AMSCO AP Government and Politics: Chapter 3 The Legislative Branch

bicameral

The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies (or houses)

pork barrel spending (pork legislation)

The use of government funds for projects designed to please voters or legislators and win votes/pet projects

gerrymandering

Manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party

marginal seats

Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically with less than 55 percent of the vote.

standing committees

permanent bodies with specific responsibilities and jurisdictions that are defined in the Senate's rules

conference committees

Committees of Congress appointed by the House of Representatives and Senate for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that have passed both chambers. Are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major or controversial legislation.

caucuses

organization of members of the House or the Senate, or both, that share some interest or characteristic

filibuster

An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question.

cloture rule

Procedure that may be used to limit or end debate in the Senate (filibuster)

implied powers

political powers granted to the United States government that aren't explicitly stated in the Constitution

omnibus bill

a proposed law that covers a number of diverse or unrelated topics/ a single document that is accepted in a single vote by a legislature but packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects

redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population

President Pro Tempore

a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president

riders

Amendments attached to a bill, usually unrelated to the subject of the underlying bill

Rules Committee

House committee that determines which bills come to the floor and sets rules and procedures for how they will be debated and amended

joint committees

Refers to a committee consisting of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate/ draw their membership from both the Senate and the house

Committee of the Whole

the House of Representatives operating as a committee on which every Member of the House serves. This is usually done for the purposes of discussion and debate of the details of bills and other main motions

safe seats

an area in which the candidate from one particular party nearly always wins by a more than 55 percent of the votes

select committees

Formed for a specific purpose and usually for a limited period of time. They rarely get legislative power. Rather than researching and reporting bills to the House floor, they research specific issues or oversee government agencies.

whip

coordinates with other party leaders to make sure that all of their lawmakers vote the same way on a specific piece of legislation.

advice and consent

power of the United States Senate to be consulted on and approve treaties signed and appointments made by the president of the United States to public position

conference chair

takes care of party matters, such as heading the organization of party-centered groups in each house/ head of committee

congressional legislative oversight

Congress using its powers to ensure that executive agencies are doing what they need to do/ the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration policy

earmark

a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees

expressed powers

the powers of the national government explicitly listed in the Constitution

floor leaders

Serve as the chief leaders and spokespeople for each party in Congress

House Judiciary Committee

Committee in charge of overseeing the federal judicial system, conducting hearings on judicial nominees, and initiating impeachment charges

non-germane amendments

Something that is attempted to be added to a bill that is not relevant to the subject matter of the bill that is being debated

reapportionment

The process of allocating seats in a legislature; the Constitution requires that seats in the House of Representatives be apportioned to the states every ten years following the federal census

sponsor

A lawmaker in Congress who introduces a bill

trustee model

Legislators should consider the will of the people but act in ways that they believe are best for the long-term interest of the nation

logrolling

the exchanging of assistance or favors/ Supporting a legislator's bill in exchange for support of one's own

delegate model

Legislators should adhere to the will of their constituents

politico model

Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue.

President of the Senate

Vice President

Senate Majority Leader

The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy/ most powerful person in the senate

Speaker of the House

The leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and is charged with numerous duties and responsibilities by law and by the House rules/ next in line after the vice president

War Powers Act

Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period.

Agricultural Committee

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Speech and Debate Clause

article 1, section 6; members are immune from liable slander

Necessary and proper clause

article 1, section 8, clause 18 “elastic clause” Maryland vs Mccollugh, allows congress the ability to make laws or to act where the constitution doesn't give it authority to act

seniority system

head of committee that has been there the longest

mid term election

happens mid-way through every 4-year presidential election cycle. Midterms give voters a chance to decide which party controls Congress/ elect their representatives and other subnational officeholders

selective service system spec

register virtually all men residing in the United States. If a draft is ever needed, the process must be fair, and that fairness depends on having all eligible men register.

appropriation bill

money bills/ originate in the House of Representatives

franking privilege

benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free

lobbyist

most people in the legislative branch are what kind of

Minority Leader

Leading spokesperson and legislative strategist for the minority party in either the House or the Senate

women

Of the following groups, which is most underrepresented in Congress?

make laws

what is the main role of the legislative branch

constituents

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