Government Chapter 15 Flashcards

Bicameral Legislature

• Comprised of two houses: House of Representatives (based on population) and Senate (two per state).
• Established through the Great Compromise during the Constitutional Convention.

Cloture

• Mechanism to end a filibuster in the Senate.
• Requires 60 votes, making it challenging in evenly split parties.

Casework and Constituency Service

• Casework involves assisting constituents with queries or favors.
• Emphasizes incumbency advantage in Congress.

Roles of Members of Congress

• Policy Maker: Crafts and passes legislation.
• Representative: Acts on behalf of constituents.
• Delegate: Votes aligned with constituents’ wishes.
• Trustee: Votes based on personal judgment after considering constituents’ views.
• Engages in constituent service to address individual issues.
• Serves on committees and supports political parties.

Committee System

• Legislative activity begins in committees and subcommittees.
• Assignments based on expertise and seniority.
• Bills are reviewed, amended, and can be passed to the floor or ‘killed’ in committee.

House/Senate Requirements

• House: Minimum age 25, citizen for 7 years, resident of representing state; serves 2-year term.
• Senate: Minimum age 30, citizen for 9 years, resident of representing state; serves 6-year term.

Congressional Caucus

• Groups formed by Congress members with shared interests to promote legislation.
• Can be based on political party, race, or ethnicity (e.g., Congressional Black Caucus).

Legislative Veto

• Action by Congress to overturn federal agency or presidential actions.
• Requires approval from both houses but declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Filibuster

• Strategy to delay voting on a bill via lengthy speeches in the Senate.
• Ends with cloture vote requiring 60 members.

Impeachment

• Process for charging government officials for high crimes and misdemeanors initiated by the House.
• Notable instances include Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, neither leading to removal from office.

Congressional Authority in Foreign Policy

• Article 1 gives Congress power to raise armed forces, approve treaties, and declare war.
• The War Powers Resolution of 1973 limits presidential troop deployment without Congressional oversight.

Appropriations

• Funds allocated by Congress or state legislature for specific purposes.

Franking Privilege

• Allows members of Congress to send mail to constituents without paying postage.

Rider

• Amendments added to bills that may not relate directly to the bill's main purpose.

Incumbency Advantage

• Incumbent representatives win approximately 90% of the time.
• Greater advantages for House members due to district-specific campaigns.

Gerrymandering

• Manipulation of district boundaries to favor one political party.
• Courts can deem gerrymandered districts illegal under the Voting Rights Act and 14th Amendment.

Majority and Minority Leaders

• Majority Leader controls legislative agenda and party policy.
• Minority Leader organizes minority party's strategy and agenda.

Majority and Minority Whips

• Assist party leaders by ensuring member loyalty to the party agenda.

Logrolling

• Congressional practice of trading votes on bills to gain support from colleagues.

Oversight Function

• Congress monitors executive branch policies, reviews federal agency activities, and investigates misconduct.

Override

• Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses, but it is rare.

Quorum

• The minimum number of members required to conduct legislative business; a simple majority is needed for Senate votes.

Packing Districts

• A gerrymandering method that consolidates minorities into one district, aimed at maximizing electoral influence for one party.

Congressional Districts

• Defined geographic areas from which representatives are elected, with equal populations per district, reapportioned every ten years.

Pigeonholed

• Refers to bills that are stuck in committee without a vote, often preventing consideration in the main chamber.

Pork Barrel Legislation and Earmarks

• Pork Barrel: legislation for local constituency benefits, sometimes questionable.
• Earmarks: specific budget items proposed that benefit a legislator's home state.

President Pro Tempore

• A member of the Senate chosen to preside in the absence of the Vice President.

Markup

• The process of revising and amending a bill post-hearings.

Reapportionment

• Redistribution of congressional representatives among states based on census data every ten years.

Redistricting

• Drawing of legislative district boundaries based on population data from the census, often leading to gerrymandering.

Select Committees

• Temporary groups established for specific issues not covered by standing committees, often tasked with investigations.

Conference Committees

• Composed of members from both chambers to negotiate and resolve differences in bills.

Standing Committees

• Permanent committees in both chambers specializing in specific legislative areas where party representation is proportional.

Joint Committees

• Include members of both houses, often for communication or investigation purposes.

Speaker of the House

• The primary leader in the House, leading debates and influencing committee assignments.

Closed Rule

• Prohibits amendments to a bill during floor debate, restricting minority party participation unless approved by the rules committee.

Discharge Petition

• Mechanism enabling members to bring a bill out of committee, requiring signatures from 218 members in the House.

Simple Resolution

• Passed by one chamber for internal matters, without the force of law.

Concurrent Resolution

• Joint resolutions from both chambers addressing procedural issues, not requiring presidential signature.

Joint Resolution

• Requires approval from both houses and the president, effectively analogous to law; used for urgent matters.