Unit 2 ap gov

Article I

Legislative Branch

Constituency

The people and interests that an elected official represents

Revenue

money taken in through taxes

Standing committees

the permanent congressional committees that handle legislation.

Select committees

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

Conference committee

works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill.

Joint committee

Committee made up of members of both house of Congress-housekeeping issues decided

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

President of the Senate

the presiding officer of a senate, the Vice President of the United States;

Majority Leader

The elected leader of the party with the most seat in the House of Representatives/Senate

Minority Leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Majority Whip

a go-between with the majority leadership and party members in the house of representatives

Minority Whip

The person who tells members of the minority party in Congress how they should vote.

Filibuster

A lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill; used only in the Senate

Cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.

Unanimous consent

An agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation

Rules Committee

House committee that establishes the regulations and limits for debate on bills

Discharge petition

a motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in committee

Treaty ratification

Needs advice of 2/3 of the senate to pass a treaty

Discretionary spending

Federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process

Mandatory spending

Required govt spending by permanent laws

Entitlements

Social welfare programs with specific requirements

Budget deficit

A shortfall of tax revenue from government spending.

Pork barrel legislation

Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in the hope of winning their votes

Logrolling

An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills

Divided government

One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

Gridlock

The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of government

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Packing

Drawing the lines so they include as many of the opposing party's voters as possible

Cracking

redistricting to break up a certain group; takes away power from the group

Redistricting

The drawing of new electoral district boundary lines in response to population changes.

Baker v. Carr (1961)

Court-enforced redistricting based on the principle of "one-person-one-vote"

Racial gerrymandering

drawing legislative districts to maximize the chances of a minority candidate to win an election

weakening the political strength of minority groups by dividing areas

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional unless a compelling interest is shown

Article II

Executive Branch

Lame duck session

Period when elected official whose successor has already been elected is completing their term in office. The official is often seen as having less influence with other politicians due to their limited time left in office.

Trustee

After listening to constituents, elected representatives vote based on their own opinions

Delegate

A representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her constituency

Partisan

Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause

Politico

Lawmaker who attempts to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles

Policy agenda

The informal list of issues that Congress and the president consider most important for action.

Veto

a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.

Pocket veto

When a president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session

Commander in Chief

term for the president as commander of the nation's armed forces

Executive agreements

Agreements with other countries that do not need senate approval

Executive orders

Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy.

Signing statements

Occasional written comments attached to a bill signed by the president

The Cabinet

the leaders of the executive departments, who also act as advisers to the president

Ambassadors

Highest-ranking officials representing a government in a foreign country.

White House Staff

analysts and advisers to the president, each of whom is often given the title "special assistant"

Advise and Consent

the power of the senate to approve or disapprove of any of the president's appointments or treaties

Article III

Judicial Branch

Federalist \#70

Need for a vigorous executive

Twenty Second Amendment

Passed in 1951, the amendment that limits presidents to two terms of office.

State of the Union address

The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation.

Bully pulpit

the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public

Judicial review

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws

Federalist \#78

Courts have no force or will, merely judgement and therefore least dangerous to political rights

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review

Precedent

An example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action

Stare decisis

Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases

Judicial activism

The Court should play an active role in determining national policies

Judicial restraint

a theory of judicial interpretation that encourages judges to limit the exercise of their own power

Jurisdiction

the official power to make legal decisions and judgments.

Litmus Test

A series of questions during a senate confirmation hearing designed to predict how a nominated judge will decide on controversial cases (ex. abortion)

Amicus Curiae Briefs

Legal letters submitted by a "friend of the court" for the purpose of raising additional points of view and presenting information not contained in the arguments of the formal parties. These letters attempt to influence a court's decision.

Judicial Implementation

How and whether court decisions are translated into actual policy, thereby affecting the behavior of others. The courts rely on other units of government to enforce their decisions.

Majority Opinion

a statement that presents the views and legal reasoning of most of supreme court justices regarding a case

Concurring Opinion

An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the legal reasoning.

Dissenting Opinion

A statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion

Statutory Construction

The judicial interpretation of an act of Congress. In some cases where statutory construction is an issue, Congress passes new legislation to clarify existing laws.

Writ of Certiorari

Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review (the Supreme Court agrees to hear a case)

Independent Executive Agencies

Government agencies not accounted for by cabinet departments, commissions, or corporations. Ex. NASA

Executive (Cabinet) Departments

one of the major subdivisions of the federal government, represented in the president's cabinet

Independent Regulatory Commissions

A government agency with responsibility for making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest in some sector of the economy.

Government corporations

A business owned and operated by the federal government, provides a service that could be done by a private company

Regulations

The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws.

Iron triangles

A close relationship between a bureaucratic agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group around the same topic

Issue networks

A loose grouping of people and organizations who seek to influence policy formation. A different name for iron triangles.

Patronage

Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

Civil service system

The practice of hiring government workers on the basis of open, competitive examinations and merit

Merit system

Hiring people into government jobs on the basis of their qualifications

bureaucratic discretion

agencies are given broad discretion to exercise their administrative authority

Rule making

The administrative process that results in the issuance of regulations by government agencies.

Department of Homeland Security

US federal agency created in 2002 to coordinate national efforts against terrorism

Department of Transportation

Manages the nations highways, railroads, airlines, and sea traffic

Department of Veterans Affairs

Manages educational training, pension, and medical benefits programs for former military

Department of Education

Supplies federal aid & funding to k-12 schools and colleges; conducts educational research

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The US federal agency with a mission to protect human health and the environment.

Federal Elections Commission (FEC)

This group was created to make and enforce regulations on elections.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

1934 - Created to supervise the stock market and to punish fraud in trading.

Legislative (Congressional) oversight

Congress's exercise of its authority to monitor the activities of agencies and administrators.

Committee hearings

sessions where a committee listens to the testimonies of people who are interested in the bill

Power of the purse

Constitutional power given to Congress to raise and spend money

Congressional appropriations

proposed law that funds authorized programs

Congressional authorization

Proposed law that approves the funding of government programs

agenda setting

Determining which public-policy questions will be debated or considered.

Casework

Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get

caucus (congressional)

A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.