AP Gov.. unit 4

Congress

Legislative Branch

Senate

the upper house of Congress, consisting of two representatives from each state

House of Representatives

lower house of congress based on state population

constituencies

a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body.

Coalitions

a combination or alliance, especially a temporary one between persons, factions, states

Presidential term length

* one term of four years
* only two terms

Presidential Formal Powers Examples

Veto power, command armed forces, pardoning power, appointment powers, make treaties, convene Congress

Presidential Informal Powers Examples

The power to go public, power of persuasion, make executive agreements, issue executive orders, issue signing statements, create & use bureaucracy, personality and leadership, and make legislative proposals.

Enumerated Powers

political power specifically delegated to a governmental branch by a constitution

Implied Powers

powers of U.S. government which have not been explicitly granted by the Constitution but that is implied by the necessary and proper clause to be delegated for the purpose of carrying out the enumerated powers.

Federal Budget

a plan for the federal government's revenues and spending for the coming year

Raising Revenue

income tax, cooperate tax, estate tax, customs

Coining Money

the power of the legislative branch to print money (coins and bills) for use

Necessary & Proper Clause

constitutional authorization for Congress to make any law required to carry out its powers

Debate rules

In the House, the Rules Committee has a lot of power in controlling time and rules of debate.

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Debate rules

In the Senate, there is no Rules Committee, so limits on debate come through unanimous consent, cloture, or filibuster.

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

Paul Ryan

President of Senate

The vice president acts as the president of the Senate. In the vice president's absence, that position is filled by the president pro tempore, who is usually the most senior senator of the majority party.

Filibuster

the process or an instance of obstructing legislation by means of long speeches and other delaying tactics: a loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question

Cloture

debate on the topic at hand must end, and a vote is taken immediately.

Unanimous consent

an agreement by all members present on anything requiring a yes or no decision

Holds

parliamentary procedure permitted by the Standing Rules of the Senate which allows one or more Senators to prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor.

EXAMPLES of hold

secret or anonymous hold - Senator told privately.

Example of hold

Senatorial hold-objects on the Senate floor or the hold is publicly revealed,

Rules Committee

a legislative committee responsible for expediting the passage of bills exists only in the House of Representatives

Committee of the whole

a device in which a legislative body or other deliberative assembly sits as a single committee with all assembly members being committee members.

discharge petition

a special tactic used to extract a bill from a committee to have it considered by the entire House

Treaty Ratification

Senate ratifies a treaty with 2/3 majority

Confirmation process

Senate confirmations became the arena for bitter partisan battles, particularly in regard to appointments to the Supreme Court and to cabinet or sub-cabinet positions.

discretionary spending

government spending implemented through an appropriations bill. This spending is an optional part of fiscal policy(budget)

Mandatory spending

Required govt spending by permanent laws

Entitlement programs

Government benefits that certain qualified individuals are entitled to by law

Pork Barrel Legislation

The practice of legislators obtaining funds through legislation that favors their home districts.

logrolling

the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other's proposed legislation.

Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

gridlock

A situation in which government is incapable of acting on important issues.

trustee model of representation

a representative who votes based on what he or she thinks is best for his or her constituency; provided leeway in making decisions

delegate model of representation

is a representative who acts according to the wishes of his constituents; generally a "mouthpiece of the constituents"

Presidential veto

When a regular veto is used, the president rejects a bill sent to him/her by Congress. Congress can overturn a regular presidential veto with a 2/3 majority vote of both houses.

pocket veotes

slightly sneaky way for a president or governor to veto a bill. If Congress gives the president a bill and the president doesn't sign or reject it, the bill isn't passed.

lame duck

in politics, is an elected official who is approaching the end of their tenure, especially one whose successor has already been elected

Foreign Policy

a government's strategy in dealing with other nations.

Commander in chief

The role of the president as supreme commander of the military forces of the United States and of the state National Guard units when they are called into federal service

Executive agreements

an international agreement, usually regarding routine administrative matters not warranting a formal treaty, made by the executive branch of the US government without ratification by the Senate.

Executive Branch Appointments

president must seek Senate approval of many different appointments. Once a president appoints the individual, the Senate holds hearings in the appropriate committee, if the committee approves the appointment the name is sent to the full Senate for approval with a simple majority. Called "advice and consent".

Presidential Cabinet

group of officials who head government departments and advise the President

Ambassadors

an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.

White House Staff

The president's personal assistants and advisors

Life-tenured

service during good behavior is a term of office that lasts for the office holder's lifetime

Executive order

a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law; not needing the approval of Congress

Executive privilege:

power of the president to protect the privacy interests of the executive branch.

Independent regulatory commissions

issue regulations, enforce penalties for violations of their regulations. The heads of the independent regulatory agencies are appointed by the president and require Senate approval. Key examples include: FTC, FDA, FCC, OSHA, EPA, CPSC, FEC.

Government corporations:

non-profit companies owned by the federal government. Key examples: Amtrak, FDIC, TVA, USPS.

Independent Executive Agencies:

governmental units that closely resemble a Cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility and perform services over a specific area of concern rather than regulatory functions; NASA

Pendleton Act (1883):

did away with the Jacksonian spoils system, set up merit as the criteria for hiring, promoting, and firing federal employees. Also enforced the regulation that civil service employees could not take part in partisan politics.

Presidential appointment process:

president must seek Senate approval of many different appointments. Once a president appoints the individual, the Senate holds hearings in the appropriate committee, if the committee approves the appointment the name is sent to the full Senate for approval with a simple majority. Called "advice and consent".

Formal qualifications for the President:

35 years old, natural-born citizen, resident of the US for 14 years.

civil service

the group of people whose job it is to carry out the work of the government

Merit system

A system of employment based on qualifications, test scores, and ability, rather than party loyalty

State of the Union

a yearly address delivered each January by the president of the US to Congress, giving the administration's view of the state of the nation and plans for legislation.

Bully pulpit

a position of authority or public visibility, especially a political office, from which one may express one's views (President)

Rule making authority

process by which federal agencies implement legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by the President.

Precedents

How similar cases have been decided in the past.

Stare decisis

In court rulings, a reliance on past decisions or precedents to formulate decisions in new cases

Judicial activism

the practice in the judiciary of protecting or expanding individual rights through decisions that depart from established precedent or are independent of or in opposition to supposed constitutional or legislative intent — compare judicial restraint.

Judicial Restraint

theory of judicial interpretation that encourages judges to limit the exercise of their own power. It asserts that judges should hesitate to strike down laws unless they are obviously unconstitutional,

Expansive Interpretation

liberal interpretation that employs a statutory provision (expand on the subject matter of the statute, or law, to provide more information about who the law applies to, when it applies and what the penalties are for violating it) to a case involving ambiguity in its literal words.

Marbury v Madison

forms the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the Constitution

Judicial Review

The power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action

Federalist \# 78

discusses the importance of an independent judicial branch and the meaning of judicial review. The Constitution proposes the federal judges hold their office for life, subject to good behavior.

appropriation

refers to the act of designating a certain amount of money for a specific use. The term is often used in reference to budgeting and the creation of spending bills.

Article III

judicial branch of the federal government. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of the United States and lower courts as created by Congress.

Dept. of Homeland Security

responsible for protecting the United States and its territory from terrorism and large-scale disasters, and for responding to such events when they occur. It was established in 2002 in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Dept of Transportation

Office of the Secretary and eleven individual Operating Administrations

Department Veterans Affairs

second-largest cabinet department, the VA coordinates the distribution of benefits for veterans of the American armed forces and their dependents. The benefits include compensation for disabilities, the management of veterans' hospitals, and various insurance programs.

Department of Education

federal executive branch responsible for providing federal aid to educational institutions and financial aid to students, keeping national educational records, and conducting some educational research.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

December 1970 by an executive order of United States President Richard Nixon. The EPA is an agency of the United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and environmental health.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

independent regulatory agency whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections.

Security and Exchange Commission (SEC)

regulatory body that was established as a result of the Securities Act of 1934. Founded after the stock market crash of 1929, the SEC is the federal agency responsible for the oversight and enforcement of laws pertaining to the securities industry

whips

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

minority leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Congressional Committees

committee deals w/ specific topic, MOST OF THE WORK IN congress goes through committees

Iron Triangle:

interrelationship among;

Agencies, Committee,interest groups

Congressional oversight:

the watchdog responsibility of congressional committees with the goal of preventing waste and fraud, ensuring civil liberties and civil rights, gathering information in the lawmaking process, and evaluating the executive branch.

joint committees

congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses.

conference committees

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill

select committees

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

committee chairs

The most important influences of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.

incumbents

Those already holding office.

caucus

A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Most are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.

Bill

A proposed law, drafted in precise, legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration

Bureacracy

A large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization

gerrymandering

manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.

redistricting

the process by with district lines are drawn within the confines of the mandate number of representatives per state-controversial power that is governed by state law and performed by State Legislatures

reapportionment

reallocating House seats every 10 years based on census

mal-apportionment

boundaries that are unequal in population

Shaw V. Reno

NO racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts.

Baker V Carr

case that est. one man one vote. this decision created guidelines for drawing up congressional districts and guaranteed a more equitable system of representation to the citizens of each state

Concurrent resolution

a resolution adopted by both houses of a legislative assembly that does not require the signature of the chief executive and that does not have the force of law.

Senate term length

* serve six-year terms
* staggered over even years so that only about 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection during any election