GOPO unit 2 test review (congress)

Constituents

citizens whom a legislator has been elected to represent.

Majority Leader

the head of the majority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives.

Joint Committee

a committee made up of members of both houses of a legislature (as for purposes of investigation or oversight)

Reapportionment

the redistribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives based on population changes.

Minority Leader

the head of the minority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives.

Seniority Rule

The practice of ranking senators based on length of service.

Redistricting

the process of drawing electoral district boundaries.

Whip

Put pressure on members to vote with their party.

Conference Committee

compromise (if a bill passes both House and Senate with slightly different drafts, members of both House and Senate form a committee to compromise and form one bill).

Gerrymandering

manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.

Closed Rule

effectively eliminate the opportunity to consider amendments, other than those reported by the committee reporting the bill.

Delegate

A servant of the people.

Safe Seat

a seat in Parliament that is very unlikely to be lost to the opposition in an election.

Open Rule

an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor.

Incumbent

the holder of an office or post.

President pro tempore

a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Log rolling

Trading votes (I'll vote for yours if u vote for mine).

Earmarks

designate (something, typically funds or resources) for a particular purpose.

Hold

keep or detain (someone).

Attentive Public

groups of people who pay attention to several particular issues.

Bicameralism

"two chambers." A government structure involving two separate houses, or two legislative bodies.

Filibuster

an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures.

Discharge Petition

Force bills to be debated on.

Enumerated Powers

those specifically identified in the Constitution.

Cloture

(in a legislative assembly) a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote.

Rider

This type of spending is inserted into generally nonrelated bills as either a reward or an incentive for political support from constituents.

Speaker of the House

every single bill that goes through the House is assigned by the speaker to committees. Speaker influences which legislation gets talked about.

Standing Committee

permanent (house:21 standing — senate: 24) will always be there.

Pocket Veto

when a bill fails to become law because the president does not sign it within the ten days and cannot return the bill to Congress because Congress is no longer in session.

Party Caucus

meetings run by political parties that are held at the county, district, or precinct level.

Select Committee

temporary (formed for temporary problems, then resolved).

Override

use one's authority to reject or cancel (a decision, view, etc.).

Who draws U.S. congressional district lines and how often are these redrawn?

State governments draw their state's lines and this occurs every 10 years after census and reapportionment.

What's the difference between redistricting and reapportionment?

Redistricting is when state governments take the amount of House reps they are given and divide up their states into districts for each rep. Reapportionment is when the federal government readjusts and distributes the amount of House reps a state has based on the changes in the country's population. Both redistricting and reapportionment happen every 10 years after the census, although reappointment happens before redistricting.

Why is bicameralism important in our Congress?

It helps prevent the legislative branch from having too much power

What are some of the major differences between the different houses of Congress?

Only the Senate can confirm or deny foreign treaties made by the President, they can draft legislation on the President's nominations and treaties, and they hold trials for the President's impeachment. Only the House can Decide if there's enough evidence to impeach someone and initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. Both chambers can pass bills, Investigate the operation of government agencies, oversee Bureaucracy, and represent the people.

Explain who has more power, a representative or a senator.

A senator has more power than a representative because they have a more powerful voice because the Senate has smaller numbers, they have more of an impact on their party, and they have the ability to be involved in foreign treaties not just national relations.

What is the most powerful job in Congress?

Speaker of the House

Who does the Senate have the power to confirm?

Presidential appointments

What checks does the Congress have on the presidency and the judiciary?

It checks the executive branch by having the ability to confirm or deny the president's appointments, conduct impeachment trials, override presidential veto, and obtain war powers.

How does a whip keep party members in line?

They convince and make sure party members vote within/for their party.

Why do people love their Congressperson?

They represent the people so it represents them and name recognition. We think that they can do something for us. If they have power, they want them.

Why do people hate Congress?

Because from our perspective, they don't do much and it just seems like a bunch of fighting. Nothing gets done.

How could both these things be true at the same time?

Because they like the individual but not the entire congress

What is Congressional redistricting?

redrawing those congressional boundary lines based on data from the census and reapportionment

When does redistricting occur?

every 10 years

Why does the US House have to be redistricted?

the populations shift / move

Who is in charge of redistricting?

The state legislature

Packing

- put all in one

Cracking

- Split majority into minority

Enumerated powers of congress

Power to Tax and Spend (house), commerce clause, Congress can declare war, necessary and proper clause

What are some limitations to Gerrymandering? Be specific and use SCOTUS cases when they apply.

- Populations of these districts have to be relatively equal : Baker v. Carr - 1 pers=1vote

- Must be contiguous (the district must be connected)

- Can't be solely based on race : Shaw v. Reno

- Can be based on socioeconomic status (which race can factor into)

Being elected a 'safe' district affects...

the ways representatives vote because they feel less pressured to act and take less accountability.

Congress members are less likely to represent the views of those living in the safe district because...

they know that they will win anyway however they still might because they want votes.

Gerrymandering effects Congress as a whole because...

this creates polarization in congress. The states already know who they will choose as their representative so the majority party has an advantage when it comes to passing bills.

Gerrymandering effects affects the democratic process because...

it undermines the principle of it since the lines can be drawn to benefit certain parties. Since 1 person = 1 vote, your vote actually doesn't matter because if you are in an unsafe district, your vote doesn't matter since the majority will win anyway.