AP Gov Unit 2

Article I

Establishes bicameral legislature

Gives Congress its enumerated powers

TAXES COMMERCE COIN POST WAR MILITARY

Baker v. Carr

Baker argues that the 1901 law to reapportion TN’s federal assembly was ignored. This disregards significant economic growth and population shifts in the state

• Ruled in favor of Baker

  • Unequal districts would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amdt

  • SCOTUS has jurisdiction bc it’s a constitutional violation matter

  • Reduced rural overrepresentation, one person one vote principal

Shaw v. Reno

US Attorney General rejects NC reapportion plan b/c it only makes one black majority district. NC submits new plan w/ illogically shaped 2nd black district. White NC resident Shaw sues, saying that the 2nd district’s only purpose was to get more black representatives

• Ruled in favor of Shaw

  • Illogical shape exceeded what was necessary

  • Districts can’t be made based on race

17th Amendment

Changed Senator voting from state legislatures to citizens

Bicameral

Legislature divided into 2 chambers - HoR and Senate

House of Representatives

435 members, representation based on state population, 2 year terms

Senate

100 members, representation equally 2 senators, 6 year terms

Advice and consent powers

Senate suggests and confirms presidential appointments and treaties

Enumerated powers

Powers granted to Congress by Article I of the Constitution

Delegated powers

Powers granted to the federal government by the Constitution. Enumerated powers are a type of delegated power.

Implied powers

Governmental powers not explicitly written in the Constitution but reasonably deduced as necessary to carry out the government's expressed (enumerated) powers

Necessary and proper clause

Basis for implied powers, gives government power to make laws that aid in carrying out enumerated powers

Power of the purse

Congress’s power to tax, raise revenue, appropriate money, and control federal spending

Mandatory spending

Government spending that is required by law, like Social Security, Medicare, and interest on national debt

discretionary spending

Spending for each government department that is decided through a budget, like Defense and Education budget

deficit

When government spends more money than it raises

Coalitions

Groups of lawmakers who work together to achieve a shared legislative goal, sometimes across party lines.

Caucuses

Groups of members of Congress organized around a shared political party, identity, interest, or policy goal

Speaker of the House

Head of HoR, chosen from Majority party

• Great influence in lawmaking

President pro tempore

Vice president of the senate, longest serving senator of majority party

• Presides over senate when VPOTUS is absent

President of the Senate

VPOTUS. Casts vote if there is a tie

Rules Committee

House committee that determines when and how bill will be debated, whether amdts can be added, and all bills must pass through it

Select committees

Temporary committee created to investigate or study a specific, short-lived issue.

Conference committees

Temporary committee that irons out differences between House and Senate versions of a bill

Committee of the Whole

Procedure in which entire house meets, under less restricted debate and makes legislation faster

Joint committees

Committees of both House and Senate members, used for investigation and research

Majority leaders

Helps set legislative agenda and strategy for majority party in their chamber

Minority leaders

Helps set legislative agenda and strategy for minority party in their chamber

Whip

Counts their party’s votes and persuades party members to support the party’s position

Sponsor

Member who introduces a bill and works to gain support of it

Discharge petition

House procedure to force a bill out of committee and onto the floor, requires simple majority

Cloture rule

Senate procedure to end a filibuster, requires 3/5 majority

Filibuster

Senate tactic to delay or block legislation by extending or threatening extended debate

Logrolling

Legislators trade votes by agreeing to support each other’s legislation

“If you vote for mine, I’ll vote for yours”

Pork-barrel spending

Government funding for a specific project that benefits a legislator’s district, helping gain constituent support and often placed in riders

“Bringing home the bacon” to your town

rider

A provision added to a bill, sometimes nongermane (unrelated to the purpose of the bill)

Delegate model

Representatives act according to what their constituents want, even when they personally disagree

Politico model

Representatives use a combination of the delegate and trustee models, depending on the issue

Trustee model

Representatives use their own judgment and expertise to make decisions they believe are best for constituents.

Gerrymandering

Drawing electoral district boundaries to benefit a particular political party or group.

Racial gerrymandering

Drawing electoral districts primarily based on race; can violate the Equal Protection Clause when race is the predominant factor without sufficient constitutional justification (Shaw v Reno)

One-person, one-vote principle

Electoral districts should have roughly equal populations so that each person's vote carries approximately equal weight (Baker v Carr)

Swing district

A competitive congressional district in which neither major political party has a consistent advantage.