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38 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Bicameral
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Legislatures with only 2 houses
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Unicameral
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Legislatures with only 1 house
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Power of the purse
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One group is able to manipulate and control the actions of another group by witholdiing funds or putting stipulations on the funds.
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Gerrymandering
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talking a bill to deat; drawing legislative district boundaries in such a way as to gain political advantage.
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Cloture
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rule declaring the end of a debate in the Senate
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Executive order
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a regulation made by the president that has the effect of law
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Seniority system
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length of time served in a chamber of the legislature. Members with greater seniority have traditionally been granted greater power.
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Whip
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assistants to House and Senate leaders, responsible for drumming up support for legislation and for keeping count of how many members plan to vote on different pieces of legislation
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Markup
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the section-by-section review and revision of a bill by committee members; the actual writing of a piece of legislation
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Incumbent
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currently holding a specified office; the various factors that favor office holders running for reelection over their challengers
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Impoundment
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an action taken by the President in which he or she proposes not to spend all or part of a sum of money appropriated by Congress
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Cabinet
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a group of presidential advisors, primarily the secretaries of federal departments
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Line-item Veto
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the right to reject certain parts of a bill without killing the entire measure. In Texas, the governor may exercise this right only on appropriations bills
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Spoils System
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system of filling public jobs by hiring friends and other politically connected applicants, regardless of their abilities
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Bureaucracy
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an organization with a hierarchical structure and specific responsibilities that operates on management principles intended to enhance efficiency and effectiveness; refers to departments and agencies in the executive branch
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Reapportionment
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the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are reassigned among the states
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Logrolling
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supporting a legislator's bill in exchange for support of ones own bill
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Conference Committees
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a committee of members of the House and Senate that irons out differences in similar measures that have passed both houses to create a single bill
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Standing Committees
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a committee that is created to consider legislation or perform a procedural role in the lawmaking process
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Foreign Policy
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people who believe that the United States is currently threatened by the desires of other international actors and that it must be prepared to use military power to preserve its current global status based on its own best interests
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Veto
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disapproval of a bill or resolution by the president
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Impeachment
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process in Congress for removal of the President, federal judges, and other high officials
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Electoral College
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a device for selecting the President and vice president of the United States, defined in Article II of the Constitution, whereby the voters in each state choose electors to attend a gathering where the electors make the final decision
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Executive Agreement
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building commitments between the United States and other countries agreed to by the president but, unlike treaties, not requiring approval by the Senate
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War Powers Act
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measure passed by Congress in 1973 designed to limit presidential deployment of troops unless Congress grants approval for a longer period
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Lieutenant Governor
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the presiding officer of the Texas Senate, who would become governor if the governor were to die, be incapacitated, or be removed from office
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Biennial Session
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an event that occurs ever other year.
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Plural Executive
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a fragmented system of authority under which most statewide executive officeholders are elected independently of the governor
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Filibuster
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process in the U.S. Senate used to block or delay voting on proposed legislation or on an appointment of a judge or other official by talking continuously. Sixty senators must vote to end a filibuster
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Congressional Budget Office
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the research arm of Congress, a major player in budge creation
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Speaker of the House
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Presiding officer of the House of Representatives, who is also the leader of the majority party in the House
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Pocket Veto
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the president's killing of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress, simply by not signing it; occurs only if Congress has adjourned within 10 days of the bill's passage
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National Security Council
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an organization within the Executive Office of the President to advise the president on foreign and domestic military policies related to national security
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Office of Management and Budget
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a cabinet-level office that monitors federal agencies and provides the president with expert advice on policy-related topics
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Civil Service
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government employment system in which employees are hired on the basis of their qualifications and cannot be fired merely for belonging to the wrong political party; originated with the federal Pendleton Act in 1883 and ecpanded at other levels of government in the half-century that followed
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Governmental Corporation
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agencies with independent boards and the means to generate revenue through sales of products and services, fees, or insurance premiums, and which are intended to run like private corporations
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Independent Regulatory Boards and Commissions
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organizational entities in the federal government that are not under the control of the president or a department
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Baker vs Carr 1962
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Supreme Court case that set the standard that House districts must contain equal numbers of constituents, thus establishing the principle of "one person, one vote."
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