UNIT 3 GOV TEST (LEGISLATIVE BRANCH)

what is the process of how a bill becomes a law (FRQ)

1. member of congress introduces bill

2. bill is then referred to a committee for study, consideration, and debate

3. after hearings, the committee or subcommittee will "mark up" the bill (amend or edit it)—changes must be approved by the house to become part of the bill

4. if the majority of the committee approves the bill, they will vote to report the bill out to the full House or Senate for debate

5. in House of Representatives, the Rules Committee establishes rules for debate for the bill

6. house debate the bill and add amendments if allowed--needs majority vote

7. the other house votes on the bill--needs majority vote

8. conference committee makes bills the same and both houses vote on the compromised bill

9. if bill passes, it gets sent to the president. The president can either sign it into law or veto

10. if President vetos, bill gets sent back. If two-thirds of both houses vote in favor of the bill, the veto is overridden

congressional oversight (FRQ)

Congress's monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of policy

-performed mainly through committee hearings

-also preformed through investigations

-oversight is more aggressive when the government is divided

What are the exclusive powers of the Senate and the House of Representatives?

-Senate: ratifies treaties

confirms appointments

holds impeachment trial

Elects vice president

-House of Representatives: initiates revenue bills

charges impeachment

elect president if there is a tie

Where do revenue bills originate?

House of Representatives

What is the group responsible for drawing district lines?

State legislature

seniority system

A simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. The member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled the chamber became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence.

What is importance of having a majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives?

If you have a majority in the Houses, the majority party will be the leaders of all the committees, which means that legislation that the party favors will be more easily passed

What is important about committee placement for members of congress?

people with larger political aspirations want to be a part of and especially the chairperson of impactful committees

Compare and Contrast the Senate and the House of Representatives

-Senate:

~Term length: 6 years

~Number determined by: every state gets 2

~rules are loose

~weaker leadership

-House of Representatives:

~Term Length: 2 years

~Number determined by: population

~rules are stringent

~stronger leadership

sconference 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.

What are the stated powers of Congress?

1. power to tax

2. power to borrow money

3. power to regulate commerce with states and other nations

4. power to establish citizenship and bankruptcy laws

5. power to coin money

6. power to punish counterfeiters of money and stocks

7. power to establish post offices and roads

8. power to regulate patents and copyrights

9. power to establish lower courts

10. power to establish piracy laws of the sea

11. power to declare war

12. power to raise and support the Army

13. power to raise and support the Navy

14. power to make rules for the regulation of naval forces

15. power to call a militia

16. power to regulate a militia

17. power to govern D.C. and properties in it for government purposes

18. necessary and proper clause

Who has the power to create lower federal courts?

Congress

Closed rule versus open rule for the House of Representatives

-closed: forbids adding amendments on the floor of the House

-open: allows adding amendments on the floor of the House

cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate

-requires majority now--used to be 60 votes

What is the delegate role in Congress?

member will vote the way his constituents would vote, regardless of the member's own beliefs

constituent

a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent

What is the trustee role in Congress

a member will vote the way they want to regardless of constituents' views because they feel like they have been entrusted by the people to represent them

What are the results of a divided government in both houses?

gerrymandering

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

enumerated powers

The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.

Who is in charge of fiscal policy?

Congress

incumbent advantage

-those already holding office are more likely to win

-due to NAME RECOGNITION, media coverage, franking privilege, ability to claim credit for policies, and CASEWORK

malapportionment

-drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population

-not allowed

What are the 3 most important committees in the House of Representatives and what do they do?

-Ways and Means: they deal with raising money (taxation)

-Appropriations: they deal with spending money (budget)

-Rules: they determine the rules for debate for every bill

which house is more restrictive in debate?

House of Representatives

unanimous consent in the Senate

-an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation

-however, if one Senator objects, the rules could change given debate

-shows the power that one Senator has

log rolling

the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other's proposed legislation.

pork barrel

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district.

Where do most bills die?

in a committee

What is the importance of standing committees

-they introduce bills

-people who stay in a standing committee for a long time become specialized and develop expertise in that particular area

How are the Supreme Court justices confirmed?

a majority of Senators have to vote to confirm them

Baker v Carr

this decision created guidelines for drawing up congresional districts and guaranteed a more equitable system of representation to the citizens of each state

how does pork barrel tie into incumbent advantage?

Pork barrel legislation helps to give the incumbent create a name for themselves because if a person votes for this legislation, they can take credit for it