AP GOV - Unit 2: Legislative

Members in the House

Members in the House

435

Members in Senate

100

How long are House terms?

2 years

How long are Senate terms?

6 years(staggered)

Who do House members represent?

Citizens of their district within their state

Who do Senate members represent?

Their entire state

Which part of the Legislative branch introduces impeachments and revenue legislation(and most legislation in general)?

House of Representatives

Which part of the Legislative branch confirms presidential nominees and treaties?

Senate

Which part of the Legislative branch tries impeachments?

Senate

Who is the leader of the House(title)?

Speaker of the House

Who is the leader of the Senate?

President of the Senate(Vice President), President Pro Tempore, Senate majority leader

What is the main role of the President of the Senate?

Act as a tiebreaker

Who is the president pro tempore?

Most senior member of the majority party, acts as senate leader when President of the Senate is absent.

What does the Senate majority leader do?

Set legislative agenda

How can Congress check the Executive Branch?

Vote to impeach the president(can also override vetos)

Which branch of the government has the right to override a presidential veto?

Congress

Which government branch approves judicial appointments?

Congress/Legislative

What is one check the Legislative branch has on the Judicial branch?

Refusing to carry through with SCOTUS ruling in legislation(and judicial nominations)

Standing Committee

Committee of Congress based on a broad area of policy. Is ongoing and longterm.

Joint Committee

Congressional committee consisting of both the House and Senate.

What is the main purpose of a Conference committee?

Sort out any differences in a bill between House and Senate

Select Committee

Opposite of standing committees, focus on specific issues and dissolve after issue is solved.

Delegate Role

Role a legislator takes on when making decisions which aligns to the public opinion

Politico Role

Role of a legislator that involves aligning with their party members.

Trustee Role

Legislative role aligning with logical decisions.

What is the limit on debates for the House?

1 hour

Which committee decides which bills make it to the House floor for debate?

House Rules Committee

What does “calling the Committee of the Whole” do?

Relaxes some of the rules for debate so bills can be considered more quickly. Includes all 435 representatives(but technically only 100 need to be present).

Discharge Petition

Used in the House to force a bill out of a committee for debate and voting

Filibuster

Attempt in the senate to kill a bill by talking for a very long time.

Cloture

Way to stop a filibuster before it happens. Needs a 3/5ths vote to take place.

Unanimous Consent

Unanimous consent asked before a senate debate which(if all senate members consent), means that a limit is set on speaking time.

Hold

Objection to unanimous consent in Senate

Riders

Non relevant additions added to a bill in senate that usually further a members own agenda. Can also be additions to get the bill passed.

Log Rolling

Representatives agree and say to each other “you vote for my bill, I’ll vote for yours”.

What does Congress do every year that allocates government funds?

Passing a federal budget

Mandatory Spending

Government spending that is mandatory and non negotiable in its amount

Discretionary Spending

Government spending that can be negotiated on and adjusted. Decreases as mandatory spending increases, or goes into debt.

Pocket veto

Indirect veto of a congressional bill by the President. If the president does not take a stance on a bill, and there are less than 10 days left in a congressional session, the bill is automatically vetoed.

Political Polarization

Increased split and conflict between the 2 political parties over the last couple decades

Pigeonhole

Intentional attempt made by Congress to essentially ignore a bill until it dies, preventing it from progressing in Congress.

Bipartisanship

Both parties having a common goal/working together.

Redistricting

Redrawing of boundaries that legislative representatives represent.

Gerrymandering

Redrawing of boundaries that legislators represent in a specific way so one group has an advantage in elections

Which case dealt with a state delaying redistricting and potentially misconstruing the vote of the people?

Baker v Carr

Which case dealt with a state and racial gerrymandering?

Shaw v Reno

Congressional Budget Office

Reviews and gives analysis on yearly budget presented by president/executive

Office of Management and Budget

Executive agency that presents the yearly budget to Congress

Authorization Bill

Needed by Congress to establish a discretionary program or bill

Appropriations Bill

Goes with Authorization Bills, sets funding for a discretionary program passed by Congress