Chapter 6 The Legislative Branch

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apportionment

Back 1

The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to their proportion of the population.

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bicameral legislature

Back 2

A legislature divide into two houses – the US Congress and the state legislatures are bicameral except Nebraska, which is unicameral.

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bill

Back 3

A proposed law.

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cloture

Back 4

Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate.

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conference committee

Back 5

Special committee created to iron out difference between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation.

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congressional review

Back 6

A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval.

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delegate

Back 7

Role played by elected representatives who vote the way their constituents would want them to, regardless of their own opinions.

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discharge petition

Back 8

Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction.

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divided government

Back 9

the political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress.

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earmark

Back 10

Funds in appropriations bill that provide dollars for particular purposes within a state or congressional district.

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filibuster

Back 11

A formal way of halting action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate in the Senate.

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hold

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A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor. This allows the senator to stop the bill from coming to the floor until the hold is removed.

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impeachment

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incumbency

Back 14

The fact that being in office helps a person stay in office because of a variety of benefits that goes with the position.

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joint committee

Back 15

Committee that includes members from both houses of Congress to conduct investigations or special studies.

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logrolling

Back 16

Vote trading, voting yea to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support.

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majority leader

Back 17

The elected leader of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate – is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as its most powerful member.

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majority party

Back 18

The political party in each house of Congress with the most members.

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markup

Back 19

A process in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor in either house for a vote.

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minority leader

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The elected leader of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives into eh House of Representatives or the Senate.

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minority party

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The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members.

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oversight

Back 22

Congressional review of the activities of an agency, department, or office.

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party caucus or conference

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A formal gathering of all party members.

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pocket veto

Back 24

if Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, without the president’s signature.

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politico

Back 25

Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue.

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pork

Back 26

Legislation that allows representatives to bring home the bacon to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts directly.

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president pro tempore

Back 27

The official chair of the Senate, usually the most senior member of the majority party.

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redistricting

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The redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decrease in seats allotted t the states, as well as population shifts within a state.

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select (or special) committee

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Temporary committee appointed for specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation or study.

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senatorial courtesy

Back 30

A process by presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senator in who’s state the vacancy occurs.

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seniority

Back 31

Time of continuous service on the committee.

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Speaker of the House

Back 32

The only officer of the House of representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution – elected at the beginning of each new Congress by the entire House – traditionally a member of the majority party.

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standing committee

Back 33

Committee to which proposed bills are referred, continue from one Congress to the next.

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trustee

Back 34

Role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents opinions and then use their best judgment to make final decisions.

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veto

Back 35

Formal constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of the legislative body, thus preventing the bill from becoming law without further congressional activity.

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War Powers Act

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Passed by Congress in 1973, the president is limited in the deployment of troops oversees to a sixty day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period.

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whip

Back 37

Key member who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party and take nose counts on key votes, prepares summaries of bills, and in general acts as communications link within a party.

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What are the roots of the legislative branch of government?

Back 38

The Constitution created a bicameral legislature with members of each body to be elected differently, and thus to represent difference constituencies. Article 1 of the Constitution sets forth qualification for office, states age minimums, and specifies how legislators are to be distributed among the states. The Constitution also requires seats in the House of Representatives to be apportioned by population. Thus, after every US Census, district lines must be redrawn to reflect population shifts. The Constitution also provides a vast array of enumerated and implied powers to Congress.

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How is congress organized?

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Political parties play a major role in the way Congress is organized. The Speaker of the House is traditionally a member of the majority party, and members of the majority part chair all committees. Because the House of Representatives is large, the Speaker enforces more ridged rules on the House than exist in the Senate. In addition to the party leaders, Congress has a labyrinth of committees and subcommittees that cover the entire range of government policies, often with a confusing tangle or shared responsibilities.

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Who are the members of Congress?

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Members of Congress live in two worlds in their home districts and in the District of Columbia. They must attempt to appease two constituencies – party leaders, colleagues, and lobbyists in Washington DC, and constituents in there home districts.

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How do the members of Congress make decisions?

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A multitude of factors affect legislators as they decide policy issues. These include political party, constituents, colleagues and caucuses, staff and support agencies and interest groups, lobbyists, and political action committees.

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How does Congress make laws?
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The road to enacting a bill into law is long and strewn with obstacles, and only a small share of the proposals introduced become law. Legislation must be approved by committees in each house and on the floor of each chamber. In addition, most House legislation initially is considered a subcommittee and must be approved by the House Committee ion Rules before getting to the floor. Legislation that is passed in different forms by the two chambers must be resolved in a conference before going back to each chamber for a vote and then to the president, who can sign the proposal into law, veto it, or allow it to become law with out his signature. If Congress adjourns within ten days of passing legislation, that bill will die if the president does not sign it.

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What are the major congressional checks on the executive and judicial branches?

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Congress has attempted to oversee the actions of the president and the executive branch through committee hearing, the War Power Act, and the power to confirm or reject presidential appointments. Its ultimate weapon is the power of impeachment and conviction. Congress also exercises its control over the judiciary in a variety of ways. It has the constitutional authority to establish the size of the Supreme Court, its appellate jurisdiction, and the structure of the federal court system