Gopo Chapter 2

How a bill becomes a law

1. written 2. discussed in committee + voted 3. discussed in House of Reps. and Senate + voted on in both 4. President signs it or vetoes it (which brings back to Congress, needs 2/3 vote to override veto)

Powers of Congress

Collect taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce with other nations, coin money, declare war, control armed forces, make necessary laws.

Differences Between House and Senate

House Senate
435 100
based on population 2 per state
25 yrs old 30 yrs old
EC tie-pres. EC tie- V.P.
2 year term 6 year term
less media coverage more media coverage
less prestige more prestige
power to impeach dont have that power

Committee System

Members of Congress are assigned to committees to investigate the merits and problems with suggested bills, sometimes holding public hearings to learn more before sending it to the full House or Senate for debate and a vote.

How members of Congress are elected

Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are considered for reelection every even year. Senators however, serve six-year terms and elections to the Senate are staggered over even years so that only about 1/3 of the Senate is up for

How members of Congress vote

Members are called upon hundreds of times a year to cast a yea or nay on a wide variety of bills, motions, and amendments. Votes on floor amendments refine policy proposals reported from congressional committees.

Congressional demographics

(6) Congress is better educated, richer, more male, and whiter than the general population. Over two-thirds also hold advanced degrees. Almost half of Congressmen are millionaires. Average age of House : 57; Average age of Senator: 63.

Constituents

The residents of a congressional district or state.

Reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Safe Seat

An 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.

Incumbent

(adj.) obligatory, required; (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

Earmarks

Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

Enumerated Powers

Powers specifically given to Congress in the Constitution; including the power to collect taxes, coin money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, and declare war.

Speaker of the House

An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.

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 the Republicans.

Majority Leader

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate

Minority Leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Whip

a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking

Closed Rule

An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

Open Rule

an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor

President pro tempore

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 the bill or nomination.

Filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator 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.

Standing Committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

Select committee

A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose.

Joint Committee

A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.

Seniority Rule

A legislative practice that assigns the chair of the 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 form.

Delegate

A person appointed or elected to represent others

Trustee

A legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.

Log rolling

the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other's proposed legislation.

Attentive Public

Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully.

Discharge Petition

Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.

Rider

A provision attached to a bill - to which it may or may not be related - in order to secure its passage or defeat.

Pocket Veto

A veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it.

Override

An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.

Who draws U.S. congressional district lines and how often are these redrawn?

-the state legislature and some states require bipartisan or nonpartisan commissions to oversee line drawing-occurs every 10 years

What's the difference between redistricting and reapportionment?

redistricting: redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal to the population as possible-reapportionment: redistribution of congressional seats among the

Why is bicameralism important in our congress?

Avoids concentrating political power in the hands of a few, and ensures that as much is represented in the legislature as possible.

What are some of the major differences in the different houses of congress?

-senate: 100 members serving rotating every 10 years; referral decision easy to challenge; committee consideration easily passed; rules committee weak, few limits on debate or amendments; unlimited debate unless shortened by unanimous consent by invoking

Explain who has more power; a representative or a senator?

-the senate is comparatively more powerful than a representative because a senator can approve certain actions by the president like making treaties, appointing ambassador and supreme court judges-however the checks and balance system prevents one branch

What is the most powerful job in congress?

Speaker of the House

Who does the senate have the power to confirm?

cabinet secretaries, federal judges, US attorneys and ambassadors

What checks does the congress have on the presidency and the judiciary?

-presidency: can impeach or remove president from office-judicial: congress can change laws; initiate constitutional amendments; restrict jurisdiction of courts to hear certain cases; create new court system /abolish existing system

Carefully and explicitly list the steps by which a bill becomes a law.

Step 1: The bill is drafted
Step 2: The bill is introduced
Step 3: The bill goes to committee
Step 4: Subcommittee review of the bill
Step 5: Committee mark up of the bill
Step 6: Voting by the full chamber on the bill
Step 7: Referral of the bill to the

How does a whip keep party members in line?

Head count asking how each party member is going to be voting, whip team approaches fence sitters in an attempt to sway them, approach party leaders and tell them the final counts

What congressional portion does it take to override a presidential veto?

if a president vetoes a bill of Congress, Congress has the power to override that veto with a two-thirds vote in each house. The bill would become law over the president's veto.

List five specific ways to kill a bill.

Not get through the rules committee, ignored in committee or subcommittee, president vetoes, bill gets no funds from apportionment committee, fails in one of the chambers

What power does the Rules Committee have?

Determining the rules that apply to a bill once it comes to the floor

How does divided government affect the ability of the congress to work with the presidency?

Likewise, divided government between the legislative and executive branches can give rise to partisan standoffs, such as congressional refusal to approve presidential appointments or to vote for presidential initiatives.

What is the relationship between congressional subcommittees & congressional parent committees?

Subcommittees work within the guidelines of the parent committee and then report back to all committee members.

List some of the powers of the Speaker of the House.

The speaker is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. In pursuing this goal, the speaker may use their power to determine when each bill reaches the floor. They also chair the majority party's steering

Describe and analyze the committee system in the lawmaking process.

Committees are an essential part of the legislative process. Senate committees monitor on-going governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to the Senate. ... T

Explain why there is more minority representation in the House than the Senate.

Explain why there is more minority representation in the House than the Senate.
There are more seats in the House than in the Senate, so there are more opportunities for minority representation

List the top five powers of congress in order.

Tax, borrow money, regulate commerce, declare war, and make an army

What is the historical effect of midterm elections on the composition of Congress?

shifts party lines, Senate/House may lose or gain seats

Explain why Senators are more likely to be trustees than Representatives are.

Senators represent a larger area of people and are trusted to make decisions that will be best for them, whereas the House represents few people so they may not have that same trust.

list the top five considerations a representative makes when voting on a bill.

Proximity of election, voters, their own political opinions, party view, interest groups/PACS, Lobbyists

How have congressional demographics changed over the past three decades?

It has become more diverse, with more minority representation than ever, larger population than ever

What's the difference between and authorizing committee and an appropriations committee?

authorization committees authorize the use of funds, whereas appropriation committees provide additional funds

If you could be on any committee in Congress, what would it be and why?

-------

Identify which chamber of Congress has each of the following powers.
Impose taxes
Approve treaties
Impeach the President or a judge
Confirm Supreme Court nominees
Try the President or a judge after he or she has been impeached

--------

In general, a member of the House of Representatives who wishes to be influential in the House itself would most likely seek a place on which of the following committees?

Ways and Means

Logrolling refers to

B. trading votes with colleagues

Which of the following best describes pork barrel politics?

C. Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not necessarily benefit the nation as a whole.

During midterm elections

C. The president's party tends to lose seats

Usually the chair of a standing committee will be the member of the committee who is:

B. the senior member of the majority party

On a bill with high visibility, members of Congress are most likely to vote
According to the chair of their committee
According to their personal ideology
In keeping with the desires of their constituents
According to the pressure of lobbyists

C. In keeping with the desires of their constituents

A discharge petition does which of the following
A. ends a filibuster
B. forces a bill out of committee
C. censures a member of Congress
D. sends a bill to conference committee
E. Sends all committee members running for their gas masks

B. forces a bill out of committee

Conference committees

C. Work out compromises between house and Senate versions of bills

A Senator can often prevent the Senate from voting on the bill being debated on the Senate floor by

B. Filibustering

The more than 400 amendments have offered to the recent H.R. 1, House Appropriations Bill, is an example of an

D. an open bill

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