AP US Gov Unit 5

Delegate model

Representative votes according to constituents’ wishes.

Trustee model

Representative uses personal judgment in constituents’ interest.

Instructed delegate model

Representative follows explicit instructions from constituents.

Politico model

Hybrid: acts as delegate on visible issues, trustee on complex ones.

Partisan model

Representative follows party position.

Attentive public

Citizens who follow politics closely and influence outcomes.

Safe district

District heavily favoring one party; low electoral competition.

Marginal (competitive) district

District where election outcomes are uncertain; close races.

Reapportionment

Redistribution of House seats among states after the census.

Redistricting

Redrawing congressional district lines within a state.

Gerrymandering

Manipulating district lines to favor a party or group.

Majority-minority district

District where a racial/ethnic minority is the majority of voters.

Sophomore surge

Vote increase a newly elected representative gets in first reelection.

Incumbents

Current officeholders who tend to win due to several advantages.

Bicameral legislature

Two chambers (House and Senate); different powers and rules.

Speaker of the House

Presiding officer, controls House agenda and committee assignments.

House Majority Leader

Schedules legislation for majority party; assists Speaker.

Majority Whip

Counts votes and enforces party discipline for majority.

House Minority Leader

Leads minority party in House.

Minority Whip

Assists minority leadership in vote counting/strategy.

President pro tempore

Senior senator presiding in VP’s absence; largely ceremonial.

Senate Majority Leader

Most powerful senator; controls floor schedule.

Senate Minority Leader

Leads minority party in Senate.

Importance of committees

Filter, investigate, shape, and advance legislation; central to Congress’s workload.

Standing committee

Permanent committee with specific jurisdiction.

Select (special) committee

Temporary committee for a specific purpose or investigation.

Joint committee

Members from both chambers; typically advisory or administrative.

Subcommittee

Subdivision of a committee for specialized tasks.

Seniority system

Tradition giving committee chair positions to members with longest service.

Committee assignments

Process/placement of members on committees; key to influence and reelection.

Lead committee

The committee primarily responsible for a bill.

Ways & Means Committee

House committee with primary jurisdiction over tax and revenue legislation.

House Rules Committee

Powerful House committee that sets terms of debate and amendment for most bills.

Committee of the Whole

House procedural device to speed consideration by operating under looser rules.

Bill

Proposed law introduced in either chamber.

Hopper

Box where House members drop bills to introduce them.

Joint referral

Sending a bill to more than one committee.

Agency review

Committees request executive agencies’ input on proposed legislation.

Hearings

Committees gather testimony and evidence from experts/witnesses.

Markup

Committee meeting to revise text and vote on amendments.

Report

Committee’s written explanation and recommendation accompanying a bill to the floor.

Conference committee

Temporary committee of both chambers to reconcile differing bill versions.

Revenue bill

Must originate in House; referred to Ways & Means, then Rules, House floor.

Open rule

House rule allowing floor amendments from members.

Closed rule

House rule limiting or prohibiting floor amendments.

Unanimous consent

Senate agreement without formal vote to expedite proceedings.

Germaneness

Requirement that amendments be relevant to the bill.

Discharge petition

Procedure to force a bill out of committee and onto the floor with majority signatures.

Filibuster

Senate tactic of extended debate to delay or block legislation.

Cloture

Procedure to end filibuster (historically 60 votes).

Nuclear option

Using simple majority to change Senate rules.

Pocket veto

President takes no action for 10 days while Congress adjourns; bill dies.

Pork barrel

Legislation that provides local projects/services to benefit a lawmaker’s district.

Earmark

Specific funding for a project inserted into broader legislation.

Christmas tree bill

Bill that attracts many unrelated amendments.

Logrolling

Vote trading: 'I’ll vote for your bill if you vote for mine.'

Oversight

Congress's monitoring and investigation of the executive branch and agencies.

Casework

Constituent services by members’ offices to help individuals with federal agencies.

Franking

Free official mail sent by members to constituents for communication.

Ombudsperson

Official or staff who addresses constituents’ complaints about government agencies.

Mark-up session

Committee editing and amendment process.

Article I of the Constitution

Establishes legislative branch powers and structure.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Opened federal courts to redistricting claims; established one person, one vote principle.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Ruled race-based redistricting cannot be narrowly tailored.

Comparison of Congress to a Parliament

Congress: separation of powers; Parliament: fused executive-legislative.

Trends in Congress

Growing demographic diversity, regional party realignment, increased polarization.

Polarization

Greater ideological distance and reduced overlap between parties.

Caucuses (legislative)

Informal groups of members that coordinate strategy, shape agenda, and influence legislation.