[AP Gov Pol US] Chapter 4 Vocabulary

separation of powers

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judicial, in the same hands may justly be the definition of tyranny” (Federalist #47).

checks and balances

“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself” (Federalist #51).

House of Representatives

435 Members / 2-year terms / based on a population of 760,000

must be 25+ years old and a citizen for 7+

Senate

100 members / 6-year terms / 2 senators per state

must be 30+ years old and a citizen for 9+

delegate role

the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes.

trustee role

the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment.

politico role

emphasizes that Congress is a politicized body, and its members must balance their choices with their interests of constituents and their political party

Congressional responsibilities

representation - may consider themselves a delegate or trustee in their district

lawmaking - they may be attentive to the public, but each congress person may be influenced by their own values, philosophies and perception of interest

consensus building - work with their party members develop party ideas.

overseeing the bureaucracy - serve on committees to make laws and represent constituents

investigating - gathering facts related to legislation, assessing efficiency of exec. agencies, exposing corruption, enhance image of members

checks and balances - war making

Congress declares war, Senate ratifies treaties

President is the commander in chief and negotiates treaties

checks and balances - judicial authority

Congress creates lower federal courts, sets # of judges

Senate gives “advice and consent” over nominees

Executive nominations (ambassadors, bureaucratic heads, cabinet secretaries)

checks and balances - impeachment

House of Representatives charges (simple majority)

Senate holds the trial and convicts (2/3)

pork barrel spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.

logrolling

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation.

oversight

efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

constituency

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.

apportionment

the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.

Article I, Section II of the Constitution (representatives are reapportioned every 10 years)

redistricting

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

the majority party in the state legislature will create districts that are favorable to them

gerrymandering

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

partisan gerrymandering

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

majority-minority district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.

malapportionment

the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

incumbency

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.

incumbency advantage

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.

sophomore surge

an increase in the votes which the congressional candidates usually gets the first time they run for re-election

franking privileges

a perk which grants an elected official the right to send mail through the postal system for free, often simply by signing their name where the postal stamp would normally be placed

Speaker of the House

the leader of the House of Representatives,chosen by an election of its members.

political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

House majority leader

the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives.

whip

a member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

minority leader

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members.

Senate majority leader

the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.

committee chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda.

discharge petition

a motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.

House Rules Committee

a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.

Committee of the Whole

consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.

standing committees

formed to handle bills in different policy areas

joint committees

members are drawn from both the House and the Senate to deal with few policy issues

conference committees

formed when the Senate and the House pass different forms of a bill

select committees

appointed for a specific purpose

hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill.

unanimous consent agreement

an agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.

filibuster

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation.

cloture

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it.

veto

the power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections.

distributive policies

aimed at specific groups, selective in nature (narrowly concentrated)

redistributive policies

transfer wealth, resources, or power from one segment of society to another, typically to reduce inequality and promote a more equitable distribution

public policy

the action the government takes to solve a problem, deal with an issue, or meet the needs and wishes of its citizens.

political agenda

 the issues that require political action

public policy process

Agenda setting: What is the policy? What is important to the voting population? Congress must listen to public opinion and address those issues.

Policy formulation: What is the way to attack the policy? Action must be proposed which may require research, long and short-term goals, affected parties, and cost-benefit analysis.

Policy Adoption: a policy is submitted for a bill and receives congressional approval or disapproval

Policy implementation: Government agencies (bureaucrats) will apply the new rules of the policy in order to meet the specific goals.

Policy evaluation: the public and members of government will react to the new policy and decide if anything needs to be amended.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Tennessee counties each got one member for the state legislature, but some, like Shelby County, were significantly larger—leading to Baker’s concerns that his vote was devalued

redistricting issues present justiciable questions

federal courts have the authority to enforce the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause against state officials if the state legislative districts are disproportionate

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

North Carolina was redistricting to create a race-based majority-minority district (12th district)

the district violated the 14th amendment because it was so oddly drawn that it could only be a result of racial separation

Federalist 70 (Hamilton)

energy in the executive!

qualifications for president

natural-born citizen, 35+ years old, US resident for 14+ years

20th amendment (1933)

inauguration day set to Jan. 20th

22nd amendment (1951)

president can serve two terms (10 years maximum)

25th amendment (1967)

vacancy in presidency (temporary incapacitation, inability to fulfil duties, outside appearance of disability)

Presidential Succession Act of 1947

changed the order of presidential succession to what it is today; the cabinet members are ordered in the line of succession according to the date their offices were established

constitutional powers of the president

commander in chief, legislative / administrative / judicial powers