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Demographic of Congress
White, old, males
House vs. Senate
Senate:
six-year term
represents the state
according to Founders, should be older and wiser
House:
two-year term
represents the people/population
Speaker of the House
the leader of the House
Pro Tempore
the leader of the Senate
The Committee System
splits up to investigate, gather information, meet, and decide which bills will be presents to Congress or recommend legislation
Joint Committee
A type of committee that:
is created for a purpose/issue
can be made up of both the House and the Senate
Standing Committee
A type of committee that is permanant and considered legislation in certain places all the time (everyday work of Congress)
is constant
Conference Committee
A type of committee that:
is made up of both the House and the Senate
is used to settle differences between two similar bills in each respective house to make a single bill
is temporary
Special Committee
a type of committee that is made for a special and specific issue or problem
Law-making, budgetary, and oversight
the three broad powers of Congress
Law-making
reconcilation of bills and creates laws that influence the citizens of the United States
Budgetary
Power of the Purse
control money and considers the budgets/funding
raises the debt ceiling
Examples: OMB (Office of Management and Budget and CBO (Congressional Budget Office)
Pork Barrel
Politicians spend large amounts of money on projects in their representative district to win reelection
Oversight
Power to Regulate and hold investigations
impeachment
War Powers Act - the President is required to have permission from Congress to deploy troops and Congress declares war
Specific Powers of Congress
Commerce Clause - regulate anything that concerns commerce or economy among states or foreign nations
Raise taxes
Elastic Clause - can create laws that are necessary and proper for Congress
Law Making Process
How a bill becomes a law and must be approved by the House and Senate and then passed to be approved by the President
President can veto it
House Rule Committee/Discharge Petition
decides which bills are presented to the House
a discharge petition is a petition to have a bill presented after 30 days
senate hold
a senate can prevent a motion from being voted on
filibuster
talking a bill to death so it won’t be passed
Cloture
ending a debate in the Senate with a 2/3 majority
logrolling
voting for a spending package if you vote for mine (mainly used for budgetary)
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.
trustee representation
elected representatives decide on their own conscience and choose what is the best option
delegate representation
elected representatives act in the interest of their constituents which usually means considering their respective district/area
politico representation
a mix of trustee and delegate representation where the elected representative may switch from either representation in decision making
partisan representation
elected representatives make decision in line with their party’s interests
Incumbent advantage
an advantage to incumbents (people already in office) where it makes it easier for them to be reelected due to special privileges such as:
franking - free mail
casework - services from members given to their constituents
name recognition
campaign funding
experience in campaigning
gerrymandering - can ensure your own re-election at least more so due to your control already in a legislative body
Redistricting Process
Happens every 10 years and includes:
Census
Reapportionment
Redistricting
Gerrymandering
Census
government re-evaluates populations and locations
Redistricting
redrawing electoral districts
Reapportionment
how many votes each states get based on the census
Gerrymandering
manipulating the lines of districts to win more seats or be in one’s favor
packing - concentrating the opposing party’s supporters in as few districts as possible
cracking - diluting the opposing party’s supporters, lessening their influence
Shaw vs Reno
A case where in North Carolina the question of racial gerrymandering is constitutional arose. North Carolina had created racial-based districts that caused complaints in white voters due to the violation of the Equal Protection Clause.
Supreme Court Ruling and Effect - no racial gerrymandering
Baker vs Carr
A case in Tennessee where districts were not updated in about 50 years despite drastic changes in population. Voters argued this violated the Equal Protection Clause as districts with greater populations had their votes diluted.
Supreme Court decision and influence - one person one vote, legislative districts must roughly be the same population