ap gov u3

435

number of seats/members currently in the house of representatives

25

house reps have to be __ years old

7

house reps must have been a US citizen for at least _ years prior to election

10

house seats are reapportioned every __ years

reapportionment

the redividing of seats in the house

redistricting

the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries within a state

gerrymandering

the practice of manipulating district boundaries to favor a specific political party

incumbent

an official who currently holds an elected office

challenger

a political candidate running against the current officeholder

open seat

an election in which no current officeholder is running

impeachment

the process by which a legislative body brings charges against a government official, typically resulting in trial and possible removal from office.

rules committee

the committee in the House of Representatives that determines the rules for debate and amendments on proposed legislation.

discharge petition

a procedure that allows an absolute majority in the House to bypass leadership and bring a bill out of committee for debate and voting

speaker of the house

the most powerful member of the house; controls legislative movement and committee assignments

house majority leader

schedules bills on the floor of the house

minority leader

organizes the opposition party

party whips

enforce strict party discipline (getting all the members of the same party to vote the same way); secure necessary votes during floor counts

100

# of members in the senate

6

senators serve __ year terms; staggered elections mean only 1/3 of the senate is up for election every two years

3

number of classes in the senate

30

senators must be __ years old

9

senators have to be a US citizen for _ years before holding office

advice & consent

senate’s ability to confirm presidential appointments, including cabinet and judicial nominees, via majority vote

fillibuster

senate legislative procedure permitting unlimited debate on the floor to delay or prevent votes on crucial bills or nominations

cloture

motion to end a filibuster

3/5

a cloture requires a __ majority to pass

president pro tempore

longest serving majority member in the senate; presides if the VP is absent; 3rd in presidential sucession

senate majority leader

the senate’s most powerful member; controls the floor calendar

standing committee

a permanent panel managing a broad sector like agriculture

conference committee

a temporary, unified panel built to reconcile differing versions of a bill

select committee

a temporary investigative body for a specific issue

joint committee

includes members from both houses to handle shared structural duties

divided government

situation in which one party controls the executive branch while the other party controls the legislative

unified government

situation in which one party controls both the executive and legislative branches

power of the purse

ability of congress to regulate the federal budget

pocket veto

when the President receives a bill but is unable to reject and return the bill to an adjourned Congress within the 10-day period