Studied by 5 people
what does the preamble state
the reasons for the new government; purpose of the constitution
does the vice president ever vote in congress
yes, only in the event of a tie with votes
what is separation of powers
so that not one branch has too much power
what problem is the current HofR facing since 1/3/23
HofR can’t agree on a speaker of the house
what is crossing the aisle
not being in favor of your political party for a certain vote (opposite of partisanship)
what is a pocket veto
when the president fails to sign a bill within 10 days allowed by the constitution. congress must be adjourned in order for a pocket veto to take effect
bankruptcy
when an individual/company can’t pay their debts
what 2 houses make up congress
senate and HofR
which is upper house which is lower house
senate = upper; HofR = lower
qualifications of a representative
must b at least 25 years old, US. citizen for 7 years, live in the state he/she represent
how many representatives are there
435
impeachment
to formally charge a public official with misconduct in office
census; how often is it taken; why
a count of the population; taken every 10 years; to determine number of representatives for each state
what happens if a state representative dies while holding office
a person is appointed, or the state’s governor can issue a “write of election” calling for a special election to fill the spot
what is speaker of the house; how are they chosen
presiding officer of HofR, 2nd in line for president after VP; HofR chooses
when are the normally scheduled elections for representatives
first tuesday after first monday in even number years
qualifications for senator
30+ years old; 9 years citizenship; must live in state they represent
who is president over the senate, when can they vote
VP presides over the senate; votes only in the event of a tie
president pro tempore
temporary president if the VP is unavailable to fill in for president; senate presiding officer
who tries impeachment cases; who presides
senate; chief justice presides
what is the punishment if an impeached person is found guilty
they are removed from office. the senate may prevent them from future office
how are senators elected today
their state holds an election,
staggered terms
1/3 of the senate is up for reelection every 2 years. this is to make sure that there are always some experienced people in the senate.
how often and when must congress meet? why?
jan 3rd every year; to make new laws and stop president from becoming too powerful
quorum
minimum number of members that must be present for the HofR or senate to vote
congressional record
a journal of both houses proceedings - everything said in congress
congressional immunity
members of congress can’t be sued or prosecuted for anything they say in congress
treason; punishments of treason
betraying one’s country; punishment is imprisonment or death/leaving the house
what is a felony
punishment is imprisonment or death/leaving the house
what is a felony
a crime bigger than a dismeanor,, typically involving violence.
in
in which house of the congress do revenue bills begin - is it fair HofR
it ensures that people aren’t taxed without their consent
how does a bill become a law
approval from both houses and signed by the president
how must a state treat the laws of other states
each state must honor the laws and authority of other states
how will each state treat citizens from other states
states must not discriminate against citizens of other states - all citizens have the same rights as the citizens of the state they’re in
how shall territories be treated
republican form of government
protect against invasion
protect against domestic violence
what guarantees does the central government give to the states
each state has a representative democratic government
federal government required to protect the states from invasion
required to protect states from internal/domestic violence
what 2 ways can an amendment be proposed
2/3 vote bye each house of congress
national convention called by congress at the request of 2/3 of the state legislatures
what 2 ways can an amendment be ratified
3/4 of the state legislatures
3/4 of the state conventions
are there any restrictions on amendments
no state without consent shall be deprived of its equal right to vote in the senate
what happened to existing debts
they were valid/paid off (i think not 100% sure don’t hate me fr)
what is the supreme law of the land
constitution
are there any restrictions
public officials can’t be required to adopt or practice any religion
what was needed to ratify the constitution
9 of the 13 og states were required to ratify it
what is impeachment; who tries impeachment
to charge a public official with misconduct in office; only the senate
checks and balances
each branch of government has a check on the other two branches so that no one branch becomes too powerful
VP’s main job in senate
presiding officer; break a tie vote in the senate
what two houses is the congress made up of
senate and house of representatives
constituent
a person who is represented politically by a designated government official or officeholder
when was slave trade ended
1808
which house do revenue bills begin
H of R
how many branches of government are there
3
what are the branches called
legislative executive judicial
who is the head of the executive branch
president
where does a bill begin and who must sign it in order for it to become a law
congress; president
where was the constitutional convention held
philadelphia, pennsylvania
how long does a justice serve on the supreme court
life w/good behavior
how many justices r on the supreme court
9
who can declare war
congress
if a power is not given to the federal government who does it belong to
the states/people
how does the legislative branch check the presidents power regarding bills and laws
congress overrides veto’s
which vote count is needed to stop the presidents veto of a bill
2/3 majority vote from each house
when is president sworn into office (inauguration day)
jan 20/21 every 4 years
extradition
a person convicted of a crime must return to the state which the crime was committed
how many presidents have we had
46
2 main political parties
republican and democratic
partisanship
favor your own political party over another
why does VP vote in the Senate when it is needed
to break a tie
who can coin money
congress
president’s salary per year
$400,000
speaker of the house salary per year
$223,500
who can raise an army
congress
first VP
john adams
congress is our legislatures, what does the legislative branch of the govt. do
makes laws
bicameral/unicameral
2 houses (chambers)/1 houses (chambers)
length of term for representative
2 years
how is representative selected
the people
how is the number of representatives in each state determined
the state's population
how many representatives does CA currently have
53
who has the power to impeach
H of R
how many senators does each state get
2
term of officer for a senator
6 years
what happens if a senator dies in office
special election
how were senators elected originally
state legislatures chose 2 senators
salary of representative/senator
$133,600
what 3 crimes can congressmen be arrested for
felony, breach of peace, treason
revenue
income raised by govt. thru taxes
bill
proposed law
how shall new states enter the union
open/federal land
union
boundaries of the states, USA
amendment
a change to the constitution
What oath must state and federal officials take?
must swear allegiance to the constitution
when was constitution signed by founding fathers
sept. 17, 1787
when was constitution ratified
june 21, 1788
staggered terms applies to which house
the senate
head of the h of r
speaker of the house
total # of senators
100
what does the preamble state
purpose of the US govt.
most important role in the US govt.
president
if const. does not give powers to the federal govt. who do they belong to
states/people
what branch can declare laws unconstitutional
judicial branch
Note
Flashcard