AP Gov Unit 2 - Mr. Kelly Valley High School

Petition for a writ of certiorari

filing in the Supreme Court asking them to hear your case

Constituents

A resident of a district or state represented by an elected official

Apportionment

Distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state

Appropriation

A legislative grant of money to finance a government program or agency

Impeachment

An action by the House of Representatives to accuse the president, vice president, or other civil officers of the United States of committing "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Oversight

Congressional review of the activities of an agency, department, or office.

Number of Representatives in the House

435 (allocated based on population)

Number of Senators

100 (2 per state)

Minimum Number of Representatives for a State

One

Population of America

300 million

Speaker of the House

An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant. (currently Kevin McCarthy) The most powerful member of the House of Reps.

President of the Senate

The Vice President of the US - (currently Kamala Harris)

Senate Majority Leader

First-ranking party position, held by a distinguished senior member of the majority party in the Senate. The Senate majority leader schedules floor actions on bills, and helps guide the majority party's legislative program through the Senate. (currently Chuck Schumer)

Senate Minority Leader

The party officer in the Senate who commands the minority party's opposition to the policies of the majority party and directs the legislative program and strategy of his or her party. (currently Mitch McConnell)

Party Whips

assists each floor leader, inform members when important bills will come up for a vote, do nose-counts for the leadership, and pressure members to support the leadership, used in both the House and Senate

17th Amendment

Passed in 1913, this amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.

Iowa's 3rd District Rep (our representative)

Zach Nunn - R

Term of a Member of the House

2 years

Term of a Member of the Senate

6 years

Bicameral

A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses

Power of the Purse

Constitutional power given to Congress to raise and spend money

Advice and Consent Powers

Power vested in the U.S. Senate by the Constitution (Article II, Section 2) to give its advice and consent to the president on treaties and presidential appointments.

Impeachment Trial

is a political procedure conducted by the Senate to determine whether an impeached official should be convicted and removed from office.

Presidential Impeachments

Andrew Johnson - violated Tenure of Office Act and Bill Clinton - lied in civil deposition testimony

Trump - Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress

Overriding a Veto

Congress can override the president's veto with a 2/3 majority vote.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers specifically delegated to it by the Constitution. It is also known as the "elastic clause" because of the vagueness of the phrase "necessary and proper."

Indirect Tax

A tax levied on one party but passed on to another in the price of goods and services, such that the ultimate consumer does not 'see' the tax (ex: fuel tax)

Direct Tax

A tax that must be paid by the person on whom it is levied

Deficit

The difference between the revenues raised annually from sources of income other than borrowing and the expenditures of government, including paying the interest on past borrowing.

Debt

The total amount of all money owed (the accumulation of all deficits less the amount of any surpluses).

Commerce Clause

Art. 1, Sec. 8 of the Constitution (enumerated power). Congress has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the several states ["Interstate Commerce Clause"], and with the Indians. Interpreted by the Supreme Court very broadly (Gibbons v. Ogden).

Pork Barrel Spending

Spending that is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support, either in the form of campaign contributions or vote, which are paid for by taxpayers generally

Pocket Veto

A veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it.

Roll-call vote

A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names. When roll calls were handled orally, it was a time-consuming process in the House. Since 1973, an electronic voting system permits each House member to record his or her vote and learn the total automatically.

Quorum

the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress

Committee of the Whole

A committee that consists of an entire legislative body; used as a procedure in which a legislative body expedites its business by resolving itself into a committee of itself to avoid needing to maintain a quorom

Discharge petitions

a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor

Concurrent resolutions

An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president.

bills of attainder

A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of attainder) is an act of the legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial

ex post facto laws

A law which punishes people for a crime that was not a crime when it was committed. Congress cannot pass these laws.

writ of habeas corpus

A court order directing a police officer, sheriff, or warden who has a person in custody to bring the prisoner before a judge to show sufficient cause for his or her detention. The purpose of the order is to prevent illegal arrests and unlawful imprisonment. Under the Constitution, the writ cannot be suspended, except during invasion or rebellion.

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

redistricting

Process by which representative districts are switched according to population shifts, so that each district encompasses approximately the same number of people

Baker v. Carr and Wesberry v. Sanders

Cases established that federal courts can hear suits seeking to force state authorities to redraw electoral districts to best ensure that each district be roughly equal to the population in all other districts "one person, one vote"

Strict Construction

way of interpreting the Constitution that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can take

Loose Construction

A way of interpreting the Constitution which holds that the words in the Constitution can be stretched or expanded upon, thus expanding the scope and power of the federal government

Expressed powers

powers directly stated in the Constitution

Implied Powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions

Inherent Powers

The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government

Standing Committees

permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area

Select Committees

Congressional committees appointed for a limited times and specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

Joint Committees

Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses.

Conference Committees

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

Filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

Cloture

A procedure used in the senate to limit debate on a bill (end a filibuster); requires 60 votes (3/5 ths of the Senators).

Riders

Amendments to bills, often in the form of appropriations, that sometimes have nothing to do with the intent of the bill itself and many times are considered to be pork barrel legislation

Ear Marking

provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees. (Form of pork barrel legislation)

Special Powers of the House of Reps

Introduce revenue bills, elect a President from the top candidates if no nominee receives a majority in the electoral college, Bring charges of impeachment.

Special Powers of the Senate

trials of impeachment are held in the senate(must be a 2/3 vote) they must approve all judicial appointments they approve all treaties made by the president.

President Pro Tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

Committee Chairs

The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.

Ranking Members

leader of the minority party members of the committee

Senate Judiciary Committee

Standing Senate committee charged with reviewing judicial affairs, including federal court nominations.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

One of the original ten standing committees, it is responsible for dealings with foreign countries including trade and diplomacy, hearings on ratifying treaties, as well as confirmation hearings for the secretary of state and ambassadors

Subpoena power

congress has the power to force someone to show up in a hearing and testify

Powers denied Congress

Cannot pass ex post facto laws, cannot issue "Bills of Attainder," cannot suspend the "Writ of Habeas Corpus," cannot issue titles of nobility

War Powers Act

Limits the ability of the president to commit troops to combat-48 hours to tell Congress when and why the troops were sent, they have 60-90 days to bring them home if they disagree

Power to Declare War

Power enumerated to Congress to check the President's power and Commander-in-Chief

House Qualifications

25 years old, citizen for 7 years, must live in the state you represent

Senate Qualifications

30 years of age, 9 year US citizen, Inhabitant of state represented.

Legislative Process

A bill can originate in the House of Reps or in the Senate. A bill is referred to a committee for consideration and then, if it's reported out of committee, is ready for full floor consideration. After all debate is concluded, the bill is ready for final passage. It must pass both bodies in the same form before it can be presented to the President for signature. The president may sign the bill/ veto it and return it to Congress/ let it become law without signature/ or at the end of the session, pocket veto it. (Art. I Section 7)

Who fills Senate Vacancies

Governor of the State

First power under Art. I section (lacking under the Articles of Confederation)

Taxation

Reapportionment in Iowa after the 2010 census

We lost a district and roughly divided the State into quadrants

Iowa's Senators

Chuck Grassley (R) and Joni Ernst (R) - generally considered much more powerful and influential than our Reps, based on their seniority, and committee roles

Recent Filibusters

Rand Paul against Obama's Drone Policy and Ted Cruz against Obamacare

Roughly how many constituents a member of the House represents

750,000 people

12th Amendment

Changed Electoral College voting to be separate President and Vice President (slates of candidates) and in the event of no majority gives the House the power to pick the President and the Senate the power to pick the VP

First Woman Speaker of the House

Nancy Pelosi

Party Caucus

Meeting of all the House members from a particular party

Poison-pill

A rider to a bill, that hopes to make it so objectionable that members won't pass what was otherwise a popular bill

Example of a poison pill

Addition of Sex to the classes protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Graft

Illegal use of political influence or power for personal gain (usually financial gain)

Perks of Congress

Salary ($174,000), travel expenses, paid staff, free mailing privileges (franking), Legal immunity for statements made in Congress and protection from arrest while in session and while traveling to and from Congress.

Surplus

When revenues exceed expenditures in the government's budget in a given year.

Balanced budget

Annual budget in which expenditures equal revenues

Rural areas -partisanship

Lean right (Republican)

Urban areas -partisanship

lean left (Democratic)

Areas with large numbers of ethnic and racial minorities

lean left (Democratic)

Coastal areas - partisanship

lean left (Democratic)

Southern areas - partisansip

lean right (Republican)

Legislative services agency in Iowa

non-partisan group that draws map for redistricting

delegate model of representation

The view that an elected represent should represent the opinions of his or her constituents.

trustee model of representation

a model of representation in which a member of the House or Senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions

Iron Triangles

A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. They dominate some areas of domestic policy making.

Packing

Gerrymandering strategy of grouping similar people together

Cracking

a Gerrymandering strategy of spreading voters of one type over many districts where they will be unable to win elections

Commander in Chief

The role of the president as supreme commander of the military forces of the United States and of the state National Guard units when they are called into federal service

Foreign Policy

A nation's overall plan for dealing with other nations

Head of State (Chief Diplomat)

The executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally.

- President is lead negotiator with other nations, and conducts talks both in treaties and crisis resolution

- executive agreements seem to be creating more presidential power in this area