Oliver chapter 10 & 12

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