AP Gov. Chapter 12

bicameral

two chambered

house/senate terms

reps have 2 year terms (even year)

senators have 6 year terms (even year)

casework

work for an individual constituent (kind of like a favor)

incumbents

a person that is currently holding the seat/position in office

ex. David Joyce- rep for district 14

chronological bill passage

1. Introduction
2. Committee review
3. House and Senate approval
4. Conference committee reconciliation
5. Presidential approval

17th amendment

people directly elect Senators (1913)

standing, select, conference, joint committee

1. permanent committees
2. temporary: specially created to consider a specific policy issue
3. same as joint, but temporary
4. permanent: composed of members of both chambers of Congress

reapportionment

the reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives

after 10 years they have a census, then reposition and redistribute representatives

filibuster

halt passage of the bill by continuously talking, can end by a vote of *cloture* (a supermajority of 60 senators agrees to end debate)

census

recount of the population every 10 years

speaker of the house

is the presiding officer/manager of the House and leader of the party in the House, most powerful position in the House

gerrymandering

redrawing of congressional boundaries for political advantage

house majority/minority whip

whips are mainly responsible for counting heads and rounding up party members for votes and quorum calls, and they occasionally stand in for the majority or minority leaders in their absence.

congressional powers (types of enumerated)

\-establish the federal court system

\-impose taxes

\-declare war

\-regulate copyrights and patents

\-establish post offices

vice president

leader/president of the senate, Kamala Harris

majority-minority district

composed of a majority of a given minority community

ex. African Americans

logrolling

the practice of trading votes between members

sources of congressional authority

is the constitution

\-enumerates different powers.

\-the “necessary and proper” clause

\-derives power from Supreme Court decisions, media, and people

pork barrel legislation

refers to legislators’ appropriations of funds for special projects within their congressional districts

ex. Air Force Base

instructed delegate model

the idea that a legislator should vote in keeping with the constituents’ views, *even if those views contradict the legislator’s personal views* (likely to combine the approaches)

ex. rep is pro choice, but constituents are pro life, rep chooses pro life because the people want it