Ch. 10: Congress (Magruder's American Government)

Front 1

term

Back 1

Two-year period of time during which Congress meets

Front 2

session

Back 2

Period of time,during which, each year, Congress assembles and conducts business

Front 3

adjourn

Back 3

Suspend, as in a session of Congress.

Front 4

prorogue

Back 4

Adjourn, as in a legislative session

Front 5

special session

Back 5

An extraordinary session of a legislative body, called to deal with an emergency situation

Front 6

apportion

Back 6

Distribute, as in seats in a legislative body

Front 7

reapportion

Back 7

Redistribute, as in seats in a legislative body

Front 8

off-year election

Back 8

Congressional election that occurs between presidential election years; synonym for MIDTERM ELECTION

Front 9

single-member district

Back 9

Electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office

Front 10

at-large election

Back 10

Election of an office holder by the voters of an entire governmental unit (e.g a state or country) rather than by the voters of a district or subdivision

Front 11

gerrymander

Back 11

The drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group

Front 12

continuous body

Back 12

Governing unit (e.g. the United States Senate) whose seats are never all up for election at the same time

Front 13

constituency

Back 13

The people and interests that an elected official represents

Front 14

trustee

Back 14

Lawmaker who votes based on his or her conscience and judgment, not the views of his or her constituents

Front 15

delegate

Back 15

Lawmaker who is willing to suppress his or her own ideas, ignore those of his or her party's leader, and turn a deaf ear to the arguments of colleagues; delegates focus solely on the wants of their "folks back home" (constituents)

Front 16

partisan

Back 16

Lawmaker who owes his/her first allegiance to his/her political party and votes according to the party line

Front 17

politico

Back 17

Lawmaker who attempts to balance the elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles

Front 18

oversight function

Back 18

Review by the legislative committees of the policies and programs of the executive branch; usually done by committee hearing

Front 19

franking privelege

Back 19

Benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free

Front 20

435

Back 20

"permanent" size of the House of Representatives, set by the Reapportionment Act of 1929

Front 21

midterm election

Back 21

Congressional election that occurs between presidential election years;synonym for OFF-YEAR ELECTION

Front 22

party out of power

Back 22

Party (not the President's) which usually wins MIDTERM (off-year) ELECTIONS

Front 23

party in power

Back 23

The president's party; usually loses MIDTERM (off-year) ELECTIONS

Front 24

packing

Back 24

Type of GERRYMANDER: slang term for concentrating the opposition's voters in one or a few districts, thus leaving other districts "safe" for the dominant party

Front 25

cracking

Back 25

Type of GERRYMANDER: slang term for spreading the opposition's voters as thinly as possible over several districts so that they win no or only a few seats, thus leaving other districts comfortably "safe" for the dominant party

Front 26

kidnapping

Back 26

Type of GERRYMANDER: slang term for redrawing district lines so that an incumbent is forced to run in a district which excludes all or most of his regular constituency

Front 27

Wesberry v. Sanders

Back 27

1964 Supreme Court case which said congressional districts must contain equal numbers of people so that one person's vote is equal to another's

Front 28

"One Person, One Vote"

Back 28

basis for equality rule in reapportionment; principle which holds that one person's vote must be equal to another's

Front 29

1) compact, 2) contiguous, and 3) as equal in population as possible

Back 29

Rules which SCOTUS has set for redistricting

Front 30

contiguous

Back 30

All parts of a district must touch each other geographically

Front 31

race

Back 31

Although SCOTUS has ruled that this cannot be the controlling factor in drawing district lines, states which use this as a basis for redistricting don't get in trouble if they observe the Court's three cardinal rules

Front 32

25

Back 32

minimum age for member of the House of Representatives

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7 years

Back 33

citizenship requirement for member of the House of Representatives

Front 34

state residency

Back 34

requirement for membership in both House and Senate

Front 35

the House itself

Back 35

Who judges the qualifications of members of the House?

Front 36

Powell v McCormack (1969)

Back 36

Supreme Court ruling which says the House cannot exclude a member who meets the age, citizenship, and residency requirements

Front 37

censure or reprimand

Back 37

how the House now punishes errant members, usually upon recommendation of the Ethics Committee

Front 38

expulsion

Back 38

ultimate punishment which the House has applied to only five members in the course of history and to none since SCOTUS's Powell ruling

Front 39

Ethics Committee

Back 39

Committee which reviews members' behavior and recommends censure or reprimand

Front 40

two

Back 40

number of senators from each state

Front 41

100

Back 41

size of senate membership

Front 42

17th Amendment

Back 42

(1913) established direct election of senators

Front 43

1/3

Back 43

portion of the Senate's one hundred seats which come up for election every two years because senators' elections are staggered

Front 44

six years

Back 44

length of senator's term

Front 45

two years

Back 45

length of representative's term

Front 46

30

Back 46

minimum age for senator

Front 47

9 years

Back 47

citizenship requirement for senators

Front 48

a representative cross-section of the population

Back 48

what the members of congress are NOT (typical Americans)

Front 49

lawyer

Back 49

most common profession of members of the House and the Senate

Front 50

Millionaire's' Club

Back 50

nickname for the Senate because over half of its members are millionaires

Front 51

1) law-maker, 2) representative, 3) committee member, 4) caseworker, and 5) politician

Back 51

roles of members of Congress

Front 52

casework

Back 52

service done (usually by a congressional staffer) on behalf of an individual constituent rather than the public at large

Front 53

committee hearing

Back 53

held to perform oversight or investigate problems

Front 54

27th Amendment

Back 54

says that Congress can vote itself a pay raise, but that raise must not go into effect until after the next election

Front 55

$158,000 a year

Back 55

congressional salary

Front 56

nonsalary compensation

Back 56

"fringe benefits" like special tax deductions for maintaining two residences, generous travel allowances, excellent health and life insurance at low cost, a generous pension plan, and the free postage for mailings to constituents

Front 57

legislative immunity

Back 57

the Speech and Debate Clause (Art. 1, Sec. 6, Cl. 1) guarantees that members of congress cannot be sued for slander for anything arising out of their official conduct; goal = protect freedom of legislative debate

Front 58

preclearance and monitoring

Back 58

two things that the Justice Department does to check up on states which are under court order not to discriminate based on the Voting Rights Act of 1965