AP Gov- Unit 2 Congress Notes

log rolling

offering to support a fellow members bill in exchange for that members promise to support your bill in the future

casework

the process where members of Congress and their staff help individual constituents solve problems with the federal government

Pork Barrel Spending

The ability to bring back projects or money to ones constituency.

Trustee Theory

members' own ideology influences their behavior; use of experts

Delegate (Representational) Theory

Legislators view public opinion in their district as authoritarian direction for how they should vote

Organizational View

Members of Congress respond to cues provided by their colleagues; the principal cue is PARTY (partisanship). No other factor explains as much of a member’s behavior in office

Politico Theory

Members will sometimes vote based upon personal beliefs (Trustee) and sometimes vote based upon the public opinion of their constituents (Delegate)

Oversight

responsibility Congress has for following up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered

agenda setting

The power to determine which public policy questions will be debated or considered by Congress.

franking priviledge

media exposure, personal appearances, sending newsletters; where members signature suffices for a stamp. 40 million pieces of … mail are sent per month from Capitol Hill during an election year

Position Taking

Positions taken on matters that are important to their constituents

Rules Commitee

a standing committee that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended and considered by the House) normally proposes what bills would come up for vote, time limitations on debate for any bill, and a majority of the entire body accepts or modifies those suggested term limits

filibuster

unlimited debate to halt action on a particular bill.

redistricting

takes place when a state gains or loses a representative; the state legislatures redraw the boundaries so that legislative districts are all approximately equal in population.

gerrymandering

is redistricting to achieve political benefits or minority representation. Ruled unconstitutional if unfairly drawn and deprives a group of voters of influence at the polls as a result of the new boundaries.

Baker v. Carr

• Made redistricting justifiable - courts can review it

• Rejected the idea that apportionment is only a “political question”

• Allowed citizens to challenge unfair district maps in federal court

• Opened the path for future voting-rights and apportionment rulings

Wesberry v. Sanders

The issue was then expanded to house districts and the Court ruled that they could enforce the principle of one man, one vote ensuring that each vote carries the same weight in electing representatives.

Reynolds v. Sims

• Established “one person, one vote”

• Required state legislative districts to have equal population

Shaw v. Reno

established that race cannot be the predominant factor in drawing congressional districts,

Rucho v. Common Cause

federal courts cannot hear partisan gerrymandering claims because they present a political question that is beyond the jurisdiction of the courts

Shelby County v. Holder

This ruling eliminated the requirement for certain jurisdictions to get federal approval, or "preclearance,"

Standing Committees

a permanent committee within the House or Senate that considers bills within a certain subject area

Select Committees

A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period for a special purpose.

Joint Committees

a special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two houses in different forms.

Committees on Committees (GOP) or Steering and Policy Committee (Democrats)

Each party in the Senate and House has a committee that assigns members to the standing committees.

House Rules Committee

can set the time limit on debate and determine whether and how the bill may be amended; place a bill on the legislative calendar and place what is known as a gag rule or a closed rule, which allows for no amendments on a bill.

Committee of the Whole

This is the committee where bills are debated on the House floor. With a minimum quorum of 100 needed, this is easier to assemble than the majority required by the Constitution, which would now be 218.

Speaker of the House

Preside over House debates, determining which representative speaks and for how long; Greatly influences committee assignments; decides which committees hear which bill; along with the Rules Committee will set the legislative calendar; Agenda setting

The Majority Leader

chief strategist and spokesperson for the majority party. Central role is to shepherd legislation through the House. Making sure the votes are there for a potentially bruising vote. Next in line to the Speaker.

The Minority Leader

organizes opposition to the majority party and maintains party cohesion. Would consult with the Speaker and Majority Leader on recognizing members who wish to speak on the floor, on House rules and procedures, and on the scheduling of legislation but they lack the actual powers in this area.

Majority and Minority Whips

Find out the opinions of party members on pending legislation, mobilize support, make sure party members vote.

President of the Senate

Vice-President who only votes when there is a tie

President Pro Tempore

The temporary officer of the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. Ordinarily, the pro tem is the member of the majority party with the longest continuous term of service in the Senate. Most junior senators are chosen by the pro tem to chair portions of each day’s sessions. No real power.

Senate Majority Leader

The chief spokesperson of the majority party who directs the legislative program and party strategy. Similar in power to the Speaker and majority leaders in the House. They also have the right to be recognized first in a floor debate. They choose members for committees and schedule legislation for floor action.

Senate Majority Whip

maintain communication with the leadership and their colleagues. The Senate whip system is less elaborate because they have less to keep track of.

A bill can only be introduced by

member of the legislative body

multiple referral

when parts of the bill are split up and discussed in various committees.

pigeonholed

means a legislative committee ignores a bill, preventing it from moving to a vote, often to manage the legislative agenda

Discharge Petition

when a bill has been in a House committee for more than 30 days, a representative can try to dislodge it with a discharge petition. Such petitions must be signed by an absolute majority (218) of the members to take effect.

Scoring

Lawmakers must use the Congressional Budget Office cost estimates in determining whether a bill complies with the spending limits that Congress imposes on itself each year. They provide the legislative analysis for policy independent of the executive branch and the OMB. (Better than OMB because more impartial)

Posion Pill Amendment

They are usually added to achieve one of two outcomes: either get the president to sign an otherwise objectionable bill by attaching to it, as an amendment, a provision that the president desperately wants to see enacted, or get the president to veto a bill that he would otherwise sign by attaching to it, as an amendment, a provision that the president strongly dislikes.

War Powers Act

It requires that the President consult with congress before sending American forces into action. Once they are sent, the president must report to Congress within forty-eight hours. Unless Congress has passed a declaration of war within sixty days or has extended the sixty-day time limit, the forces must be withdrawn.

Buckley v. Valeo

establishing the principle that the government can limit direct contributions to candidates but cannot limit independent expenditures or a candidate's own spending

McConnell v. SEC

Congress has the authority to ban unregulated "soft money" donations to political parties from individuals, corporations, and unions.

Citizens United v. FEC

the government cannot restrict independent political expenditures by corporations, unions, and other outside groups