Congress Unit (U.S. Government)

Representative

a member of Congress who serves for 2 years; number of them per state depends on population

Senator

a member of Congress who serves for 6 years; only 2 per state

House of Representatives

435 total members; "lower house" of Congress

25

Required age to be a Representative

30

Required age to be a Senator

reapportionment

the redistribution of seats in the House of Representatives after the census is taken

gerrymandering

the purposeful redrawing of state districts that gives one political party an advantage for future elections

census

the measure of our country's population; occurs every 10 years

Senate

100 total members; "upper house" of Congress

bill

an idea

law

an idea that has gone through the legislative process and has been signed by the president

veto

the President's power to say "no" to a bill

veto override

Congress can "cancel" a veto with a 2/3 vote in BOTH chambers

President of the Senate

the Vice President of the United States

Senate Majority Leader

the spokesperson for the majority party in the Senate; decides what bills get introduced (John Thune - R)

Senate Minority Leader

the spokesperson for the minority party in the Senate (Chuck Schumer - D)

Speaker of the House

the highest ranking member of the House of Representatives; decides what bills get introduced (Mike Johnson)

constitutents

the everyday citizens that are represented by Representatives and Senators

Congress

name for the Legislative Branch

Pennsylvania's US Senators

John Fetterman; Dave McCormick

LM's Two Representatives

Madeleine Dean; Mary Gay Scanlon

Our Congressional District

PA-04

equal representation

each state has the same number of representatives (the Senate)

proportional representation

each state gets a number of representatives that is relative to the population of the state (the House of Reps)

17

number of Congressional districts in PA (after 2020 census)

power of the Senate

"advise and consent" the POTUS' nominations for SCOTUS, other federal judgeships, Cabinet members, ambassadors, creation of treaties, etc.

power of the House

any change to the tax code must start in this chamber

step 1 of reapportionment

wipe the map clean

step 2 of reapportionment

every state gets 1 representative

step 3 of reapportionment

give states representatives based on population priority

why a state would redraw its map

the population in the state changed enough to gain or lose a representative

SCOTUS on gerrymandering

not their job to decide (too political of an issue) - leave it to US Congress and the states

swing state

a state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections (PURPLE)

safe state

a state that is going to almost always vote BLUE or RED

contiguous

Congressional districts must be one solid shape, no gaps

compact

Congressional districts must attempt to maintain county lines and other geographic divisions

incumbency rate

frequency with which a Congressperson gets reelected

incumbent

an elected official who holds office (the seat) already

oversee the bureaucracy

Congress holds hearings to ensure that leaders of executive agencies and departments are doing their jobs

fund the government

Congress must pass a budget every year

redistricting

the redrawing of Congressional district lines following the census

impeachment

two-step process that starts in the House with a vote and ends in the Senate with a trial

earmark

federal dollars devoted specifically to a local project in a congressional district or state

pork barrel legislation

laws passed by Congress that award money for local federal projects

pork

another name for an earmark

pros of earmarks

keeps constituents happy; gets Congressperson reelected; avoids raising local taxes

cons of earmarks

money used only benefits one community; Congress is already already deficit spending; billions spent on earmarks; controversial

connection between reelection and earmarks

constituents are more likely to reelect Congressperson who got a local project funded

politico

lawmaker who attempts to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles

partisan

lawmaker who votes along party lines (party loyalist)

delegate

lawmaker who acts as the agent of the people who elected him or her, even if it means going against his or her own views

trustee

lawmaker who acts according to her or his opinion, perhaps going against their constituent's wishes

reciprocity

I'll do you a favor, you do me a favor

logrolling

voting for a colleague's bill that means nothing to you, in exchange for their vote on your bill

rider

an addition to a bill, usually unrelated to the topic of the bill (not $$)

whip

a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking

House Minority Leader

Hakeem Jeffries (D - NY)

House Majority Leader

Steve Scalise (R - LA)