AP Gov: Exam 2

Order of policy making process

Agenda setting

Policy formation

Policy adoption

Policy implementation

Policy evaluation

Order of the budget process

Role of president

Budget committees

Authorizing committees

Appropriation committees

Approval of president

Need for concurrent resolution

Role of lobbies/interest groups in iron triangles

Campaign contributions and support

Information about the industry

Support for agency’s budget requests

Role of bureaucratic agencies in iron triangles

Provides rulings for lobbyists

Information

Help with constituent’s complaints

Role of congressional subcommittees in iron triangles

Legislation effecting members of the industry

Approval of higher budget requests

Ordering court process: low court

District

Arrives at verdict

Ordering court process: middle court

Circut/appellate

Remands, reverses, modifies, affirms

3 justices, majority

Ordering court process: high court

Supreme

Can take appeal from middle court

By majority vote out of 6

Keynesian economics

Gov steps in to help and then pulls out

Spending by gov can stimulate economic growth

Supply-side economics

Aka trickle-down

Gov helps businesses

Monetarism

Gov should control the money supply to encourage economic growth and restrain inflation

Inflation

Rise in general price levels of goods and services

Fed target is 2%

Value of money decreases

Deflation

BAD

Reduction of general level of prices in an economy

Leads to recession

Stagflation

Persistent high inflation, high unemployment, and stagnant demand in the economy

Role of fed: to counter inflation

1. raise interest rates
2. sell securities
3. raise reserve requirements

Role of fed: to counter deflation

1. lower interest rates
2. buy securities
3. lower reserve requirements

Budget surplus

Amount by which gov budget receipts exceed its budget outlaws

Budget deficit

Government outlays minus revenue

On-budget

Discretionary

Included in budget

Off-budget

Non-discretionary (entitlements, SS/medicare)

Organizations managed by fed gov but not included in budget

Non-budget

Post office, FDIC, public corporations

Costs gov no money

Deficit financing

Fed gov’s excess of outlays is financed by borrowing from the public

Public debt

Portion of fed debt borrowed from public or another fund/account

Debt ceiling

Public debt limit as budget process

Discretionary spending

Budgetary resources provided in appropriation acts

Non-discretionary (mandatory) spending

Budget authority provided by law other than appropriation acts, entitlements and food stamps

Supplemental spending

Act appropriating funds in addition to 12 regular because fund is too urgent to be postponed

OMB

Office of Management and Budget

Budget development and execution

Management of agencies

CBO

Fed agency in legislative branch

Provides budget and economic info to congress

COLA

Cost of living adjustment

Made to SS and supplemental security income in order to counteract inflation by adjusting benefits

CR

Continuing resolution

Work under when gov can’t pass budget

Sequestration

Trigger

Occurs by reducing defense and non-defense by uniform percentages

Reconciliation

Process in which congress includes instructions to committees directing them to report changing leg

For increasing and decreasing revenues

Current year

Fiscal year that immediately precedes budget year

Budget year

Starts Oct 1

In respect to session of congress

Fiscal year

12 month accounting period

Oct 1 → Sept 30

K street

Another word for lobbying

Where most lobbies are held

K Street Project → LDA

Quid pro quo

"Something for something"

Used to describe when two parties engage in a mutual agreement to exchange goods

Amicus curiae

“Friend of the court”

Brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case

Revolving door

Practice of public officials or employees abandoning public service for lobbying positions

Lobbying

communicating with any official in the legislative or executive branch for the purpose of attempting to influence action

Covered officials

* Members of Congress
* All legislative staff
* Cabinet secretaries
* Executive branch political appointees

LDA

Lobbying disclosure act

Aimed to bring increased accountability to fed lobbying practices

Subgovernments

Networks of groups that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas

Grassroots lobbying

An attempt to influence legislation through an attempt to affect the opinions of the general public

Pluralism

Power is distributed among a way variety of diverse and competing interest groups

Civil society

The collective action of a state's citizens based upon shared interests, purposes, and values

Movement

A large body of people interested in a common issue, idea, or concern that is of continuing significance and who are willing to take action

Special interest group

A community within a larger organization with a shared interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge

Litigation

Going to court

Elite bias

Result of the differences in the relative cost of mobilization for elite and non-elite citizens

Wealthier people have lower transaction costs

Soft money

Banned, national party to states

Hard money

Campaign money raised for a specific candidate in federal elections and spent according to federal laws and restrictions

Given directly to candidate

Dark money

501c4 (social welfare organization)

Disclaimer

Portion of a political message that identifies the committee that paid for and authorized the communication

Disclosure

Candidates for federal office must disclose the expenditures they made and contributions they received if those amounts totaled more than $100

Express advocacy

“Gets all the attention”

Issue advocacy

Not regulated

Photo id

Proving who you are, gov doc with photo and name

Voter suppression

Democratic concerned

Influence outcome by discouraging or preventing people from voting

Voter fraud

People on the right are concerned

People voting when they shouldn’t be

Open seat

Elected position for which their is no incumbent

Safe seat

Incumbent or district is mostly one party because gerrymandering

Primary election

Determining candidates, nominating election

General election

Determines office holding/who wins the office

All parties on the ballot

Midterm election

Held midway between presidential elections

Battleground state

Fosters competition because neither party has full control

Swing state

Doesn’t consistently vote either way (not all swing are battle, but not all battle are swing)

Which amendments have not been incorporated?

3, 5 (grand jury), 7

1st amendment: lemon test

The three-part test for Establishment Clause cases that a law must pass before it is declared constitutional

1st amendment: government speech

Gov is like a person

1st amendment: content neutral

Government must be content neutral when regulating private speech

1st amendment: prior restraint

stopping something before it goes forward

1st amendment: time, place, and manner doctrine

Can be regulated by gov

Content-neutral limitations imposed by the government on expressive activity

1st amendment: miller test

Basis for current obscenity test

1st amendment: fighting words, libel, slander, civil disobedience, obscenity, seditious speech

Not protected

1st amendment: symbolic speech/expressive conduct

Protected

Ex: money is speech

1st amendment: belief, speech, action

Religious beliefs are protected, but not all practices

1st amendment: types of persons

Public officials, public persons, private persons

1st amendment: types of forums

Public forums (sidewalks, parks), limited public forums, nonpublic forums

2nd amendment

Right to bear arms

3rd amendment

A man’s home is his castle

No one has to house troops without consent during peacetime

4th amendment: exclusionary rule

Prevents the government from using most evidence gathered in violation of the United States Constitution

Mapp v Ohio

4th amendment: exigent circumstance

Excuses compliance with the Fourth Amendment warrant clause in four general circumstances

4th amendment: probable cause

To obtain a search warrant or arrest warrant, the law enforcement officer must demonstrate probable cause that a search or seizure is justified.

4th amendment: reasonable suspicion

The search must be based on a reasonable, individualized suspicion based on articulable facts

5th amendment: grand jury/indictment

The right to indictment by the grand jury before any criminal charges for felonious crimes

5th amendment: double jeopardy

Prohibition on double jeopardy

5th amendment: self-incrimination

Right against forced self-incrimination

5th amendment: miranda warning

The suspect must be advised of the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present during questioning, and the right to have an attorney appointed if the suspect cannot afford one

5th amendment: substantive due process

No one shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law”

5th amendment: procedural due process

The requirement that the government cannot deprive a person of their freedom or property without going through the court system

5th amendment: eminent domain

“Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation"

6th amendment: petit jury

The selection of a petit jury from a representative cross section of the community is an essential component of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial

6th amendment: change of venue

Courts grant a defendant's change of venue motion when media-generated pretrial publicity invades the unbiased sensibility of those who are asked to sit in judgment

6th amendment: arraignment

When a person is accused of a crime by the government, he must be notified of the specific charges against him

6th amendment: subpoena

Guarantees the right of the accused “to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor”

6th amendment: counsel

Gives defendants the right to counsel in federal prosecutions

8th amendment: bail

No excessive bail

8th amendment: fines/punishment

No excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishment