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38 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Bicameral
Legislatures with only 2 houses
Unicameral
Legislatures with only 1 house
Power of the purse
One group is able to manipulate and control the actions of another group by witholdiing funds or putting stipulations on the funds.
Gerrymandering
talking a bill to deat; drawing legislative district boundaries in such a way as to gain political advantage.
Cloture
rule declaring the end of a debate in the Senate
Executive order
a regulation made by the president that has the effect of law
Seniority system
length of time served in a chamber of the legislature. Members with greater seniority have traditionally been granted greater power.
Whip
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
Markup
the section-by-section review and revision of a bill by committee members; the actual writing of a piece of legislation
Incumbent
currently holding a specified office; the various factors that favor office holders running for reelection over their challengers
Impoundment
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
Cabinet
a group of presidential advisors, primarily the secretaries of federal departments
Line-item Veto
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
Spoils System
system of filling public jobs by hiring friends and other politically connected applicants, regardless of their abilities
Bureaucracy
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
Reapportionment
the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are reassigned among the states
Logrolling
supporting a legislator's bill in exchange for support of ones own bill
Conference Committees
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
Standing Committees
a committee that is created to consider legislation or perform a procedural role in the lawmaking process
Foreign Policy
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
Veto
disapproval of a bill or resolution by the president
Impeachment
process in Congress for removal of the President, federal judges, and other high officials
Electoral College
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
Executive Agreement
building commitments between the United States and other countries agreed to by the president but, unlike treaties, not requiring approval by the Senate
War Powers Act
measure passed by Congress in 1973 designed to limit presidential deployment of troops unless Congress grants approval for a longer period
Lieutenant Governor
the presiding officer of the Texas Senate, who would become governor if the governor were to die, be incapacitated, or be removed from office
Biennial Session
an event that occurs ever other year.
Plural Executive
a fragmented system of authority under which most statewide executive officeholders are elected independently of the governor
Filibuster
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
Congressional Budget Office
the research arm of Congress, a major player in budge creation
Speaker of the House
Presiding officer of the House of Representatives, who is also the leader of the majority party in the House
Pocket Veto
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
National Security Council
an organization within the Executive Office of the President to advise the president on foreign and domestic military policies related to national security
Office of Management and Budget
a cabinet-level office that monitors federal agencies and provides the president with expert advice on policy-related topics
Civil Service
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
Governmental Corporation
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
Independent Regulatory Boards and Commissions
organizational entities in the federal government that are not under the control of the president or a department
Baker vs Carr 1962
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."