Congress- GOV310L

Descriptive representation

Members of Congress “look like” their constituents in demographic or socioeconomic terms, such as race, gender, religion, or class.

Substantive representation

How a member of Congress serves their constituents’ interests.

Trustee

A representative who makes decisions based on what they believe is in the long-term interests of their constituents and the nation, even if voters disagree.

Delegate

A representative who carries out the direct desires of their voters.

Politico

A representative who acts as a delegate on some issues and as a trustee on others, depending on the issue and the constituency.

Constituents

The people represented by an elected official.

Incumbency advantage

The advantages current officeholders have over challengers, including visibility, fundraising ability, and opportunities to help constituents.

Casework

Helping constituents interact with government programs or agencies.

Apportionment

Dividing the fixed number of U.S. House seats among states based on population changes.

Redistricting

Redrawing legislative district boundaries, generally after each ten-year census.

Gerrymandering

Using the redistricting process to gain a political advantage.

Bicameralism

A two-chambered legislative institution; Congress consists of the House and Senate.

Enumerated powers

Powers explicitly specified for Congress in the Constitution.

Implied powers

Powers derived from the authority to carry out Congress's constitutional responsibilities.

Elastic clause

The constitutional clause authorizing Congress to make laws necessary and proper for carrying out its enumerated powers.

Patronage

Providing jobs or benefits to reward political support

Pork Barrel

Jobs, projects, or policies targeted to benefit specific constituents.

Logrolling

Members support bills they might otherwise oppose in exchange for support on bills important to them.

Earkmarks

Federally funded local projects attached to bills passed through Congress.

Seniority

The informal norm of choosing the longest-serving committee member as chair.

Speaker of the House

The elected leader of the House of Representatives.

Majority Leader

The elected head of the party holding the most seats in the House or Senate.

Minorty Leader

The elected head of the party holding fewer seats in the House or Senate.

Whip System

An organization of House leaders that shares information and promotes party unity in voting.

Standing Committees

Permanent committees that perform much of Congress's legislative and oversight work.

Select committees

Committees created to address a specific issue, usually for one or two terms.

Joint Committees

Committees containing members of both the House and Senate, generally with limited authority.

Conference committees

Temporary committees that negotiate differences between House and Senate versions of legislation.

Markup

The stage in which the final wording of a bill is determined.

Filibuster

A Senate tactic in which senators prolong debate to block a bill until its supporters back down.

Cloture

A Senate procedure to limit debate and cut off a filibuster; the chapter describes a 60-senator threshold.

Veto

The president's rejection of a bill passed by Congress; Congress can override it with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

Pocket Veto

The automatic death of a bill when the president does not sign it within the final ten days of a legislative session, as described in the chapter.

Omnibus legislation

Large bills covering several subjects that may include additional projects or provisions. (HIDE)

Gridlock

An inability to enact legislation because of partisan conflict within Congress or between Congress and the president.

Roll Call Vote

A recorded vote on legislation.

Party Vote

A vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other party.

Party unity

The extent to which members of the same party vote together on party votes.

Oversight

Congress's monitoring of how the bureaucracy implements laws and policies.

Power of the purse

Congress's ability to influence government agencies through funding decisions.

Advice and Consent

The Senate's constitutional role in considering presidential appointments and approving treaties.

Impeachment

The House's formal charging of an official; the Senate conducts the trial and decides whether to convict.

Partisan Gerrymander

elected officials draw lines to support their party, but hurt the opposing party

Racial Gerrymanders

Hurt Chances of minority candidates

President Pro-Tempore

In senate; presides over senate when VP is not there, usually goes to majority party w/ greatest seniority (not really used.)

President of Senate

Vice President, only really used when a tie needs to be broken.

House of Representatives

Depends on population, 2 yr term, 435 total

Senate

2 per state, 50 total, 6 year term

Conference Chair

Republican

Caucus Chair

Democrat

Bill

A legislative proposal that becomes law if it is passed by both the House and the Senate in identical form and approved by the president. Each is assigned a bill number, with “H.R.” indicating bills that originated in the House and “S.R.” denoting bills that originated in the Senate. Private bills are concerned with a specific individual or organization and often address immigration or naturalization issues. Public bills affect the general public if enacted into law.

Simple Resolution

Legislation used to express the sense of the House or Senate, designated by “H.Res.” or “S.Res.” Simple resolutions affect only the chamber passing the resolution, are not signed by the president, and cannot become public law. Resolutions are often used for symbolic legislation, such as congratulating sports teams or naming a post office after a famous person.

Concurrent Resolution

Legislation used to express the position of both chambers on a nonlegislative matter to set the annual budget or to fix adjournment dates, designated by “H.Con.Res.” or “S.Con.Res.” Concurrent resolutions are not signed by the president and therefore do not carry the weight of law.

Joint Resolution

Legislation that has few practical differences from a bill (passes both chambers in identical form, signed by the president) unless it proposes a constitutional amendment. In that case, a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in both the House and the Senate and ratification by three-fourths of the states are required for the amendment to be adopted, and it does not require the president’s signature.

Filibuster

A filibuster is a procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate used by one or more members to prolong debate, delay proceedings, or block a final vote on a bill, resolution, or nomination.

Cloture

t is the primary tool used to overcome a filibuster (prolonged or unlimited debate designed to delay or block a vote)

Markup

A congressional markup is the official session where a U.S. House or Senate committee or subcommittee debates, amends, and rewrites a proposed bill or budget before deciding whether to send it to the full chamber for a vote. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Rules Committee

The United States House Committee on Rules (often called the "traffic cop" or the "Speaker's committee") is a powerful standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives responsible for determining the rules and conditions under which bills are debated and amended on the House floor.

Cracking

Gerrymandering technique; breaking down a district, diluding it with others

Packing

Gerrymandeing technique; pushing groups together

Speaker of the House

Decides Calendar, decides when/where to put bills in certain committees

Continuing Resolution

Agreement to use last years budget until a new budget is passed F

Beurocratic Oversight

Right to Investigate executive branch and other branches to ensure the president is enforcing laws.