AP Gov unit 2 test

president qualifications

35 yrs, natural citizen, 14 yrs resident

president responsibilities

carry out and enforce laws and court decisions

presidents other title

Chief executive of federal bureaucracy

succession order

2) VP, 3. Speaker of the house, 4. Senate President Pro Tempore, 5. Cabinet secretaries

Presidential disability

25th amendment, VP becomes the president or VP informs congress in writing that they’re unable to discharge duties

Electoral College

270 votes out of 538 in order to win

Criticisms

Winner of popular might not win EC and winner-takes-all

Alternative Plans

direct popular election, proportional plan, district plan, etc.

Informal powers of president

Persuasive powers, access to media, etc.

Measure Presidential success

approval rating tend to decline over term except for rally round the flag

formal checks on presidential power

court decisions, veto overrides, and impeachment

informal checks on presidential power

interest groups, traditions, elections, etc.

The cabinet

group of advisors to president, heads of 14 cabinet departments

Executive office of the president pyramid

assistants report through hierarchy to chief of staff

executive office of the president circular

cabinet secretaries and assistants report directly to president

veto message

statement president sends with the bill he want to veto outlining why

pocket veto

president ignores bill for 10 days, essentially vetoing it silently

imperial presidency

president inherently should direct national agenda as symbol of nation

imperial congress

congress constitutionally should direct national agenda and president should stick to connotational powers

divided government

pattern over last 4 decades, led to power struggle between congress and president

war powers act of 1973

1. president must report in writing withing 48 hrs of sending troops

2. Congress must provide continuation withing

3. congress may remove at any time with majority vote a signal to ensure congress involved in military decisions

congressional budget impoundment and control act of 1974

Outlaws impoundment and requires president to spend all appointed funds unless he tells congress and/or congress agrees within 45 days

bureaucracy

agencies that want to maximize power and budgets

federal cabinet departments

defense, state, treasury

independaent agencies

EPA, NASA, Peace corps

Gov Corporations

FDIC, TVA, USPS

Independent Regulatory Boards/Agencies

SEC, FTC, Fed, FCC, FAA, NTSB

Iron Triangles

mutually beneficial relationship, coordinated policies

HOR qualifications

25 Reps, 7yrs citizen, 2yr terms

Senate Qualifications

30 yrs old, 9 yrs citizen, 6yr terms

reapportionment

assigning by congress of house seats after each census

redistricting

redrawing congressional and other legislative district lines after the census to accommodate population shifts

baker v carr

voters have the right to challenge how state legislatures are drawn

gerrymandering

partisan redistricting, drawing election principle to state legislative districts

majority minority districts

racial gerrymandering

wesberry v senders

extends one man one vote principle

shaw v reno

voters have the right to challenge based on equal protection

swing districts

close elections, winner recieves less than 56%

incumbent advantages

name recognition, franking privilege, media access, fundraising

majority party and minority party

historically dems control congress, every committee is controlled by majority party

Party caucus

held at the beginning to approve committee assignments, elect comm. leaders, etc

House leadership speaker

presiding officer, recognizes speakers and appoints committee chairs

senate leadership

VP= little power and votes as tie breaker, President Pro tempore= senior member of the majority party and acts as chair when VP is gone

Committees

where real work of Congress is done, most important organizational feature

Standing committees

permanent, proposes legislation by reporting bills out of full House or Senate

Select committees

limited purposes, temporary

Joint committees

both reps and senators to work out bills

Seniority rule

most senior member of majority party on committee usually becomes chair

CRS

congressional research service, pros and cons about policies

GAO

General accounting office, audits executive branch agencies

CBO

Congressional budget office, cost of proposed policies

HABBAL

introduced in one house, sent to subcommittee for hearings and markup

Ways for a bil to die

pigeon hole, table, filibuster, riders

reforms

tried to include discharge petition in HOR to get bill out of committee

Legistlation process

1. authorization

2. appropriation

delegate model

representational, based on constituent opinion

trustee model

attitudinal, ideological

partisan model

institutional, party whip

politico model

combo, whatevr wins reelection

pork

legislation benefiting one congressional district paid for by entire country

logrolling

vote trading on pork