congress review

censure

formal statement of disapproval or harsh criticism

Bill introduced in House vs. Senate:

10-20% of “bills” makes it to the floor for House vote, goes through Committees →negotiated, changed, a quorum must be presented for an official vote

census

population count, determines the number of representatives per state, each rep has a district (~750k people) (done every 10 yrs)

Qualifications for House:

have specialized skills, min. 25 years old, 7 year U.S. citizen, resident of the state at the time of election

Speaker of house

• chosen by majority party, win majority of votes

Qualifications for Senate:

30 years old, 9 years U.S. citizen, resident of the state at time of election 

Bicameral legislation

a legislative body consisting of 2 chambers to check on power

Cloture

a method of ending debate, secures an immediate vote

Whips

an official who monitors political party, “political enforcer”, so party members wouldn’t vote based on their individual beliefs

gerrymandering

is the manipulation of district boundaries by legislators to favor one party, often created irregular shaped districts.

redistricting

1. is the general process of redrawing district lines to reflect population changes based on the census. It can be done fairly or be influenced by gerrymandering. 

Quorum

 minimum number of members of a group or organization present at the meeting

Library of Congress

national library that provides research and analysis for the legislative process 

Joint Committees:

consists of members from Senate and House focusing on mutual concerns

Standing Committees

permanent committees seeking administrative efficiency and economy

Subcommittee

division of standing committees, more focused examination

Select Committees

temporary committees formed to investigate issues

Conference Committees

joint committee to reconcile differences between House and Senate

Constituents

the people who lives in a certain area that is represented by an elected official

Filibuster

Senate allows unlimited debate, talk continuously prevents a vote, can be stopped by ⅗ vote

VP’s role in Senate:

break a tie vote 

Pro tempore

for the time being,” preside over Senate when Vice president is absent

27th Amendment

prevents any laws that changes the Congress’s salary from taken effect until after the next election of representatives