Congress

Bicameralism

The practice of having two
legislative chambers.

17th Amendment (1913)

allowed senators to be elected by
popular vote in each state

Gerrymandering

Dividing of election district boundaries to give majority advantage to one party.

Congressional Apportionment

Uses the equal proportions method and allocates seats based on population data.

Enumerated power

power explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Implied Power

inferred as necessary to achieve the objectives of the national government.

Descriptive representation

the racial, ethic, socioeconomic, and gender identity of the representatives

Inherent Power

must be assumed to exist as a direct result of the
country’s existence.

Collective Representation

Whether congress represents the American people.

parliamentarian

an advisor, typically a trained lawyer, who has studied the long and
complex rules of the chamber

(Watkins v. US (1957)

The Bill of Rights is applicable to investigations as to all forms of governmental action.

The speaker

The speaker is the presiding officer and head of the House.

House conference

based on the
numbers, one conference becomes the majority
conference and one becomes the minority.

Majority Leader

holds considerable power and is in
the best position to assume the speakership when the
speaker steps down.

Minority Leader

the official leader of the opposition.

Standing committees

permanent committees. the first call for proposed bills.

The Whips

Whip up votes and otherwise enforce party
discipline.

Joint committees

Members from both the house and the senate, charged with exploring a few issues.

Conference Committees

used to reconcile different bills
passed in both the House and the Senate.

Ad Hoc Committees

Special or select committees. Perform special investigations.

Committee Hearings

Politically driven public spectacles.