Bicameral meaning
a legislature made up of two houses
what is a session of congress
period of time which congress assembles and conducts business; 2 sessions in each term
what is the census
every 10 years the census Bureau counts the national population
what is an off-year election
Congressional election that takes place in-between presidential elections
what is gerrymandering
drawing the borders of districts to favor one political party
meaning of continuous body
political body in which all the seats are never up for election at the same time
def. of constituents
voter or elector
head of a committee
chairman
what is a seniority rule
member of the majority party who has served in committee longest
what is a fillbuster
trying to end a bill by talking about it too much
what is colture
senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill
purpose of conference committee
to reconcile differences in legislation that has passed both chambers
what is a veto
constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal of law making body
who is in charge of senate when vice president isn't there
president pro-tempore
party leader who assists majority/minority leader
majority and minority whip
basis of representation in the house
population of the State by census
length of term of House members
2 years
what determines seats in the House, every 10 years
determined by census
total # of senators
100
amount of Senate up for election every 2 years
1/3 of seats up for election every 2 years
Demographics of most Congress members
age:50 and up
white
senator: 2 term
representative: 4 term
meaning of voting as a delegate
should vote however their constituents want them to
meaning of voting as a trustee
guided by their personal views
how is the speaker of the house elected
elected by the house
formal requirements for House members
25 years old, U.S. citizen: 7 years, live in state he/she wants to rep.
formal requirements for Senate members
30 years old, citizen for 9 years, live in state to represent
basis or representation in the Senate
2 for every state
length of term for senate members
6 years
total # of house of representatives voting members
435
minimum # of total Congress members a state can have
3
who elects Senators?
elected by people
How did the Framers of the Constitution weaken the legislative branch in the way they set it up
Having two houses of Congress means providing a limit on what the founders thought would be the most powerful branch
who usually draws the districts for the House of Representatives
state legislatures
Committee members check up on laws that have been passed to see if they are being successfully implemented by doing investigations and holding hearings, what is this called
oversight
Who is next in line to be President after the Vice President
Speaker of the house
What type of committee is considered "permanent" and plays critical role in law-making
standing committees
what is required of congress to override a President's veto
2/3 of both House and Senate
Presiding officer for house?
Speaker of the house
Presiding officer for Senate?
Vice President
Role of party whip
ensure party discipline in a legislature
What does a committee chair acting as a "gatekeeper" mean
they control what comes in
What is a joint committee
whose members are from two or more organizations or from both House and Senate
what happens to most bills that are proposed?
They die
Bills that raise revenue/taxes must start in which house of Congress?
start in House of Representative
Delegate model
What would the people I represent want me to do?" "How will this directly affect my district particularly?" key word- Listen
Trustee model
What decision bets fits with my values, experience, and wisdom?" "What will be best for our nation as a whole?" key word- Think
Describe two differences in the setup/structure of the Senate vs the House of representatives
house-435, population of state
senate- 100, 2 for each state
Describe two differences of function between the House of representatives and Senate
House can initiate revenue bill, impeach federal officials, and can elect President in case of tie
Senate can approve or disapprove treaties, conduct impeachment trials, and confirm presidential appointments
Compare/ explain the demographics of congress vs the demographics of the united States
congress- mostly male, educated 95%, wealthy
U.S- female majority. not as educated, much lower income