A U.S. senator has a
6-year term
Congress is a _ legislature with _ members
bicameral, 535
A senator or representative running for reelection is called the
incumbent
A member of the House of Representatives that helps a constituent apply for Social Security benefits is engaging in_____________.
casework
The number of seats in the House of Representatives has been fixed at _ since_
4,351,959
The process of allocating congressional seats among the 50 states is called
apportionment.
Gerrymandering refers to the
practice of setting boundaries of electoral districts to favor specific political interests.
The term "pork barrel" politics refers to
spending money for local projects that are often not needed but are intended to help legislators get re-elected.
Republican House member Randy "Duke" Cunningham was convicted of what?
Accepting bribes from companies hoping to receive earmarks.
_ bills are one of Congress's favorite vehicles for pork-barrel spending.
Highway
One reason why some people support the establishment of term limits in the House and Senate is that this would
get new faces into Congress
What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?
Help a person with citizenship
A ________ specifies general rules and categories of behavior, people, and institutions while a ________ grants a relief, special privilege, or exemption to a particular individual.
public bill, private bill
How is the Speaker of the House determined?
He/she is chosen by a caucus of the majority party and the full House must vote to approve the choice.
Who has the MOST real power in the Senate?
President pro-tempore; Majority and minority leader
Who decides which committee assignments members of the House of Representatives receive?
The speaker of the house
In discussions of Congress, the term "whip" refers to
keep the party in line.
The president pro tempore of the Senate is usually
the senator with the longest time in office (greatest seniority)
The Senate and House Appropriations committees are important because
they regulate expenditure of money by the government.
The House Rules committee is important because it?
It gives the bill an open or closed rule
Joint committees are
permanent; formed from members of the Senate and House; gather information, cover issues internal to Congress
Conference committees are
temporary; reconcile differences in legislation that has been passed by the House and Senate
What is cloture?
Procedure to end the filibuster; requires approval of 3/5 of the senate
A filibuster allows members of the Senate to
prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously.
How can Congress override a president's veto?
A 2/3 vote in each house/chamber
A _ _ occurs when Congress adjourns during a 10-day period after presenting the president with a bill on which he or she takes no action.
pocket veto
Leadership PACs are
are organizations members of Congress use to raise their funds.
Oversight can best be described as
the efforts of congress to supervise the manner in which laws are implemented by the executive branch.
Who were the only two presidents to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives?
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
The role that the U.S. Senate plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a
Trial jury
The role that the U.S. House of Representatives plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a
grand jury.