Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
What are the two houses in the bicameral legislature structure of Congress?
House of Representatives and Senate
What is the length of the term for the Senate and what do they represent?
6 years and they represent their entire state
What is the length of the term for the House and what do they represent?
2 years and represent their district
When do terms begin?
January 3
How long does each term in Congress last?
two years
How long is each session in Congress?
1 year
How long does Congress remain in session?
until members vote to adjourn; neither house can adjourn for more than 3 days without approval of the other house
Can the President call Congress back into special session if necessary (emergency)?
Yes
How many members are in the House?
435
What is an at large district?
a state which only has one representative for the entire state
What are the qualifications to be in the House?
at least 25 years old, U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, legal resident of state they represent (usually live in their district)
When are elections held for the House?
November of even-numbered years (off-year elections)
What can districts do to fill vacant seat?
hold a special election
What is taken every 10 years to assign representatives based on population (reapportionment)?
the Census
Around how many people does each district contain?
710,000 people
After the census what happens to district lines?
states redraw them after reapportionment (redistricting)
What is gerrymandering?
illegally redrawing district lines to give one political party an electoral advantage; “packing” vs. “cracking”
How many senators are there?
100 members (2 per state)
What are the qualifications to be a member of the Senate?
at least 30 years old, U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, legal resident of the state they represent
When are elections held for the Senate?
November of even-numbered years
If there’s an empty seat in the Senate what happens?
the governor can appoint someone to fill vacant seat or state can hold a special election
What is the salary of the House and Senate and how is that salary set?
House & Senate set their own salaries; they can vote for a pay raise but it won’t go into effect until after the next election (27th Amendment); salary of $174,000/year
Can members of Congress accept honoraria (money paid for speeches)?
no, its prohibited
What is franking?
free postage for official business
What are some perks members of Congress receive?
free stationery, medical clinic, gymnasium, dining room & cafeteria
What do members of Congress receive allowances for?
to pay for staff, trips home, cell phones (official use), newsletters
What tax deductions do members of Congress get?
income tax deduction for two residences
Once a member of Congress retires what is their pension?
up to 80% of their final salary; 401(k) plan
How long must a member of Congress serve to receive pension?
minimum of 5 years
When attending Congress or on the way to/from Congress, what are Congressmen free from?
arrest “except for treason, felony & breach of the peace”
If a Congressman says something, can they be sued?
no, they cannot be sued for anything said on floor of Congress
How can Congress refuse to seat new members?
by majority vote
How can Congress punish and expel members?
2/3rds vote
What is censuring?
for lesser offenses; vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions
How many total members of Congress are there?
535, plus one delegate each from Washington, D.C., Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas Islands, Virgin Islands & 1 resident commissioner from Puerto Rico; 1 delegate-designate from Cherokee Nation
What can the delegates from US territories do?
Can’t vote on final passage of a bill, but can attend sessions, introduce bills, debate bills, and vote in committees
What are the former jobs most commonly held by members of Congress?
almost half are lawyers, but others are teachers, businesspeople, bankers, & doctors
What are the demographics of the members of Congress?
Half are white, 23% represent various racial & ethnic minorities; 27% are women
What are incumbents?
those officials already in office
What reelection rate do incumbents have?
90%
Why are incumbents more likely to be reelected?
raise funds more easily, district could be gerrymandered in their favor, better nown to their voters (TV, social media, etc.); “the devil you know”, casework
What is casework?
solving voter problems
What do each member of Congress have?
Websites, virtual town halls, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
How many minutes are each member of the House allotted during debate?
5 minutes or less
Where is most work completed in the House?
committees who study & shape bills
Who selects its leaders, committee chairs, & control flow of legislative work?
majority party
What is not permitted in the House relating to voting?
absentee voting
What is the Speaker of the House?
presiding officer; elected by caucus
What is caucus?
private meeting of majority party
What are the roles/responsibilities of the Speaker of the House?
recognize members to speak, schedule bills for action, refer bills to committees; follows VP in line of succession to the presidency
What is the majority leader?
top assistant to Speaker; plan party’s legislation, steer bills through House, make sure committees finish work on bills; elected by party
What are whips?
assistants to floor leader; monitor how party members intent to vote, persuade undecided members to vote, and make sure party members are present to vote
What does the minority part of the House also have?
minority leader, and minority whip
What is the first step in creating a bill in the House?
proposed bill is introduced and read aloud; Speakers sends bill to appropriate committee for review (most bills die in committee; only 10-20% survive)
What is the second step in creating a bill in the House?
if committee reports favorably, bill placed on House calendar which lists the order of bills for Congress to consider
What can the Rules Committee do in the House?
move bills up/down on calendar, set time limits for debate and limit revision of bills, and block bills from reaching the floor
What is quorum?
minimum number of members needed to act on bills
What is the quorum in the House?
218
After the bill survives the committees and is debated in the House what happens?
House votes to pass/reject bills
Who is the President of Senate?
the Vice President
What does the President of Senate do?
cannot participate in debate; can only vote in the event of a tie
Because the VP is rarely present who presides in the Senate?
President Pro-Tempore (majority party; longest serving member)
Does the Senate also have other leaders?
yes, majority and minority leaders; whips
What procedure do bills follow in the Senate?
the same procedure in House BUT NO RULES COMMITTEE
Who controls the flow of bills to committees and the floor?
Senate leaders
How long can members of the Senate debate for?
unlimited amounts of time
What are the 2 calendars of the Senate?
Calendar of General Orders (bills) & Executive Calendar (presidential treaties & nominations)
How are bills brought on the floor in the Senate?
unanimous consent
What do Senators do to alert party leaders about bills they would object
hold bills
What is filibustering?
stalling legislative process to prevent voting; only way to end debate is vote of cloture
What is a vote of cloture?
60 senators vote to end debate & go to final vote
What is the cloture rule not needed for?
presidential nominees except Supreme Court nominees
What do committees do?
craft bills, hear testimony, propose amendments to bills, vote to send bill to House/Senate
What is the role of committees in Congress?
Divide work of Congress into smaller groups; lawmakers specialize on certain issues; select those few bills worthy of further consideration; work on compromises for bills; help the public learn about key issues
What are subcommittees?
a group within a committee that specializes in a subcategory of an issue
What are the 4 types of committees?
standing, select, joint & conference
What are standing committees?
permanent committees
What are select committees?
temporary (can be renewed); studies one issue & reports findings to Congress
What are joint committees?
temporary/permanent; members from both houses; studies a topic & reports findings to Congress
What are conference committees?
temporary; members from both houses to create one version of a bill passed by both houses
Who run committee meetings?
chairpersons
What is the seniority system?
longest serving member from majority party will be the chairperson
Who do members of Congress rely on?
staff to write bills, keep informed on issues, listen to constituents, write committee reports & attend meetings, write speeches
What are the personal staff of a Congressman?
administrative assistant (AA)
legislative director (LD)
legislative assistants (LAs)
press secretary
caseworkers
What do administrative assistants (AA) do?
runs lawmaker’s office as chief of staff
What do legislative directors (LD) do?
briefs lawmaker on legislative issues & leg. agenda
What do legislative assistants (LAs) do?
keep lawmaker informed about bills; research & draft bills; writes speeches
What do press secretary do?v
draft press releases, conduct town hall meetings, schedule press conferences
What do caseworkers do?
handle requests for help from constituents
Who are committee staff?
same as personal staff, but they work for committee directly
What is the Library of Congress (LOC)?
world’s largest library; over 155 million items; handles requests from lawmakers, committees & staff for information
What is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)?
coordinates budget work of Congress, study budget proposals of president & project costs of programs
What is the Government Accountability Office (GAO)?
watchdog of Congressional spending; oversees how money is spent & recommends budget cuts
What is the Government Printing Office (GPO)?
digital record of all bills, committee hearings, congressional speeches, congressional voting records, etc.; promotes transparency in government
What are private bills?
deal with individual people/places (immigration problem, claims against government); very few of these bills
What are public bills?
general matters that apply to the nation (taxes, gun control, healthcare, civil rights, abortion, etc); majority of bills
What are resolutions?
make policy on an unusual/temporary matter
What are joint resolutions?
passed in both houses; has the force of law when signed by president, correct an error in a previous law, appropriate money for special purpose, propose a constitutional amendment, declare war
What are simple resolutions?
matters only affecting one house; no force of law, not sent to president, chamber rules, creating select committee, censure, etc.
What are concurrent resolutions?
both houses, but no law is needed; no force of law, not sent to president, date or Congressional adjournment, express congressional opinion
Note 
Flashcard (80)