Federal Goverment Exam 2

what do committes do?

smaller groups in congress that study, investigate, and recommend action on laws and goverment issues before whole congress votes.

what is a filibuster and where does it happen?

Only occurs in senate, senators prolong debates to prevent or delay a vote on a bill. “talk a bill to death”

what ends a filibuster?

cloture- takes 60 votes

what is an open rule and who issues it?

members can debate a bill and offer amendments (changes) to it. This gives freedom to discuss and modify a bill. The house of rules committee issues this.

what is a closed rule and who issues it?

members have little time to debate a bill and no amendments are allowed. House must vote on the bill as it is presented to them. House of rules also issues this.

how many votes in senate does it take to overturn a veto?

2/3 vote in both house and senate. HOR- 290 out of 435 . S- 67 out of 100

process of a bill becoming a law in the house of rep. (fill out diagram)

1. speaker of house receives the bill

2. committee *

3. subcommittee *

4. hearing committee markups*+

5. rules committee*

6. house floor*+ (4-6 are by the speaker)

7. house amends senate bill

8. then it goes to the SENATE floor

9. goes to the conference committee ( then conference report*+ then adoption by both houses and finally goes to white to approve or veto) OR senate approves house amendments (then goes to white house to approve or veto)

10. if its approved then it becomes a law, if vetoed then it goes to house and senate floor*, veto override and finally becomes a law.

process of bill becoming a law in senate (fill out diagram)

1. president of senate receives the bill

2. committee*

3. subcommittee*

4. hearing committee markups*+

5. majority leader*

6. senate floor *+

7. senate then amends the house bill

8. then it goes to the HOUSE floor

9. then it goes to conference committee (then conference report*+, adoption by both houses then white house to approve or veto) OR IT goes to the house to approve the senate amendment

10. the bill then either goes to the white house to veto or approve. if its vetoed (by house or pres) then it goes back to the house and senate floor*+ then the veto can be overridden and then it becomes a law.

what does the * mean in the diagram and what steps have this?

the star means the bill can be amended and steps included in this are committee, subcommittee, hearing committee markups, majority leader, rules committee, conference report, or house/ senate floor (veto track)

what does the + mean in the diagram

the cross means these are the point at which the bill could die. this includes the hearing committee step, house/ senate floor, or conference report.

** in the diagram

this means that if the president does sign or veto a bill in 10 days then it automatically becomes a law.

how many electors are for each state?

number of senators + number of representatives (3 minimum)

12th amendment

created separate ballots for PTOUS and VPOUS

winner takes all

48/50 states use this, where simply the most voted for candidate takes all electors votes. Nebraska and Maine are the only states that vote by district, where winner of each district receives one electoral vote and statewide winner gets the remaining two votes.

how can candidate win pop. vote but not win the election?

electoral votes is what determines who wins.

who represents texas-17?

pete sessions.

who are the senators for texas?

ted cruz and john cornyn

who is the speaker of the house?

mike johnson of Louisiana (R)

Who are the majority and minority leaders of the senate?

majority leader is john thune of SD (R)

minority leader is chuck schumer of NY (D)

federalist 70-73

written by hamilton, arguing that the constitution should create an “energetic executive”, a strong executive branch. A president that can respond to emergencies, enforce the law, defend the country, and make decisions quickly . A good government should have a good leader, with multiple leaders this would be impossible.

70. Why we need an energetic executive

71. Why the president needs independence (fair judgement and not public persuasion)

72. Why experience matters (re election is good)

73. Why the veto is needed (checks and balances)

characteristics of a good executive

unity (one president rather than mulitple executives)

duration ( enough time in office)

adequate support (good wage, staff, resources)

competent (real powers to act)

what are the jobs of the president listed in article II sections 2 and 3

A2

• commander in chief of army and navy

• can require written opinions from cabinet members

• can grant pardons (forgive federal crimes)

• make treaties (senate must approve by 2/3 vote)

• appoint ambassadors, judges of supreme court and other officers of the US (requires senate confirmation)

• fill up vacancies that may happen during recess of the senate

A3

• gives info to congress on the state of the union

• recommends laws and policies to congress

• can call special sessions of congress

• receives ambassadors and foreign representatives

• must “take care that the laws be faithfully executed”

• appoints federal officers

what did the framers expect from the president

framers wanted a president strong enough to lead the country but not so powerful that he became a king.

enforce the laws

protect the nation

lead the government

represent the country

what article creates the executive branch

article 2

what are the formal qualifications to be president

be a natural born US citizen

be at least 35 years old

have lived in the united states for at least 14 years

what was the 1970s reform to the nomination process (choosing the president)

Presidential candidates became more dependent on winning primary elections and appealing directly to voters rather than party leaders.

what is the presidents role as chief diplomat

As Chief Diplomat, the President directs foreign policy, negotiates with foreign nations, receives ambassadors, and represents the United States in international relations.

what is the unit rule? (winner takes all)

whoever wins the popular vote in a state receives all of that states electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska dont follow this, they do district voting.

what executive role does the vice president play if any

their main role is to succeed the president if necessary (death, resigns, unable) and assist the president as an advisor.

what is the presidents advisory board called

the cabinet. it consists of the heads of executive departments (secretary of state, of defense, of treasury, attorney general)

who impeaches and who convicts

house accuses the impeachment (meaning formally charging the president of wrongdoing) and the senate convicts (found guilty or not) and they vote (2/3) to remove or not.

article I

legislative branch

what is the preeminent branch?

congress (legislative branch)

framers originally expected congress to be the most powerful branch because it represents the people and make laws.

when does redistricting occur?

every 10 years after the census

what are the requirements to be in congress

HOR- 25 years old and a citizen for 7 years

S- 30 years old and a citizen for 9 years

who is the second most powerful person in government?

speaker of the house

what is a standing committee and what does it do?

standing means a permanent committee, they review bills, hold hearings, conducts investigations and recommends action on legislation.

who preforms most of the legislative work in congress?

committees because they do most research and hearings so most bills never even reach the floor.

what does a conference committee do?

resolves differences between house and senate versions of a bill

what does the rules committee do? What is open and closed rules?

house rules committee decides how long debate lasts and whether amendments are allowed. open means amendments are allowed and close means they arent allowed.

how many votes are needed to pass a bill in the house and senate?

simple majority in both chambers.

house- 218 vote out of 435

senate- 51 votes (or 50 plus VP tiebreaker)

what must happen for a bill to be referred to a chamber for action?

committee must approve and report to either chambers.

how many members are in the house and senate?

H-435

S-100