intro to american politics test 2

necessary and proper clause

source of implied powers for the national government (mcculloch v. maryland, article i, section 8)

bills of attainder

acts that declare an individual guilty and mere out punishment without a trial

ex post facto laws

laws that make an act a crime after it was committed or increases punishment after the crime

seventeenth amendment

provides for direct popular election of united states senators

wesberry v. sanders

requires each congressional district within the states be apportioned on the basis of equal population

senate powers

try impeachments, confirm prez nominations, and ratify treaties

senate population

100 members, 2 for each state and serve 6 years

debate in senate

unlimited, floor debate important in shaping outcome of legislation

house powers

originate tax bills and appropriation bills, and bring impeachments

house population

435 members, serve for 2 years

debate in house

limited debate, committee work is more important

senator requirements

30 years old, citizen for 9 years, and resident of state they represent

house reps

25 years old, citizen for 7 years, and resident of the state they represent

the year of the woman

1992 - when 24 new women were elected to congress

trustee role

concept that legislators should vote on the basis of their consciences and the broad interests of the nation, not simply on the views of constituents (Edmund Burke)

delegate role

A concept of legislative work as simply voting the desires of one’s constituents, regardless of personal views

politico style

a manner of representation in which members of Congress attempt to strike a balance between the interests of their constituents and the dictates of their own judgment

richard fenmo’s idea of homestyle

1. members’ allocation of time and resources to their district

2. their personal style

3. their explanations of their washington activities

franking privilege

a congressional benefit that permits members to send out official mail using their signature rather than postage

pork barrel politics

the effort to enact legislation favoring a legislator’s home district, often in the form of costly government spending that may not be advantageous to the country

ombudsman

a person who intervenes with the bureaucracy on behalf of individual citizens

casework

congressional task of handling requests by constituents for information or assistance with the federal bureaucracy

legislative norms

unwritten rules of acceptable behavior in congress

1. reciprocity

2. personal courtesy

3. specialization

reciprocity (or logrolling)

a practice whereby two or more members of Congress exchange support for legislation important to each other

speaker of the house

presiding officer of the house of representatives who is selected by the majority (article i section 2)

rules committee

house committee that clears most important bills for floor consideration and decides the rule under which bills should be considered and recommends changes in the way a party conducts affairs

party whip

member of each party’s leadership responsible for party discipline and attendance for key votes

democratic caucus

all democratic house members who elect democratic leadership, approves committee assignments, and enforces party rules

the conference

republican caucus who elect republican leadership, approve committee assignments, and shape communications and strategy for the party

president of the senate

largely ceremonial role held by vp

president pro tempore

presiding officer of the senate in the absence of the vp—honorific and given to the senior majority party member

standing committees

the permanent committees of congress that alone can approve legislation and send it to the floor

joint committees

permanent committees made up of members from both houses

special or select committees

committees of congress created periodically to study particular problems or new areas of legislation

congressional seniority

based on a member’s service in congress, it can affect committee assignments, the amount of office space granted, and even the deference shown a member during floor debate

legislative reorganization act of 1970

opened up committee process making it so that open committee hearings are now required and roll-call votes are available to the public

house democratic caucus bill of rights

1. given authority to select subcommittee chairs

2. establish subcommittee jurisdiction

3. provide budgets for running the subcommittees

4. all committees with 20+ members establish at least 4 subcommittees

5. subcommittee chairs and ranking minority members allowed to hire staff

legislative assistant

congressional aide who analyzes bills, drafts laws, writes speeches, and prepares position papers

administrative assistant

top aide to a member of congress who frequently acts on behalf of the legislator in dealing with staff, colleagues, constituents, and lobbyists

3 agencies who provide congress with research and analysis

1. congressional research service

2. government accountability office

3. congressional budget office

congressional research service

conducts legal research and policy analysis and digests and summarizes legislation

government accountability office (watchdog agency)

reports to congress on the efficiency and performance of federal programs

congressional budget office

provides essential analysis of the economy and the federal budget for congress

mark-up

process in which a legislative committee sets the precise language and amendments of a bill

union calendar

house schedule for the consideration of tax and appropriation bills

house calendar

legislative schedule in the house of rep for non-money bills

private calendar

schedule for house bills that concerns personal rather than general legislative matters

closed rule

an order from the house rules committee that prohibits amendments to a bill under consideration on the house floor

open rule

an order from the house rules committee whereby amendments to a bill are permitted on the floor

modified rule

an order from the house rules committee allowing a limited number of amendments to a bill during floor consideration

committee of the whole

a parliamentary device used by the house to facilitate floor consideration of a bill; when house dissolves itself into the committee of the whole it can suspend formal rules and consider a bill with quorum of 100 rather than 218

executive calendar

one of two registers of business in the senate that contains presidential nominations and treaties

riders

provisions which ride into law on the backs of necessary pieces of legislation, forcing the president to veto the entire bill in order to kill the amendment

unanimous consent agreement

a common mechanism used by the senate leadership to limit senate debate

filibuster

continuing debate designed to prevent consideration of a particular bill (senate technique)

cloture

rule 22 of the senate in which discussion on a piece of legislation can be suspended after no more that 30 hours of debate by a vote of 60

house-senate conference committee

joint committee designed to reconcile differences between the house and senate version of a bill

distributive policies

programs that provide benefits for a few people and relatively small costs for many, usually provoking little opp

redistributive policies

programs such as tariffs or tax reforms that produce considerable benefits to some segments of society but high costs to others

iron triangle

combo of interest group reps, legislators, and government administrators seen as influential in determining the outcome of political decisions

chief of state

role the president plays as the ceremonial head of the nation that can also make the president a symbol of national unity during times of crisis

head of government

chief executive officer of a government

naturalized citizen

a person born in another country who becomes a citizen of the us by a procedure set by congress

presidential requirements

35 years old, resident of the US for at least 14 years

22 amendment

limits the president to 2 terms in office

vesting clause

first clause of article ii which confers executive power in the president

stewardship theory

expansive theory of presidential power by Theodore Roosevelt that holds that the president can undertake any act as long as it isn’t prohibited by the constitution or law

constitutional theory

concept associated with prez taft that the prez cannot exercise any power unless it’s based on a specific constitutional provision or legislative grant

plasticity of the presidency

the tendency of the office to be molded according to the energy and personality of its occupant in combo with needs

section 2 article ii

the president shall nominate with consent of the senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the supreme court, and all other officers of the US

myers v. US

said that the president’s power to remove non-civil service appointees was unrestricted and beyond the reach of congress

humphrey’s executor v. US

said that prez roosevelt could not fire a member of the federal trade commission because of policy differences (undid myers v. US)

FTC act

specified that the president could remove a commissioner only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office

seila law v. consumer fraud protection bureau

ruled prez trump could remove the director of the CFPB despite congress having created the position as a 5 year term that could only be dismissed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or criminal conduct

article ii, section 2

gives prez power to grant reprieves and pardons for offense against the US except in cases of impeachment (only limited to violations of federal laws)

the administration

president plus seniors officials such as cabinet officials, undersecretaries, and the administrators and deputies of the various independent agencies

inner cabinet

cabinet officers whose departments handle issues of broad national importance, including the secretaries of state, defense, and the treasury, and the attorney general

outer cabinet

cabinet officers whose departments deal with sharply defined programs and are subject to considerable pressure from client groups

economic policy council and domestic policy council

established by reagan designed to coordinate policy and to keep members of the outer cabinet in close contact with the president

responsibilities of white house staff

1. giving prez broad-gauged advice not influenced by a departmental or interest group perspective

2. setting legislative strategy

3. keeping check on the bureaucracy

4. reviewing the performance of cabinet and subcabinet officials

5. planning the president’s time

6. saying no for the prez to people who want something that he or she cannot give

multiple advocacy

a system of advising the president in which all sides of an issue are presented

executive office of the president

created to serve as the managerial arm of the presidency (national security council, office of management and budget, and council of economic advisers)

office of management and budget

agency in the executive office of the president that provides the president with budgetary information and advice and is responsible for compiling the president’s annual budget proposal to congress

national security council

designed to provide the president with advice and policy coordination on questions of national security (prez, vp, secretaries of state and defense, and other officials)

council of economic advisers

established by the employment act of 1946 as a part of the executive office of the president (chairperson, academic economist, two other members to analyze economics)

carter-mondale arrangement

converted vice presidency from an office without a role into that of a senior policy adviser to the president

twenty-fifth amendment

provides mechanism for the vice president to assume the presidential disability and the selection of a replacement for the vice president should that office become vacant

presidential succession act of 1947

established the line of presidential succession after the vice president as follows: speaker of the house, president pro tempore of senate, and cabinet secretaries in order of establishment of departments

war powers resolution

requires congressional approval after 60 days of any presidential decision to send troops into combat (nixon)

hughes-ryan amendment

requires congressional notification of covert operations conducted by the CIA

executive agreements

agreements between heads of state that do not require approval by the senate (no legal distinctions between the substance of a treaty and that of an executive agreement)

case act

requires the secretary of state to submit to the senate the final text of any executive agreement and allows agreements concerning sensitive national security matters to be submitted privately to the senate foreign relations and house foreign affairs committees

commander-in-chief

article ii section 2 names the president as the civilian head of U.S forces

korematsu v. US

upheld the exclusion of program of the Japanese as within the combined war powers of congress and the prez

gulf of tonkin resolution

congressional resolution granting president johnson the authority to undertake military activities in southeast asia

war powers resolution of 1973

specified that the prez could not commit troops to combat beyond 6o days unless authorized by congress

national security strategy of the US

outlines the country’s approach to defense

doctrine of preemption

america’s strategy would not be to attack potential enemies before they had the opportunity to attack the US

article i section 7

president may veto a congressional bill within 10 days after it reaches the president’s desk (but has no item veto)

line item veto act

tried to give the president item veto abilities but the SC ruled it unconstitutional