AP GOV CONGRESS

bill

A proposal adopted by the US government to create a new law or change an existing one. They originate from the House or the Senate, and are enacted when it is approved by both chambers and signed by the president.

omnibus bill

large bill made of smaller bills on the same topic, accepted by a single vote, 1 bill with several measures

rider

an amendment or provision that is attached to a likely to pass legislative bill, often not similar to the original bill. 

christmas tree bill

A bill that has many unrelated riders attached to it, often to serve interest groups. Called christmas tree bill because the riders are like ornaments on a tree (bill).

earmark

Funds allocated to a specific program, project, or dedicated purpose; or specific tax or mandated fee exemptions. 

pork barrel projects

A rather metaphorical term for the appropriation of government funds/spending for local projects in one’s district

quorum/quorum call

A procedure used in both houses of Congress to bring the number of members who must be present to the floor so the legislative body can conduct its business. Each chamber needs a majority of its members present to conduct business. They will take a headcount and call a recess if there isn’t a quorum. 

Committee on the whole

A committee that all Representatives are part of to discuss legislation related to tax increases, appropriation (federal funding) bills, budget resolutions, legislation with many amendments, or any other major legislation. Rules differ from standard House meetings, such as only needing 100 members present.

filibuster

Rule that states a bill cannot be introduced when another member is speaking on the floor - leads to situations where an opponent may speak for a long period of time about an unrelated topic to prevent the passing of the bill 

cloture

a rule under which the senate can stop a filibuster with three fifths of the senate voting in favor of stopping with filibuster

sunset provision for a law

A provision in a law that sets a date to terminate the law that fails if legislation is not passed to extend such law beyond the sunset date.

nuclear option

a vote that can be held by the majority party to prevent interference from the minority party, the rules change and only a majority vote of 51 is needed to make a decision. 

simple resolution

a legislative proposal that concerns one chamber of Congress. It is used for internal chamber affairs, and only requires action from that chamber. They can establish rules, procedures, or to express sentiments.

concurrent resolution

expresses a “sentiment” by Congress, and can be used to make or amend rules that apply to both houses but is not a law. Passed by both the House and the Senate.

joint resolution

must be passed by both the House of Reps and Senate and get approved by the President. They become law the same way as bills. However, for fixing an amendment, Congress doesn’t need to consult the president. Usually used for special occasions.

pocket veto

an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session.

standing committee

permanent panels who cover broad policy areas. They hold hearings to review bills, sessions to discuss amendments, and report bills to be debated by the full House or Senate. 

select committee

temporary committees with a timeline to complete a specific task. They research specific issues and oversee government agencies.

joint committee

committees with members of both houses of Congress. They have limited jurisdiction (normally lack the authority to report legislation) and debate and report on matters concerning Congress rather than issues of public policy. 

conference committee

temporary committees composed of members from both houses of Congress formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has been passed in both chambers. They usually convene to resolve bicameral differences in major/controversial legislation.

caucus

 a group of members from Congress who strive towards a common governmental objective or who share a general idea/interest. This is different from a committee because members of a caucus can join without the need for being appointed and there is no limit on how many members may join

membership requirements for committees

house - 25 years of age, a citizen of the US for at least 7 years, a resident of the state 

senate - 30 years of age, a citizen of the US for at least 9 years, a resident of the state you represent 

descriptive representation

A belief that constituents are more effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in such key demographic characteristics as race, gender, ethnicity, or religion.

substantive representation

the ability of a legislator to represent the agenda or interests of a group to which he or she does not personally belong.

reapportionment as a necessity of shifting populations

process of redistributing the seats in the House of Representatives among the states based on the latest census data.

occurs every ten years after the national census is conducted, adjusting how many representatives each state has

malapportionment

the unequal distribution of population among legislative districts or constituencies

gerrymandering

process of manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to favor one political party over another.

delegate model

representatives should vote according to the wishes of their constituents

trustee model

representatives use their own discretion  when voting, voting their conscience on issues

party unity vote model

when representatives vote along party lines; often creating a split vote

politico model

Hybrid model theory that representatives vote using different models depending on the issue

delegate when the issue is well know by the public, trustee at other points

bill => law timeline

• any bill dealing with money starts in the house, but other bills can go through either house of Congress

• bill is assigned to a specific committee where it is reviewed, debated, and amended

• subcommittees may review the bill as well

• rules committee(HoR)/markup period where the committee revises the bill and makes any necessary changes

• floor debate - the bill is debated by the full chamber (Senate or HoR) and voted on

• If the bill passes one chamber, it is then sent to the other chamber where it goes through a similar process

• conference committee - reconciles differences in opinion towards the bill

• final bill is sent to the president where he can sign into law or veto. if he doesn’t sign it into law in a specific time frame and Congress is still in session, it can become law without his signature.

simple resolution

legislative measure passed by one house

used for matters such as establishing the rules under which each body will operate.

joint resolution

legislative measure frequently employed for such matters as constitutional amendments, continuing appropriations, establishing permanent joint committees, and corrections of errors in existing law.

Becomes law when approved by both Chambers and signed by the president