AP Government - Legislative Branch

Requirements for House Election

25 years old, citizen for seven years, live in district

Requirements for Senate Election

30 years old, citizen for 9 years, live in state

Speaker of the House

Elected member of majority party; Directs legislative agenda, apponts committee chairman, 3rd in line for presidency

House Majority Leader

Part of majority party, spokesperson for the majority party, carries out legislative agenda, acts as liaison with minority party

Majority Whip

Third most powerful person in the House, key role is wo keep party members in line for votes, reports to majority leader and speaker

Committee Chairs

Usually majority party members, selected by majority party leaders,

House Minority Leader

Carries out minority party agenda, liaison with majority party, may run for speaker is his/her party becomes the majority party

Minority Whip

key role is wo keep party members in line for votes, reports to minority leader

Seventeenth Amendment

Direct election of senators

President Pro Tempore

Presides over the Senate when the President of the Senate is not there

Senate Majority/Minority Leaders

Help set the legislative agenda in the Senate

Standing Committees

Permanent committees, representation is proportional based on party makeup, each has a set of subcommittees

Joint Committees

Made up of both house and senate members, most are not permanent, do NOT develop legislative proposals

Select Committees

Temporary, deal with a specific issue not dealt with in standing committees

Conference Committees

Joint committees formed to make sure a house and senate bill are identical

House Rules Committee

"gatekeeper" for legislation, sets rules to govern debate, controlled by the majority committee

House Ways and Means Committee

All revenue (tax) related bills start here

House Appropriations Committee

Must approve all revenue legislation

Filibuster

A lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill; used only in the Senate

Cloture

3/5ths (60) votes are necessary to stop a filibuster

Closed Rule

Bans amendments to a bill once the bill reaches the floor

Pork Barrel Legislation

Projects attached to appropriation bills to help members of a congressman's home district

Logrolling

Congressman trading their vote on a bill for a promise from another member to support a future bill.

Earmarks

Amendments proposed by congressman and attached to appropriations bills. Sometimes called porkbarrelling.

Caucus

Formed by members of both houses of Congress and both political parties who have similar interests.

Congressional Budget Office

Created in 1974 to establish a nonpartisan arm of Congress that would generate economic reports related to budget issues.

Reapportionment

a reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years, following the census

Gerrymandering

the term for the redrawing of district lines to benefit one political party at the expense of another

Baker v. Carr

case that said that the Supreme Court had jurisdiction over redistricting of Congressional districts did not allow malapportionment

Incumbent

the person already holding an elective office

Rider

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

Responsibilities of House of Representatives

more representative of the people; bring charges of impeachment; all revenue bills start in the House; all members up for reelection every 2 years

Senate

approve presidential appointments and treaties; more deliberative body; 1/3 of Senate is up for reelection every 6 years (continuous body); more foreign policy responsibility

Apportionment

Distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state

Congressional Redistricting

Redrawing district lines following reapportionment; done by state legislatures

Incumbency Effect

Tendency of those already holding office to win reelection due to advantages because they already hold the office.

Vice President

Serves as President of the Senate (largely ceremonial role) and casts tie-breaking vote in Senate

Seniority System

a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

Congressional caucuses

Association of members created to support a political ideology or regional economic interest (black caucus, women's caucus, blue dog democrats...)

Trustee View of Representation

The legislator who acts according to his or her conscience and the broad interest of the entire society

Expressed Powers

Powers directly stated in the Constitution

Implied Powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution; inferred from the Expressed powers; based on Necessary and Proper Clause

Congressional Oversight

Power used by Congress to gather information useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy

Bill

a proposed law

Lobbyists and Interest Groups

often provide members with information on topics relating to their group's interest or possible financial support in future campaigns

Congressional Budget Act of 1974

Established the congressional budget process by laying out a plan for the congressional action on the annual budget.

delegate theory of representation

vote the way their constituents would want them to regardless of their own opinions.

discharge petition

Petition to force bills out of a House committee, 218 signatures are needed to grant the discharge petition.

divided government

the political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and Congress (legislative=Republican, executive=Democrat)

unified government

The political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress.

impeachment

The power held by the House of Representatives to charge the president, vice president, or other civil officers with Treason, Bribery, and other high Crimes and misdemeanors.

markup

A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor

pocket veto

If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill it is considered vetoed without the president's signature.

politico theory of representation

Voting pattern that varies between a trustee, delegate, or partisan depending on the issue.

veto

The formal constitutional authority of the President to reject bills passed by both houses.