Gov Test 2-Congress

Front 1

Constitutional Requirements and Powers

Back 1

-lay and collect taxes

-allocate gov't spending

-regulate interstate commerce

-declare war

-raise & reguate the army & navy

-approve treaties & appointments of ambassadors

Front 2

House

Back 2

-more representative

-more organized w/ central authority

-greater degree of policy specialization

-generally quicker to act

Front 3

Senate

Back 3

-"Filtered" from the people

-Less organized & more individualistic

-Tend to be "generalists"

-More deliberate

Front 4

Qualifications of Office and Limits

Back 4

-Must be a citizen

-Must be 25 or older for house, 30 for senate

-Members of house must have lived in US for 7yrs, 9yrs for senate

Front 5

Median Voter Theorem

Back 5

States that a majority rule voting system will select the outcome most preferred by the median voter.

Front 6

Mayhew's Hypothesis

Back 6

Argues that representatives spend most of their time in re-election seeking behaviors

Front 7

Primary Election

Back 7

serves as party nomination for political office, held every 2 years

Front 8

General Election

Back 8

main election, held between the winners of the various primary elections. This election typically results in a much higher voter turnout. held every 4 yrs.

Front 9

-incumbents

-men

-caucasians

-ppl w/ money

-required to be able to raise money

-need people that can attract rich people

Back 9

who gets elected?

Front 10

Reapportionment

Back 10

HOR are reallocated among the states in proportion to their population

Front 11

Gerrymandering

Back 11

party that controls the legislature typically redraws the boundaries in a way that favors the candidates of the party

Front 12

Baker v. Carr

Back 12

"One man, one vote." Ordered state legislative districts to be as near equal as possible in population; Warren Court's judicial activism.

Front 13

Trustee

Back 13

An individual person or member of a board given control or powers of administration of property in trust with a legal obligation to administer it solely for the purposes specified.

Front 14

delegate

Back 14

person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference.

Front 15

politico

Back 15

informal term for politician

Front 16

how a bill becomes a law

Back 16

first it's drafted. then it has to pass through the house of representatives and the senate by a 2/3 majority vote and then it finallyhas to be signed in to law by the president who has the executive privilege of denying the vill with a "veto"

Front 17

democrat

Back 17

party power in the senate

Front 18

republican

Back 18

party power in the house

Front 19

whips

Back 19

an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature

Front 20

select committee

Back 20

designated responsibility but do not produce legislation

Front 21

standing committee

Back 21

permanent committees w/ responsibility for particular are areas of public policy

Front 22

joint committee

Back 22

composed of members of both houses, which perform advisory functions

Front 23

conference committee

Back 23

formed temporarily to work out difference in house & senate versions of a particular bill

Front 24

help to organize the most important work of congress--considering, shaping, and passing laws to govern the nation

Back 24

why are committees important

Front 25

how committee chairmanships are appointed

Back 25

seniority rule until mid 1970s, now chosen by the majority-party members

Front 26

pork barrel spending

Back 26

appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district.

Front 27

mark up

Back 27

change to bill's content

Front 28

fillibuster

Back 28

stalling tactitic in the senate to force members not to vote

Front 29

cloture

Back 29

stops a fillibuster

Front 30

open-seat election

Back 30

race w/o an incumbent

Front 31

Speaker of the House

Back 31

Leader of the House (Nancy Pelosi)

Front 32

Senate majority leader

Back 32

leader of senate, chairs the party's policy committee & acts as the party's voice in the chamber

Front 33

committee chairs

Back 33

always members of the majority party & usually the party member w/ most seniority

Front 34

logrolling

Back 34

practice of trading one's vote w/ another member so that both get what they want

Front 35

oversight function

Back 35

responsibility of congress to see that the executive supervisory activity