AP Gov Unit 2 Review Sheet

Article of the Constitution where the legislative branch is

Article 1

Bicameral

a legislature consisting of two houses

Unicameral

a legislature consisting of one house, advantage is that it can act more quickly than a bicameral legislature

The Senate

the upper house of congress, each state has two senators with 1/3 of the senate up for re-election every 2 years.

The House of Representatives

the lower house of congress, elections are every 2 years, each state’s number of representatives is based on population, 435 seats in the house

Primary function of Congress

to make federal laws

Where most of Congress’s work takes place

in committees

What happens to most bills introduced into Congress

die in committee and never become law

Three constitutional requirements to be a member of Senate

30 years old, must be a citizen of the US for 9 years, must be a resident of the state they represent at the time of election

Three constitutional requirements to be a member of House

25 years old, must be a citizen of the US for 7 years, must be a resident of the state they represent at the time of election

Typical member of congress

about 58 years old, served an average of 8.5 years in House, served an average of 11 years in Senate, wealthy

Elected term length for senator

6 years

Elected term length for house member

2 years

Constitutional presiding officer of the Senate

vice president

Most powerful position in the senate

senate majority leader, only person who can bring a bill to the floor

Most powerful position in the house

speaker of the house, third in line of presidential succession

Current speaker of the house

Mike Johnson

Current President Pro-Tem in the senate

Chuck Grassley, presiding officer of the senate when the vice president is absent

Current senate majority leader

John Thune

Current senate minority leader

Chuck Schumer

Current house majority leader

Steve Scalise

Current house minority leader

Hakeem Jeffries

Congressperson representing the 45 district (Troy area)

Derek Tran

What is required to pass a constitutional amendment

2/3 vote of both the House and the Senate

Who confirms all presidential appointments

senate

Who has the constitutional power to declare war

congress

Who sets the salaries for members of Congress

US Treasury

Trustee

voting based on own judgment

Delegate

voting based on the will of the people

Politico

combination of a trustee and delegate

Rule 1 of Congress’s organization

outlines the duties and powers of the speaker

Rule 2 of Congress’s organization

outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Chamber’s other officers and officials

How congressional committees are organized

by subject matter and specific policy jurisdiction

Powers that the committee chairperson has

direct agendas, manage meeting proceedings, and shape the strategic priorities of the group

Markup

the committee process of going over a bill on a word by word, line by line basis and making changes in the language, or deleting parts of adding amendments

The proper language for making a motion

“I move that”

What happens after a motion is seconded

the chairperson states the question on the motion to place it before the assembly for discussion and debate

What you need to win passage of a motion under the rules of the Senate

simple majority: 51 out of 100 votes

Logrolling

trading votes on bills

Lobbyist

a paid representative for a particular interest group, they try to influence legislation that will affect their interests

Iron triangle

the relationship between a committee, a bureaucratic agency/department, and an interest group

Partisan vote

lawmakers vote strictly along political party lines

Constituents

the citizens that a member of Congress represents

Difference between the Senior and Junior senator from a given state

length of time served in office

Filibuster

found only in the senate which allows unlimited debate as long as he/she is standing, speaking, and does not leave the chamber

Cloture

the way to stop a filibuster, need 60% of all senators to agree to a petition for cloture

Closed rule

issued by the rules committee in the house, only allows discussion on the pending bill with no amendments or riders can be attached

Censure

when congress votes to punish one of its own members for misconduct, need a 2/3 vote for removal

Single largest source of proposed legislation comes from where

executive branch, white house

President has 4 options when they receive a bill passed by Congress

sign, veto, pocket veto, or let it become law without signing

Veto

the president’s constitutional power to block passage of a particular bill, congress can override a veto with a 2/3 vote of both houses

Pocket veto

the president has ten days to consider a bill before signing, vetoing, or not signing and letting the bill become law without his signature

Conference committee

where resolving the language differences between the Senate and House versions of a bill occurs

Quorum

the minimum number of members that must be present in order to officially meet and conduct business, the quorum for the senate is 50% plus one

Rider

adding as an amendment to a popular bill a proposal which could not pass by itself hoping it will ride through on the back of the more popular bill

Earmark

provision in a a spending bill that directs federal money to a specific project

Pork barrel legislation

use of government funds to benefit home districts

Census

the counting of the population every ten years as required by the constitution, used as the basis for reapportionment

Reapportionment Act of 1929

fixed the number of House members at 435

Redistricting

the drawing of boundary lines for new legislative districts, controlled by state legislative

Mal-apportionment

the drawing of districts to be unequal in size by population, declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1962

Gerrymandering

the redrawing of congressional district boundary lines in unusual shapes to give an advantage to a particular political party

Discharge petition

found only in the house, forces a bill being pigeonholed out of committee so that it can be brought to the floor for discussion and a vote, requires 50% plus one of the house members to sign (218)

Franking privileges

legal right that allows members of Congress to send official mail without paying for physical postage

Casework

personalized assistance that elected officials provide to constituents trying to resolve problems with government agencies

Whip

an assistant to the party leader, his/her job is to promote party loyalty and unity (“to whip the party into shape”)

The hopper

a wooden box on the clerk of the senate’s desk into which new bills are deposited, dropping a bill in the hopper means that the bill has begun the long legislative process

Committee system

the basic work of congress, that of writing laws, is performed in small groups known as committees; they are organized by subject matter with all of their leaders being members of the majority party

Standing committees

permanent committees that are set up for every session

Rules committee

a very powerful committee in the house, controls the calendar and agenda of the house, as well as sets rules of voting and debate

Reporting a bill out

when a committee finishes the mark-up of a bill and sends it to the senate or house for debate, consideration, and final passage

Committee chairperson

the leader of a committee, a very powerful position. he/she controls the committee calendar, agenda, and hearings; he.she can pigeonhole a bill by refusing to schedule debate on the bill

Seniority rule

a key basis for appointments to important committees and chair spots is how long a person has been a member of congress, the best and most powerful positions usually go to members with the most seniority

Caucus

a sub interest group within a political party or within congress, subgroup of people with a common interest

Congressional record

a published record of speeches and votes by members of congress, members have a right to amend the record at a future date if they so choose

Revenue bills

bills which raise and/or deal with taxes, all revenue bills must originate in the house of representatives, in Article 1 of the Constitution

Appropriations

any bill that raises money to pay for federal programs is called an “appropriations bill” all appropriations bills typically originate in the house of representatives

Roll call vote

a style of voting in congress where each member’s name is called and his/her vote is recorded

Voice vote

the chairperson judges the vote based on the sound level generated by members when they are asked: “All those in favor say aye; all those opposed say nay”

Division of the house

a parliamentary means of forcing an actual count of votes when a member disagrees with the judgment of the chair on a voice vote

Committee of the whole

found only in the house, only 100 members need to be present; both parties’ leaders work out a schedule of who will be on the floor to ensure that 100 will be present, votes on bills can only be taken if a true quorum is present