AP Gov Chapter 4 vocabulary

Pork Barrel Spending

Pork Barrel Spending

Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.

Logrolling

Trading votes on legislation to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Oversight

Efforts by Congress to ensure laws are implemented and/or investigate president/executive branch. Conducting investigations/hearings.

Earmark

setting money aside for specific district or state.

Constituency

Body of voters in given area who elect a representative or Senator.

Apportionment

process of determining number of representative for each state.

Redistricting

States redraw boundaries of electoral districts following each census.

Gerrymandering

Intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Drawing district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

Majority-Minority Districts

Districts where voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.

malapportionment

Uneven distribution of population between legislative districts. Unconstitutional under 14th amendment

Incumbency

Political official currently in office

Incumbency Advantage

Advantages held by those in office during election

Speaker of the House

Leader of House of Representative. Powerful.

House majority leader

2nd in command in House.

Whip

Ensure party unity. collect info on how individuals and if they’re voting correctly .

Political Action Committees (PACs)

organization that raise money for candidates/campaigns.

“To make money and friends”

Senate Majority Leader

Most powerful position in Senate. Majority party.

Committee Chairs

Leader of Congressional committee. Considerable influence over committee agenda/process.

Discharge Petition

Motion filed by Congress move a bill out of committee and onto floor of House for voting.

House Rules Committee

Powerful committee determine when a bill will be debated/voted on. How long debated etc,

Committee of Whole

All member of House meet in chamber governed by different rule making easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.

Hold

delay placed on legislation by senator who object to bill

Unanimous Consent Agreements

agreement in Senate that set term for consideration of a bill

Filibuster

power to talk and talk a bill to death

Cloture

way to end a filibuster. 3/5 of Senate agree.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

established to assist the president in setting national spending priorities.

Entitlement Programs