AP Government: Congress Notes

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering the structure, powers, rules, procedures, and concepts of the United States Congress based on AP Government lecture notes.

Advice and Consent

The power of the Senate to consult and approve the president's treaties and appointments, and Congress's power to approve a new Vice President.

Bicameral

A legislature consisting of two chambers; the United States Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Enumerated Powers

Powers given specifically to the national government; for Congress, those powers are listed in Article 1 Section 8, including coining money, taxing, and declaring war.

Implied Powers

Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution, in accordance with the necessary and proper clause.

House of Representatives

The chamber of Congress elected by the people, proportionate to the amount of citizens (originally 1 representative for every 30,000, with slaves counted as 3/5); members serve 2-year terms and population is re-evaluated every 10 years with the census.

Coalitions

A combination of groups of people who work together to achieve a political goal; coalitions form among legislators who work together to advance or defeat a particular bill.

Power of the Purse

The authority invested in Congress—and in particular, the House of Representatives under Article I, Section 7—to tax and spend public money for the national government.

Senate

The upper house of Congress based on equal representation, meaning each state has two senators; senators serve six-year terms, with one-third of the Senate up for re-election every two years.

War Powers Act

A law requiring that the president must consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and withdraw forces after 60 days unless an extension or declaration of war is granted by Congress.

Bill

A legislative proposal that becomes law if passed by both the House and Senate and approved by the President.

Law

A bill that is agreed to by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President.

Sponsor

The person who introduces a bill to the floor for debate and voting; usually a member of the committee that the bill comes from.

Open Rule

A rule decided upon by the House Rules Committee that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to a bill.

Closed Rule

A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments.

Floor Debate

Discussion of a bill on the floor, controlled by the Speaker of the House.

Reported Out

The condition of a bill when it has been agreed upon by a committee and is ready for floor debate.

Mark-Up

The process by which a U.S. congressional committee debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation.

Committee of the Whole

A Congressional committee that includes all members of the House of Representatives, meeting in the House Chamber for the consideration of measures under relaxed procedural rules.

Conference Committee

A special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two chambers of Congress in different forms.

Joint Committee

A committee made up of members of both houses of Congress.

Rules Committee

A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules governing debate length, scheduling, and open or closed amendment rules for specific bills; known as the most powerful committee and the 'traffic cop' of the House.

Select Committees

Committees selected for a specific purpose.

Ways & Means Committee

The House committee that determines tax policy; bills involving revenue must start in the House of Representatives.

Standing Committee

A permanent legislative body in Congress with specified legislative responsibilities.

Subcommittee

A group within a standing committee that specializes in a subcategory of its standing committee's responsibility.

Discharge Petitions

A method of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee; used when a committee chair refuses to place the bill on the committee's agenda.

Unanimous Consent

An agreement on the rules of debate for proposed legislation in the Senate that is approved by all members.

Senate Majority Leader

The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy.

President of the Senate

The Vice President of the United States, who presides over the Senate and can vote in case of ties.

President Pro Tempore

A position chosen by the majority party who serves as president of the Senate in the absence of the Vice President.

Speaker of the House

The leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives.

Whip

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

Cloture Rule

A procedure used in the Senate for ending a debate and taking a vote; requires 60 votes and ends a filibuster.

Quorum

The minimum number of members of Congress that must be present at any meeting to make the proceedings valid, defined as half plus 1.

Filibuster

A lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill, used only in the Senate as a weapon of the minority to force the majority to compromise.

Bill Signing

A written declaration that a president may make when signing a bill into law, usually pointing out sections of the law that the president deems unconstitutional.

Franking Privilege

A privilege that allows members of Congress to mail letters and other materials to constituents postage-free.

Debt

The sum of government deficits over time, representing the total amount the government owes.

Deficit

An excess of federal expenditures over federal revenues in one year.

Fiscal Policy

The way Congress can control the economy through taxing and spending.

Monetary Policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and interest rates via the Federal Reserve.

Discretionary Spending

A spending category about which government planners can make choices, with defense being the largest item.

Mandatory Spending

Government spending required by permanent laws, mostly comprising entitlements, which form the biggest part of the budget and are not up for review.

Germane

Changes to bills on the floor of the House that must relate directly to the bill being considered; non-germane amendments are typically not permitted in the House.

Hold

A practice by which Senators indicate disapproval of a bill or confirmation, signaling strong hesitation that will likely lead to a filibuster and allowing Senators to be informed of any status changes.

Logrolling

Vote trading among legislators; voting to support a colleague's bill in return for a promise of future support.

Omnibus Bill

A law that is accepted in a single vote by a legislature but packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects.

Pork-Barrel Spending

Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in a district or state in the hope of winning their votes in return, adding cost to legislation.

Rider

An addition or an amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but may not pass on its own merits.

Gridlock

The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government.

Delegate Model

A model of congressional voting—also known as the Representational View—where members vote to please constituents in order to be re-elected by voting how voters want them to.

Trustee Model

An explanation of congressional voting—also known as the Attitudinal View—which emphasizes the impact of a lawmaker's personal views.

Politico Model

A model describing a lawmaker who attempts to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles.

Gerrymandering

The drawing of Congressional districts to favor one political party or group over another.

Baker v. Carr

The Supreme Court case that established 'one man one vote,' creating guidelines for drawing congressional districts, guaranteeing equitable representation, and determining that federal courts can intervene in redistricting under the equal protection clause.

Racial Gerrymandering

The drawing of legislative district lines to favor a particular race.

Shaw v. Reno

A Supreme Court ruling stating that race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries, prohibiting racial gerrymandering in creating majority-minority districts.

Swing District

A congressional district in which the winner received less than 55 percent of the vote in a close election.

Majority-Minority District

A legislative district in which a racial minority group or groups comprise a majority of the district's total population.