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;
80 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
reapportionment
|
the assigning by congress of congressional seats after each census. state legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.
|
|
|
redistricting
|
the redrawing of congressional and other legislative district's lines following the census, to accomodate the population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population
|
|
|
gerrymandering
|
the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumband
|
|
|
safe seat
|
and elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted
|
|
|
incumbants
|
the current holder of elected office
|
|
|
bicameralism
|
the principle of a two-house legislature
|
|
|
enumerated powers
|
the powers explicity given to congress in the constituion
|
|
|
speaker
|
the presiding officer in the house of representatives, formally "elected" by the house but actually selected by the majority party
|
|
|
minority leader
|
the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition
|
|
|
whip
|
party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature
|
|
|
party caucus
|
a meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy (called a conference by Republicans)
|
|
|
closed rule
|
a procedural rule in the house that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee presenting the bill may offer amendments
|
|
|
open rule
|
a procedural rule in the house that permits floor amendments within the overall time allotted to the bill
|
|
|
president protempore
|
officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president
|
|
|
hold
|
a procedural practice in the senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination
|
|
|
filibuster
|
a procedural practice whereby a asenator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue
|
|
|
cloture
|
a procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the senate
|
|
|
senatorial courtesy
|
presidential custom of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work
|
|
|
standing committee
|
a permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area
|
|
|
special or select committee
|
a congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation
|
|
|
joint committee
|
a committee composed of members of both the house and the senate. such committees oversee the library of congress and conduct investigations
|
|
|
seniority rule
|
legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee
|
|
|
conference committee
|
committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different forms
|
|
|
delegate
|
an official who is expected to represent the views of his/her constituents regardless of their own views (one interprestation of the role of legislature)
|
|
|
trustee
|
an official who is expected to vote independently based on their own judgement of the circumstances (another interpretation of the role of legislature)
|
|
|
attentive public
|
those citizens who follw public affairs carefully
|
|
|
logrolling
|
mutual aid and vote trading among legislators
|
|
|
discharge petition
|
petition that, if signed by a majority of the members of the house, will pry a bill from a committee and bring it to the floor for consideration
|
|
|
rider
|
a provision attached to a bill--to which it may or not be related--in order to secure its passage
|
|
|
pocket veto
|
a veto exercised by the president after congress has adjourned; if the president takesno action for ten days, the bill does not become law and is not returned to congress for a possible override
|
|
|
override
|
an action taken by congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a 2/3s majority in each chamber
|
|
|
parliamentary system
|
a system of government in which the legislautre selects the prime minister or president
|
|
|
Presidential ticket
|
the joint listing of the presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the 12th amendment
|
|
|
treaty
|
a formal, public agreememt between the U.S. and one or more nations that must be approved by 2/3s of the senate
|
|
|
executive agreement
|
a formal but often secret agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require senate approval
|
|
|
veto
|
a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress
|
|
|
pocket veto
|
a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress after it adjourns--if congress adjourns during the 10 days the president is allowed in order to sign or veto a law, the president can reject the law by taking no action
|
|
|
take care clause
|
the constitutional requirement that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose
|
|
|
inherent powers
|
powers that grown out of the very existence of government
|
|
|
state of the union address
|
the president's annual statement to congress and the nation
|
|
|
impeachment
|
formal accusation against the president or other public official, the first step in removal from office
|
|
|
executive privilage
|
the right to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security
|
|
|
impoundment
|
a decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by congress, now prohibited
|
|
|
line item veto
|
presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package, declared unconstitutional by courts
|
|
|
chief of staff
|
head of the Whitehouse staff
|
|
|
executive office of the president
|
the cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities
|
|
|
parliamentary system
|
a system of government in which the legislautre selects the prime minister or president
|
|
|
Presidential ticket
|
the joint listing of the presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the 12th amendment
|
|
|
treaty
|
a formal, public agreememt between the U.S. and one or more nations that must be approved by 2/3s of the senate
|
|
|
executive agreement
|
a formal but often secret agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require senate approval
|
|
|
veto
|
a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress
|
|
|
pocket veto
|
a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress after it adjourns--if congress adjourns during the 10 days the president is allowed in order to sign or veto a law, the president can reject the law by taking no action
|
|
|
take care clause
|
the constitutional requirement that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose
|
|
|
inherent powers
|
powers that grow out of the very existence of government
|
|
|
state of the union address
|
the president's annual statement to congress and the nation
|
|
|
impeachment
|
formal accusation against the president or other public official; the first step in removal from office
|
|
|
executive privilage
|
the right to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security
|
|
|
executive orders
|
a formal order issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy
|
|
|
impoundment
|
a decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by congress, now prohibited
|
|
|
line item veto
|
presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package, delcared unconstitutional by courts
|
|
|
chief of staff
|
head of the whitehouse staff
|
|
|
executive office of the president
|
the cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities
|
|
|
office of management and budget
|
presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies
|
|
|
cabinet
|
advisory council for the president, consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president
|
|
|
rally point
|
a rise in public approval of the president that follows a crisis
|
|
|
mandate
|
a president's claim of broad public support
|
|
|
bureaucracy
|
form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures
|
|
|
bureaucrat
|
a career government employee
|
|
|
department
|
usually the largest organization in government; also the highest rank in federal hierarcy (ie cabinet depts.)
|
|
|
independent agency
|
a government entity that is indepenedent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches (ie CIA)
|
|
|
independent regulatory commission
|
a government agency or commission with regulatory power whose indpendence is protected by congress (ie FCC)
|
|
|
government corporation
|
a government agency that operates like a business corporation, created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program (ie US postal service)
|
|
|
senior executive service
|
established in 1978 as a mobile corps of senior career executives who work closely with presidential appointees to manage government
|
|
|
spoils system
|
a system of public appointement/employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends
|
|
|
merit system
|
a system of public appointment/employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage
|
|
|
Hatch Act
|
federal statute barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds
|
|
|
implementation
|
the process of putting a law into practice through buraucratic rules or spending
|
|
|
administrative discretion
|
authority given by congress to the federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgement in implementing the laws
|
|
|
regulations
|
the formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws
|
|
|
rule-making process
|
the formal process for making regulations
|
