special) Committee
A congressional committee appointed to perform a special function that is beyond the authority or capacity of a standing committee
Select (or special) Committee is used to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy.
Senatorial Courtesy
A long-standing unwritten, unofficial, and nonbinding political custom
Senatorial courtesy plays an important role in the appointments of official positions, and has the power to make or break a nomination
Seniority
The status given senators according to their length of service, which entitles a senator with greater seniority to preferential treatment in matters such as committee assignments
People that work somewhere longer gain seniority and are less likely to get in trouble.
Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker, a member of the House, is elected by a majority party caucus
Standing Committee
Permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules
The purpose of standing committees is to consider and recommend actions and propose policies in the functional areas under their jurisdictions
Trustee
A synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another
A trustee is legally and morally bound to manage the trust property in a responsible and productive manner
Unified Government
A government in which the same party controls both the white house and both parties of Congress
A Unified Government makes it easy to pass and enact legislation because of the shared goals held by members of the same party
Veto
The power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc
A veto is the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature.
War Powers Resolution
A federal law intended to check the president’s power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress
War Powers Resolution allows Congress to limit the President’s use of military forces.
Whip
An official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature
The purpose of the whip is to get the Government’s business through Parliament
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
A United States federal law that governs the role of the Congress in the United States budget process
The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 overhauled the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921.
