Important Laws!

AP Government: Chapter 4 Vocab Terms

Inflation Reduction Act

Biden’s (misnamed) signature piece of legislation that provides for subsidies and incentives for renewable energy (there is also a part of the law that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices).

Executive

In effect, the War Powers Act increases the power of the (blank) branch by not forcing Congress to declare war. It was passed over Nixon’s veto.

Medicare and Medicaid 

The (blank) and (blank) Act of 1965 - health insurance for senior citizens and the other is health insurance for those with limited incomes.  

Clean Air and Water

The (blank) (blank) and (blank) acts expanded the power of the federal government by telling the states how much pollution they could legally allow.

USA Patriot 

The nationalistic acronym of the homeland security Act that has been criticized because of warrantless searches, wiretapping, and searching of library records. It has been argued that it violated the 4th Amendment. The name for the act is Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. 

Affordable Care

The (blank) (blank) Act (aka Obamacare). It expanded Medicaid, mandated everyone to buy health insurance (since repealed), allowed you to stay on your parent’s health care plan until you are 26, forbids companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and created state exchanges to buy insurance. Whew…. that’s a lot. 

Gramm Rudman Hollings

Law from 1985 ruled unconstitutional. It allowed the Comptroller General to make automatic cuts if the budget wasn’t balanced. The Supreme Court ruled it violated the separation of powers. 

Civil Rights

The (blank) (blank) Act forbade discrimination based on race, gender, religion, and national origin.

Gun Free School Zones

The (blank) (blank) (blank) (blank) Act of 1990 was ruled unconstitutional by U.S. V. Lopez as an overreach of Congress’ commerce power. 

Freedom of Information

The acronym is FOIA. It forbids the federal government from keeping secrets (with exceptions e.g. military)

Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

Biden’s other big law (the Inflation Reduction Act is the other) that spends over a trillion dollars to repair roads/bridges/ports, expand internet access, and replace lead water pipes (among other things)

Americans with Disabilities Act

The acronym for this act is ADA. It required that all public buildings are handicapped accessible - (blank) (blank) (blank) (blank) (an unfunded mandate)

Voting Rights

The (blank) (blank) Act was passed in order to enforce the 15th amendment - about 100 years later

Jim Crow

These laws were passed in the South to prevent Blacks from voting

No Child Left Behind

The acronym of the act is NCLB. It got the federal government even further into the Reserved Power of education by requiring yearly testing

Social Security

The (blank) (blank) Act was passed as part of the New Deal to keep senior citizens out of poverty. Medicare was later added to help with senior citizen health insurance 

Motor Voter

The (blank) (blank) law increased the size of the Federal government by interfering with the voter registration process. By the way, it did not increase turnout.

Mandates

Through the states hate for unfunded (blank) the federal government still passes laws that the states must foot the bill on. Kind of makes you want to be an Anti-Federalist like Jefferson, seethe ADA and NCLB

War Powers

The (blank) (blank) Act 1973 allows the President to send troops anywhere in the world without a declaration of war - seems unconstitutional, doesn’t it?

NDEA

The acronym of the first big federal education act that expanded the power of the federal government by interfering in the Reserved power of education (motivated by Sputnik)