Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
What is a bicameral Congress?
|
(Two house) The Senate and the House of Reps.
|
|
|
Charcteristics of the HOUSE OF REPS.
|
-Initiates all revenue bills
-Intitiates impeachment procedures and passes articles of impeachment -Two-year term -435 member (apportioned by pop.) -Members atleast 25 yr. of age, 7 yrs. a citizen |
|
|
Characteristics of the SENATE
|
-Must confirm many major presidential appointments.
-Tries impeachment charges against officials -Six-yr. term (one-third up for reelectionevery two years) -100 Members (2 from each state) -Atleast 30 yrs. of age, 9 yrs. a citizen -Approves treaties |
|
|
Who has the most important leadership position in the house, and what are their powers?
|
The Speaker of the House is the most important. Some important powers are: recognizing members who wish to speak, ruling on questions of parliamentary procedure, appointing members to select and conference committees, directing business on the floor, exercising political and behind-the-scenes influence, appointing members of the committees who appoint members to standing committees, exercising substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees, appointing the party's legislative leaders
|
|
|
Majority leader?
|
The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills and for rounding up votes for bills the party favors.
|
|
|
Minority leader?
|
Is the Spokesperson for the minority party, and usually steps into the position of the Speaker when and if his or her party gains a majority in the House.
|
|
|
Party whips?
|
Assist each floor leader and serve as go-betweens for the memebers and the leadership.
|
|
|
The President of the Senate is _____?
|
the vice-president of the U.S.
|
|
|
What is a Standing Committee?
|
The most important type, they handle bills in different policy areas.The senate has 16 and the House has 19. These numbers fluctuate slightly, but tend to "STAND" for a long time.
|
|
|
What is a Select Committee?
|
A commitee that is formed for specific purposes and are usually temporary. Sometimes long-standing select committees become standing committees.
|
|
|
What is a Joint Committee?
|
Committee that is similar to Select Committees, but consist of members from both the House and the Senate. They are set up to conduct business between the houses and to help focus public attention on major issues.
|
|
|
What is a Conference Committee?
|
Committee that ALSO consists of members from both the House and the Senate, but are formed exclusively to hammer out differences between House and Senate. A bill goes to a conference committee after it has been approved in separate processes in the two houses, and a compromise bill is sent back to each house for a final approval.
|
|
|
PIGEONHOLED?
|
Forgotten for weeks, or forever, and never make it out of the Committe.
|
|
|
MARKED UP?
|
Bills that are changed or rewritten.
|
|
|
What is a closed rule?
|
(sometimes called a "gag rule) sets strict time limits on debates and forbids amendments from the floor, except those from the presenting committee. Under closed rule, members not on the committee have little choice but to vote for or against the bill as it is.
|
|
|
What is an Open Rule?
|
An open rule permits amendments and often has less strict time limits, allowing for input from other members. The Rules committee is controlled by the Speaker, and in recent years, has put more and more restriction on bills, giving Rules even more power.
|
|
|
What is a Caucus?
|
Groupings of members of congress sharing the same interests or points of view.
|
|
|
Who is in congress?
|
-90% are male.
-Most are well educated -Most are from upper-middle or upper income backgrounds -Most are protestant, although in recent years, a more proportional number have been Roman Catholic and Jewish -Most are white, with only a handful of african americans, Asian American, Hispanics, and Native americans -The average age of senators is 60; Representative average about 55 -40% are lawyers; other are business owners or officers, professors and teachers, clergy, and farmers. |
|
|
INCUMBENTS are?
|
Those who already hold the office, with secure seats.
|
|
|
What is MALAPPORTIONMENT?
|
States often draw districts of unequal sizes and populations. Citizens have better access to their representatives than others.
|
|
|
What is GERRYMANDERING?
|
Where district boundaries are drawn in strange ways in order to make it easy for the candidate of one party to win election in that district.
|
|
|
MINORITY/MAJORITY DISTRICTING?
|
Rearranging districts to allow a minority representative to be elected.
|
|
|
What is a simple resolution?
|
Is passed by either the House or the Senate, and usually establishes rules, regulations, or practices that do not have the force of law.
|
|
|
What is a Concurrent Resolution?
|
comes from both houses and often settles housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses.
|
|
|
What is a Joint Resolution?
|
Requires the approval of both houses and the signature of the president, and is essentially the same as law.
|
|
|
What is a Discharge Petition?
|
In the House where it may be signed by 218 members to bring it to the floor, but the vast majority of bills are referred to the floor only after committee recommendation.
|
|
|
What is Committee of the Whole?
|
Sits on the floor, but is directed by the chairman of the sponsoring committee.
|
|
|
What is a filibuster?
|
the practice of talking a bill to death
|
|
|
What is a Cloture?
|
a filibuster may be stopped by this, in which three-fifths of the entire Senate membership must vote to stop the debate
|
|
|
What is a Christmas-tree bill?
|
A bill with many riders that usually occurs because individual senators are trying to attach their favorite ideas or benefits to their states
|
|
|
What is pocket veto?
|
when the President fails to sign a bill within the 10 days allowed by the Constitution. Congress must be in adjournment in order for a pocket veto to take effect. If Congress is in session and the president fails to sign the bill, it becomes law without his signature
|
