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;
62 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
committee that oversees taxing and spending legislation
|
House Ways and Means Committee
|
|
|
The Senate's unique powers include what?
|
confirmation of presidential nominations to the federal court and ambassadors
|
|
|
laws that find people guilty of a crime and sentence them to prison
|
bills of attainder
|
|
|
punish people for actions that occurred before the behavior was made criminal
|
ex post facto laws
|
|
|
What are the non-legislative tasks of Congress?
|
-oversight
-public education -representing Contituents within the government |
|
|
legally compel witnesses to appear and testify
|
legally compel
|
|
|
Why is the legislative process designed to be slow and complicated?
|
to prevent Congress from acting hastily
|
|
|
whoever introduces a bill is called
|
sponsor of the bill
|
|
|
What committee does the House have that the Senate doesn't?
|
Rules Committee
|
|
|
committee responsible for determining how long a bill will be debated and whether to use open or closed rule
|
Rules Committee
|
|
|
Amendment to a bill proposed by its opponents for the specific purpose of decreasing the bill's chance of passage
|
killer amendment
|
|
|
Who holds all the committee chairs?
|
majority party of each house
|
|
|
What does it mean when the majority party holds all the committee chairs?
|
They control all business of the committee
|
|
|
What do subcommittees often determine?
|
How money is spent
|
|
|
What are the four types of committees in Congress?
|
standing, joint, select, and conference
|
|
|
Examples of Standing Committees
|
House Ways and Means Committee
Senate Judiciary Committee Senate Armed Services Committee |
|
|
How many standing committees are in the Senate and House?
|
House- 20
Senate- 17 |
|
|
What are joint committees generally used for?
|
Communicating to the public or investigations
|
|
|
What does a select committee normally do?
|
carry out investigations for the purpose of writing special legislation
|
|
|
Examples of select committees
|
Made during the Nixon era:
House Watergate Committee Senate Select Committee on Unfair Campaign Practices |
|
|
The work of select committees led to what?
|
campaign reform
|
|
|
a bill stuck in a House or Senate Committee
|
pigeonholed
|
|
|
Where are the powers delegated to the executive branch located?
|
Article II Section 2
|
|
|
Who has the power to declare war? Make war?
|
Congress
President |
|
|
gives the President the broad powers to commit unlimited numbers of troops for an unlimited length of time in the Vietname conflict
|
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
|
|
|
-law requiring the president to seek periodic approval from Congress for any substantial troop commitment
-1973 response to Vietnam War |
War Powers Act
|
|
|
What are the president's most important informal powers?
|
Policy persuader
Communicator to Congress |
|
|
What are three divisions of the White House?
|
domestic, foreign, and military affairs
|
|
|
top aide to the President
|
The Chief of Staff
|
|
|
What are the powers of the Chief of Staff?
|
-manage Executive Office
-control access to the President |
|
|
Who were Clinton's two Chief of Staff's? What was the difference between them?
|
Thomas McClarty- disorganized
Leon Panetta- opposite |
|
|
has been involved since the late 1940s in the decision-making process during national emergencies
|
National Security Council (NSC)
|
|
|
What have past presidents used NSC for and which president did what?
|
Kennedy- Cuban Missile Crisis
Reagan- Iran- Contra Affair Bush- Gulf War |
|
|
assists the president in formulating policies relating to energy, education, agriculture, national resources, economic affairs, health and human resources, welfare reform , drug abuse, and crime
|
The Domestic Policy Council
|
|
|
is responsible for preparing the budget of the US and can be used to control and manage the executive agencies for the President
|
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
|
|
|
Why does the OMB have so much power?
|
Because of its ability to allocate money to the cabinet departments
|
|
|
Was the cabinet created by the Constitution?
|
No. Created by custom and usage
|
|
|
Give some examples as to what trade agreements the US Trade Representative deals with
|
GATT and NAFTA
|
|
|
responsible for negotiating complex trade and tariff agreements for the president
|
US Trade Representative
|
|
|
responsible for helping the president make national economic policy
|
The Council of Economic Advisors
|
|
|
Which position in the cabinet can be dismissed at the President's will?
|
secretaries
|
|
|
How many cabinet departments are there?
|
15
|
|
|
What are four functions of The Department of Homeland Security?
|
-protect the borders
-support local agencies and fire departments -detect chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons -analyze intelligence |
|
|
Who defines an impeachable offense?
|
The House of Representatives
|
|
|
was impeached for bribery and perjury and is now a member of the same House of Representatives who voted his impeachment
|
Alcee Hastings
|
|
|
What are 4 underlying principles that make up the foundation of our legal system?
|
-equal justice under the law
-due process of law -adversarial system -presumption of innocence |
|
|
What are two types of due process?
|
-substantive due process
-procedural due process |
|
|
kind of due process that deals with whether laws are fair
|
substantive due process
|
|
|
due process concerned with the question of whether laws are fairly applied
|
procedural due process
|
|
|
the best way to work out questions of fact is to have two sides debate the burden of guilt or liability in a situation
|
adversarial system
|
|
|
type of law deals with serious crimes that harm individuals or society
|
criminal law
|
|
|
after being indicted, has the option to agree to a less serious crime and sentence
|
plea bargaining
|
|
|
95% of criminal cases end in:
|
plea bargains
|
|
|
the parties negotiate and the issue becomes how much each party is willing to give up to end the lawsuit
|
settlement
|
|
|
What are the three levels of federal courts? What do they deal with?
|
Federal District Courts- original jurisdiction
Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals- appeals from district courts Supreme Court- constitutional and feud between states |
|
|
Is the process that the Supreme Court uses to hear cases part of the Constitution?
|
No, it's custom and usage
|
|
|
What are two categories of government entities that aren't a cabinet department?
|
regulatory agencies
independent regulatory commissions |
|
|
independent agencies who have the responsibility for filling in these gaps and writing rules
|
quasi-legislative agencies
|
|
|
independent agencies responsible for rule enforcement and punishing violators
|
quasi-judicial agencies
|
|
|
What are some of the most controversial government bureaucracy?
|
Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunities Commission |
|
|
regulates banks, the value and supply of money, and interest rates
|
Federal Reserve Board
|
|
|
How long are the terms for the Federal Reserve Board?
|
14 yrs but head serves 4 yrs
|
