AP Govt Terms Review

Franking Privilege

Allows members of Congress to send mail under their signature without postage.

Incumbents

The current holder(s) of an office or post.

Pork Barrel

Government projects that benefit a particular area of the country, that often seem wasteful from outsiders

Unicameral legislature

A legislature with only one house.

Bicameral legislature

A legislature with two houses.

Speaker of the House

The chief officer in the House of Representatives, elected by a majority party. Runs the procedure of voting and debating in the House.

House Rules Committee

The committee that establishes the rules governing the proceedings of the House, typically presided over by a majority of representatives from the majority party in the House overall.

Filibuster

A delaying tactic used in the U.S Senate. Under Senate rules, once a Senator is granted permission to speak by the presiding officer, he/she may speak for as long he/she wants

17th Amendment

Proposed in 1912 and ratified in 1913, it called for the popular election of Senators by the citizens of the States.

Cloture

Under Senate Rule 22, a motion to end debate, takes 60 votes

Marginal districts

Political districts in which House representatives win in close elections.

Safe districts

Districts in which House representatives tend to win by wide margins.

Reapportionment

The redistribution of representation within a legislative body to the states based on population shifts

Redistricting

The act of redrawing electoral districts.

Malapportionment

Districts where one group has much more representation than another, thanks to strategies like gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering

When electoral districts are redrawn to create a political advantage.

Majority-Minority districts

Gerrymandered districts that actually give ethnic and racial minorities more of a say in elections.

Sophomore surge

The increase in votes a congressional candidate receives when running for re-election.

President Pro Tempore

The acting leader of the Senate in the absence of the VP of the United States

Majority/Minority Leader

The leader of the majority and minority parties in the legislature.

Party Whip

An official who ensures party discipline in Congress. Majority and Minority Party have one.

Party polarization

The divergence of political attitudes to ideological extremes.

Congressional Black Caucus

An organization representing African American members of Congress in the United States.

Blue Dog Democrats

A caucus of conservative Democrats.

Standing Committees

A type of Congressional committee, given expressed powers and limits. They are usually permanent.

Select Committees

A small committee appointed to deal with a problem or issue, usually temporary.

Joint Committees

A committee with appointees from both the House and the Senate.

Conference Committees

When each house of Congress has passed a different version of the same bill, a Conference Committee creates a compromise version of the bill.

General Accounting Office (GAO)

Also known as the Government Accountability Office, it performs audit, investigation and evaluation services for the President and helps with the budget.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

The agency that provides budgeting information and economic statistic for Congress.

Concurrent Resolution

Resolution that requires approval from both chambers of Congress, but don't need Presidential approval.

Joint Resolution

A special kind of legislative measure. They require approval by both houses of Congress, and usually by the President, to become law.

Discharge petition

A petition that allows a bill to advance past the committee step and go directly to the floor for debate. The petition requires a signature by a majority of representatives, and is designed to keep a bill from being bogged down in the committee process.

Closed rule

A rule prohibiting amendments to a bill on the floor, unless the amendment is recommended by a committee related to the bill.

Open rule

A rule that allows for any member to offer an amendment to the bill, as long the amendment complies with the House and the Budget Act.

Quorum

The minimum number of representatives needed to conduct business.

Committee of the Whole

A parliamentary device, borrowed by the House of Representatives, in which the entire House is one large Congressional Committee.

Earmarks

Lines added to a piece of legislation. They can direct funds to a project, or exempt the funds from certain taxes or fees.

Logrolling

When two legislators agree to vote for each other's bills.

Non-germane amendment

An amendment adding new, sometime irrelevant, subject matter to a bill.

Committee chairs

Committee leaders, chosen by the Majority Party Leader.

Seniority system

The system of granting privilege and important positions to members of Congress who have served longer.

Caucus

An organization of Congressmen who meet to push similar legislative objectives.

Bill

A proposed law under consideration by a legislature.

Divided Government

When one party controls the White House and another party controls Congress.

Unified Government

When the same party controls both the White House and Congress.

Electoral College

A body composed of 538 electors, out of which a majority of 270 is required to win the Presidency. The states select their electors.

Faithless Electors

An elector who does not vote for the candidate they pledged to vote for.

Pyramid Structure

An White House organizational structure that resembles a pyramid with a clear chain of command.

Circular Structure

White House organization structure where all members of the system are balanced, with equal access to the President

Presidential Coattails

When voters vote for Congressional candidates in the President's party because they support the President.

Cabinet

A small group of political advisors and position holders, tasked with advising the President on policy.

Executive Office of the President

The immediate staff who report directly to the President.

Office of Management and Budget

The largest office within the Executive Office of the United States, they oversee the President's budget, programs and policies.

National Security Counsel

The main group used by the President for national security information and decision making.

Executive agencies

A section of a department, loosely linked but with different management and its own budget.

Executive Agreements

An agreement between the President and another world leader.

Executive Orders

A presidential order implementing or interpreting a statute, Constitutional provision or treaty, which carries the rule of law.

Imperial Presidency

A term used to refer to the modern presidency, with all its increased powers.

Executive Privilege

The right of the President to withhold subpoenaed information from Congress in certain circumstances.

22nd Amendment

The amendment limiting the President to two terms, max of 10 years.

25th Amendment

The amendment laying out the line of succession if the President can no longer discharge his duties as executive.

Impeachment

A process in which Congress can try the President for unlawful and unconstitutional actions.

Executive Power

The President's ability to give orders and enforce them.

Commander-in-chief

The person who has supreme command of the nation's military forces.

Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act

A bill that moved the beginning of the fiscal year from July 1 to October 1 and created standing budget committees.

War Powers Act of 1973

Congressional attempt to limit Presidential power by requiring notification of military actions and requiring Congressional approval within 60 days

Trustee Model

Representatives do not necessarily support what their constituents want; instead, they support what they think would be good for their constituents, as well as the nation.

Delegate Model

Representatives push for what their constituents want.

Partisan Model

Representatives vote and act along party lines.

Lame Duck

A politician approaching the end of their tenure, particularly one whose successor has already been elected.

Presidential Succession Act of 1947

The most recent of several Presidential Succession Acts, the law revised the order of the line of succession to the Presidency.

Bully Pulpit

The President using their exposure to push Congress or other elements of the government to get what they want.

Implied Powers

Powers not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but assumed to exist. Also known as "inherent powers."

Bureaucracy

An office organization system characterized by standardized procedures, strict division of responsibility, and hierarchy.

Patronage (Spoils System)

A system in which a politician rewards their supporters with government jobs, money, etc., in exchange for their support.

Pendleton Act of 1883

An act outlawing the patronage system, replacing it with a merit-based system.

Federalist 70

An essay which defended the unitary executive theory. The essay argued that the theory allowed a) more accountability in government, b) made it easier for the president to defend encroachments on his power, and c) ensured "energy" in the Executive Branch.

Veto

The president's power to kill a bill when it reaches his desk.

Pocket veto

When the President does not sign a bill within ten days of Congress adjourning.

Line-item veto

The President's ability to veto particular items in a bill without vetoing the entire bill. It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Red Tape

Excessive regulation and formal rules that tie up efficiency in a government agency.

Hatch Act

A law prohibiting federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

Independent Regulatory Commission

A Commission established by Congress to regulate a particular industry. Like the Federal Reserve Board

Federal Reserve Board

An independent regulatory commission in charge of the nations money supply and monetary policy.

National Labor Relations Board

The agency that oversees labor relations in the United States.

Federal Communications Commission

The regulatory commission that controls radio, television, and internet.

Government Corporations

A commercial enterprise owned by the national government. Amtrak, NPR, The US Postal Service, and Freddie Mac are all examples.

Independent Executive Agencies

Government agencies that fall under the regulation of the executive branch but that are not represented in the Cabinet.

Street-level Bureaucrats

The sub-set of a bureaucracy which carries out and enforces the actions of the government.

Regulation

A rule proposed by an agency.

Deregulation

When agencies remove rules.

Conditions of Aid

When a rule is made, but not directly in legislation. Instead, it will be tied to incentives. For example, you might receive federal funding for your highways only if you set your drinking age to 21.

Iron Triangles

The policy-making relationship among Interest Groups, the Bureaucracy and Congress.

Issue Networks

An alliance of interest groups that team up to promote a particular issue.

16th Amendment

Allows Congress to levy an income tax.

Whistle Blower Protection Act (1989)

A federal law protecting whistle blowers. It prevents agencies from threatening employees if they disclose information.

Freedom of Information Act (1966)

A law requiring agencies to release any information that is requested, and that gives the public the right to see that information.

Public Opinion

The population's beliefs about politics and policy issues.

Census

An "actual enumeration" of the population taken every 10 years.