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34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Qualifications for a Representative in the House
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Must be 25 years of age, be a seven year citizen of the U.S., and live in the state in which he is elected
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Qualifications for a member of the Senate
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Must be 30 years of age, be a nine year citizen of the U.S., and live in the state in which he is elected
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What is constituenct?
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the body of citizens eligible to vote in their state or district
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What is a pork barrel project?
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a term referring to legislation the funds a special project for a particular locale such as a new highway or hospital
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What is a service strategy?
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use of personal staff by members of Congress to perform services for constituents in order to gain their support
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Why do incumbents have an advantage?
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They obtain a fund-raising advantage from their past campaigns and constituent service, which enables them ro create mailing lists of potential contributos.
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What is PACs?
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It is the abbreviation for "political action committees" which are the fund-raising arms of interest groups
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What is redistricting?
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the process of altering election districts in order the make the population of each as equal as possible
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What is gerrymandering?
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the process by which one party draws district bounderies to its advantage
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How do redistricting and gerrymandering effect elections?
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Redistricting allows the population to be equal and each vote to count the same. Gerrymandering allows one party to have an advantage over another and could make and election bias.
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What are the leadership positions in the House?
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Speaker, majority leader, majority whip, minority leader, and minority whip
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Who is the most powerful member of the House?
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The Speaker. He is usually the Vice President of the U.S.
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What is the House Rules Committee?
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It is the committee that controls the scheduling of bills for debate. It is headed by the majority-party members who are chosen by the Speaker.
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What are the leadership positions of the Senate?
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majority leader, majority whip, minority leader, and minority whip.
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Who is the most powerful member of the Senate?
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The majority leader. He heads the majority-party caucus. He is much like the Speaker of the House but not as powerful.
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What is seniority?
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Seniority is a member of Congress's consecutive years of service on a particular committe.
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Why is seniority so important?
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It reduces the number of bitter power struggles, it provides experienced and knowledgeable committee leadership, and it enables members to look forward to the reward of a position as chair after years of service on a committee.
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When and why was the seniority system changed?
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It was changed in the 1970s because there were abuses by some committee chairs.
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What is a Standing Committee?
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A permanent congressional committee with responsibility for a particular area of public policy.
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What is jurisdiction?
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the policy area in which it is authorized to act
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What do we call the final drafting of a bill?
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a "mark-up"
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What is a cloture?
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a parliamentary maneuver which, if a three-fifths majority votes for it, limits the Senate debate to thirty hours and has the effect of defeating a filibuster
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What is a filibuster?
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a procedural tactic whereby a minority of senators prevent a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn
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How does a bill get through the process on the floor of the House and Senate?
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The bill is introduced, given to committees and subcommittees where bill can either be revised and recommended or tabled, the bill is debated on, ammendments are proposed, and the bill is voted on by full membership, the bill is sent to either the chamber or a conference committee, president signs or vetos bill
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Closed Rule v. Open Rule
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Closed Rule - no ammendments will be permitted
Open Rule - members can propose ammendments relevent to any of the bill's sections |
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What is a conference committee?
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a temporary committee that is formed to bargain over the differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill
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What is a veto?
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when the president refuses to sign a bill keeping it from becoming a law
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What is a pocket veto?
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if the president fails to sign a bill within ten days and Congress has adjourned for the term, the bill does not become law
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What is a rider?
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an ammendment to a bill that deals with an issue unrelated to the content on the bill
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How many members are there in the House?
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435 members
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How many members are there in the Senate?
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100 members -2 for each state
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What vote is required in Congress on everyday actions or decisions?
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majority vote
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What is executive privilege?
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the right to withhold confidential information affecting national security
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What is a sunset law?
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a law containing a provision that fixes a date on which a program will end unless the program's life is extended by Congress
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