ap gov vocab ch 2

advice and consent

Terms in the Constitution describing the U.S. Senate's power to review and approve treaties and presidential appointments.

necessary and proper clause

The clause in Article I, Section 8, that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its specifically delegated powers. 

one person, one vote

expresses the principle of equal representation in voting

16th amendment

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

17th amendment

allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators (modifies article i, section iii)

appropriation

The passage by Congress of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that actually will be allocated for an agency's use

appropriations bill

An act of Congress that actually funds programs within limits

27th amendment

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

article i\`

enumerates the powers of Congress and the specific areas in which it may legislate

authorization

A formal declaration by a legislative committee that a certain amount of funding may be available to an agency. Some authorizations terminate in a year; others are renewable automatically, without further congressional action.

baker v carr

case that held that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state's drawing of electoral boundaries

bicameralism

The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies

bill

the form used for most legislation

casework

Personal work for constituents by members of Congress.

caucus

meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies. 

census

***identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector***

closed primary

 A type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a member. 

closed rule

rule that prohibits amendments to a bill from the floor

cloture

senate procedure that limits further consideration of a pending proposal to thirty hours in order to end a filibuster

coalition building

process by which parties (individuals, organizations, or nations) come together to form a coalition (alliance)

committee chairperson

responsible for making sure that each meeting is planned effectively, conducted according to the constitution and that matters are dealt with in an orderly, efficient manner

committee of a whole

meeting of a legislative or deliberative assembly using procedural rules that are based on those of a committee, except that in this case the committee includes all members of the assembly

conference committee

special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two chambers of Congress in different forms

confirmation power

the authority given by the U.S. Constitution to the Senate to ratify treaties and confirm presidential cabinet, ambassadorial, and judicial appointments; found in Article II Section 2 of the Constitution

congressional budget office

provide objective, nonpartisan information to support the federal budget process.

constituency service

encompasses a wide array of non-legislative activities undertaken by Members of Congress or congressional staff, and it is commonly considered a representational responsibility.

Constituent (Constituency) 

one of the persons represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official.

continuing resolution

A temporary funding law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has not been decided by the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1.

cracking

diluting the voting power of the opposing party's supporters across many districts

debate

a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal

deficit

an excess of federal expenditures over federal revenues

direct primary

an intraparty election in which the voters select the candidates who will run on a party's ticket in the subsequent general election

discharge petition

procedure by which a bill in the House of Representatives may be forced (discharged) out of a committee that has refused to report it for consideration by the House; the petition must be signed by an absolute majority (218) of representatives and is used only on rare occasions

divided government

a situation in which one major political party controls the presidency and the other controls the chambers of Congress, or in which one party controls a state governorship and the other controls the state legislature

earmarks

funding appropriations that are specifically designated for a named project in a member's state or district

entitlements

a claim for government funds that cannot be abridged without violating the rights of the claimant; for example, social security benefits or payments on a contract

enumerated powers

a power specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution; the first 17 clauses of Article I, Section 8, specify most of these powers of Congress

executive budget

the budget prepared and submitted by the president to Congress

expenditures

federal spending of revenues; major areas of such spending are social services and the military

federal budget

the government's estimate of revenue and spending for each fiscal year

filibuster

the use of the Senate's tradition of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill

fiscal year

12-month period that is used for bookkepping or accounting purposes; usually it doesn't coincide with the calendar year; it runs from October 1 through September 30 for the federal government

franking

a policy that enables members of Congress to send material through the mail by substituting their facsimile signature for postage

gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundary lines to obtain partisan or factional advantage; this happens to a district when its shape is manipulated by the dominant party in the state legislature to maximize electoral strength at the expense of the minority party

gridlock

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

hearings and investigations

Meetings in which bureaucrats are called before subcommittees to explain and defend their decisions, and outsiders are sometimes invited to criticize them; most agencies must testify annually about their activities before the House Appropriations subcommittee that has jurisdiction over their budgets

hold

a procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of the bill or nomination

house majority leader

the legislative leader elected by the party members holding the majority of seats in the House of Representatives; helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line

house minority leader

the legislative leader elected by the party members building a minority of seats in the House of Representatives; determines how his or her party will react to the majority party's programs

house rules committee

considers all bills reported from policy and fiscal committees and determines whether, and in what order, to schedule their consideration on the floor of the House.

house ways and means committee

the House of Representatives committee that, along with the Senate Finance Committee, writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole

implied powers

powers of the federal government not specifically mentioned in the constitution

income tax

tax paid to the state, federal, and local governments based on income earned over the past year

incumbency advantage

the electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics

incumbents

a government official who currently holds office

institutions of government

the executive, legislature, judiciary, and beureaucracy

instructed delegate

a legislator who is an agent of the voters who elected him or her and who votes according to the views of constituents regardless of personal beliefs

joint committee

a legislative committee composed of members from both chambers of Congress

joint resolution

a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president

justiciable question

question that may be raised and reviewed in court

lawmaking

the process of establishing the legal rules that govern society

legislation-oversight

Congress's monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly though hearings

logrolling

an arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other's bills

majority whip

majority leader’s assistant

marginal seat

a seat in the House of Representatives that is not considered to be safe for the incumbent in the next election (swing seat)

midterm elections

general elections that are held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term of office, on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November

minority whip

the minority leader’s assistant

open primary

a primary in which any registered voter can vote (but most vote for candidates of only one party)

open rule

a procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill

packing

concentrating partisan voters in a single district in order to maximize the number of representatives that can be elected by the opposition in other districts

partisan gerrymandering

drawing of district boundaries to favor one political party over others

partisanship

government action based on firm allegiance to a political party

policy agenda

the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time

politico model of representation

a model of representation in which members of Congress act as either trustee or delegate, based on rational political calculations about who is best served, the constituency or the nation

pork

special projects or appropriations that are intended to benefit a member's district or state; slang term for earmarks

pork barrel legislation

legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

president of the senate

vice president

president pro tempore

the temporary presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president

quorum

the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress

racial gerrymandring

the drawing of election districts so as to ensure that members of a certain race are a minority in the district; ruled unconstitutional in Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960).

ranking member

a member of a congressional committee or legislative committee who is the second in command, or is perhaps the leader of the minority in the committee

ratification of treaties

Senate power to ratify international treaties that are proposed by the President

reapportionment

the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state after each census

redistricting

the redrawing of the boundaries of the congressional districts within each state

representation

the function of members of Congress as elected officials representing the views of their constituents

revenue

incoming money

reynolds v sims

1964, said that state legislative districts not based on the one man on vote formula violated 14th ammenedment

rules

the proposal by the Rules Committee of the House that states the conditions for debate for one piece of legislation

safe seat

a district that returns the legislator with 55% of the vote or more

select committee

a temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose

senate

house of Congress based on equal representation; designed to be "wiser" house

senate committee on foreign relations

Senate committee to discuss US relations with other nations

senate judiciary committee

standing Senate committee charged with reviewing judicial affairs, including federal court nominations

senate majority leader

the chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate who directs the legislative program and party strategy

senate minority leader

the party officer in the Senate who commands the minority party's opposition to the policies of the majority party and directs the legislative program and strategy of his or her party

seniority system

a custom followed in both chambers of Congress specifying that the member of the majority party with the longest term of continuous service will be given preference when a committee chairperson (or a holder of some other significant post) is selected

shaw v reno

1993 case in North Carolina dealing with majority-minority congressional districts; court ruled it was an example of racial gerrymandering and thus these districts were unconstitutional; redistricting cannot be based on race

speaker of the house

the presiding officer in the House of Representatives; is always a member of the majority party and is the most powerful and influential member of the House

standing committee

a permanent committee in the House or Senate that considers bills within a certain subject area

tax expenditures

government subsidies delivered through the tax code as deductions, exclusions, and other tax preferences