House of Representatives
representatives elected by each state
Senate
2 representatives from each state;advantageous for smaller states
bicameral
a legislature divided into 2 houses
gerrymandering
drawing of congressional districts to favor one political party or group over another
census
tool for understanding demographic changes; Constitution requires an annual one
redistricting
redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following a census
reapportionment
process of reallocating seats in the House every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census
two party system
several political parties exist
single member districts
only one representative is chosen from each district
entitlements
policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay x level of benefits to y number of recipients (Social Security)
legislative intent
when creating a legislation
Civil Rights Act of 1964
law that made racial discrimination against any group in hotels
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
law passed that requires employers and public facilities to make "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against these individuals in employment
amendments
revolution of change to a bill
mandatory spending
required government spending by permanent laws
discretionary spending
spending set by the government through appropriations and bills (operating expenses and salaries of gov. employees)
filibuster
strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation try to talk it to death
incumbency effect
tendency of those already holding office to win reelection due to advantages because they already hold office
Franking privilege
privilege that allows members of Congress to mail letters and other materials to constituents postage-free
legislative veto
ability of Congress to override a presidential decision
Speaker of the House
office mandated by the Constitution; Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority
Majority Leader
principal position ally of the Speaker of the House or the party's wheel horse in the Senate; responsible for scheduling bills
Whip
party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party
Voter Revolution of 1994
Republican Party success in 1994; US midterm elections--> a net gain of 54 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate (led by Newt Gingrich)
Rules Committee
determines the rules of debate for bills in the House
plurality
largest # of votes to be received by any candidate (not necessarily more than half the votes
fiscal policy
policy that describes the impact of the federal budget- taxes
monetary policy
based on monetarism
Riders (on a bill)
an addition or amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own merits
10th Amendment
powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution
informal/inherent powers
powers that exist for the national govt. because the govt. is sovereign
President
person who holds office of head of state of the US government
The SEC
Securities and Exchange Commission; federal agency created during the New Deal that regulates stock fraud
Social Security
any government system that provides monetary assistance to people with inadequate or no income; provides benefits
Iron Triangle
entities composed of bureaucratic agencies
Policy networks
explain differences in policy making and power in different policy sectors
lobbying
communication
Conference Committee
congressional committees formed when Senate and House pass a bill in different forms; party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a compromise bill
joint committee
congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses
select committee
congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose (ex. Watergate investigation)
congressional caucuses
association of congressional members who advocate a political ideology
seniority system
simple rule for picking committee chairs
trustee
legislator who uses his or her best judgement to make policy in the interests of the people
cloture motions
prevents filibustering and ends debate in the Senate
Ways and Means Committee
charged with reviewing and making recommendations for the gov. budgets; imposes taxes
divided government
one party controls the executive
Welfare Reform Act of 1996
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
Medicaid
federal and state funded program that provides healthcare for the needy
party coalitions
groups and interests that support a political party
legislative oversight
Congress' monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy
advise and consent power
allows Senate to constrain President's powers of appointment and treaty making
budget making process
creates US federal budget
pork barrel spending
gov. spending for localized projects to bring $$ to a representative district; legislation giving benefits to constituents through sometimes unnecessary or unwise projects within a state or district
open primary
elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests
blanket primary
elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all parties; voters can then select some Democrats and Republicans if they choose
casework
activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get
President Pro Tempore
high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the Vice President
Senate is less formal than House
only 100 Senators
House is more formal than Senate
435 reps--> harder to organize
reciprocity (logrolling) in Congress
exchange of political favors for support of a bill
advantages of incumbency in Congress
name recognition
interest groups
group of private citizens whose goal is to influence and shape public policy
Political Action Committees (PAC)
extensions of an interest group that contributes $$ to political campaigns
super PAC
form of a PAC that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of $$ from corporations
grassroots
average voter at the local level
mass media
all forms of communication that reach a large portion of the population
party dealignment
gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties
party realignment
displacement of majority party by minority party
Winner Take All
electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who came in first in their constituencies (in US
National Party Chairperson
appointed by committee as head of party
soft money
distributed from national political party organization that was not regulated b y law; restricted by Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002
straight ticket voter
voter voting for all candidates
linkage institutions
channels or access points through which issues and people's policy preferences get on the government's policy agenda (political parties
New Deal Coalition
alliance of Southern conservatives
National Party Convention
meeting of party delegates every 4 years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform
Proportional Representation
electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the # of votes won in an election
closed primary
only registered party members can vote
electioneering
direct group involvement in electoral process; groups can help fund campaigns
amicus curiae briefs
friend of the court
class action lawsuit
lawsuits permitting a small # of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated
free-rider problem
problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from group's activities without officially joining; the bigger the group --> more free-rider problem
union shop
provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period (30 days) and to remain members as a condition of employment
Right-to-Work Law
state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs
bureaucracy
departments and agencies in the executive branch.
Cabinet Departments
executive branch organizations responsible for specific areas of government policy and administration in the United States.
Executive Agencies
Federal agencies responsible for implementing and enforcing specific laws and policies under the direction of the President.
Independent Regulatory Commissions
Agencies with quasi-judicial powers
Created by Congress to regulate specific industries
Operate independently from the executive branch
Government Corporation
A legal entity created by the government to provide a public service or perform a specific function, operating separately from the government.
patronage/spoils system
Political practice where government jobs are given to supporters, not based on merit, leading to corruption and inefficiency.
merit based system
rewards individuals based on their achievements and qualifications rather than other factors like seniority or favoritism.