Unit 2 AP gov vocab

16th Amendment

passed in 1913, permits Congress to levy an income tax.

17th Amendment

direct election of senators

22nd Amendment

passed in 1951, limits presidents to two terms.

25th Amendment

passed in 1967, permits the vice president to become acting president in the event that the president is temporarily disabled.

Administrative discretion:

authority of administrative actors (bureaucrats) to select among various responses to a given problem, especially when rules do not fit or more than one rule applies.

Amicus Curiae Brief

A "friend of the court" brief filed by an interest group or interested party to influence a Supreme Court decision.

Appellate Jurisdiction

The authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court.

Appropriations bill

bill passed annually to fund an authorized program.

Attorney General

Head of the Department of Justice - cabinet head appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to enforce federal laws of the United States (criminal, civil rights, etc.).

Authorization bill

an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement, or that continues or changes such programs.

Bicameral legislature

a legislature that is divided into two chambers.

Bill

a proposed law, drafted in precise, legal language.

Budget

a policy document that allocates burdens (taxes) and benefits (expenditures).

Budget resolution

a bill setting limits on expenditures based on revenue projections, agreed to by both houses of Congress in April each year.

Bully Pulpit

The president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public.

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization of appointed officials who implement policies of Executive and Legislative branches.

Bureaucrat

appointed government officials who implement policies of Executive and Legislative branches.

Cabinet

the group of presidential advisors who head the executive departments.

Casework

helping constituents as individuals cut through bureaucratic red tape to receive their rightful benefits.

Caucus

a meeting to determine which candidate delegates from a state party will support.

Civil Service

promotes hiring on the basis of merit and establishes a nonpartisan government service.

Class Action Lawsuits

a technique used by interest groups which allows groups of people with similar complaints to combine their grievances into a single suit.

Closed rule

Under a Closed Rule no amendments may be offered other than amendments recommended by the committee reporting the bill. So no amendments may be offered in debate on the floor.

Cloture

A senate motion to end a filibuster requiring 3/5ths vote.

Committee chairs

the most important influences on the congressional agenda; they schedule hearings, hire staff, appoint subcommittees, and manage committee bills.

Conference Committees

Temporary Committees that are formed to resolve differences in the House and Senate version of a bill. Involves compromises.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

research agency of Congress, responsible to it for providing analyses of budget proposals, revenue forecasts, and related information.

Continuing resolutions

laws that allow agencies to spend at the previous year's level.

Courts of Appeal

courts which have the power to review all final decisions of district courts, except in instances requiring direct review by the Supreme Court.

Deficit

occurs when government spends more money than it receives in taxes in the fiscal year.

Delegate role of Representation

When members of Congress cast their votes based on the wishes of their constituents.

Deregulation

the withdrawal of the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector.

Discharge Petition

a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor - it requires 218 votes (a majority of the 435 House members) to get the bill out of committee by a discharge petition. It defeats the actions of a committee chair who tries to kill a bill by not placing on the agenda.

District courts

the entry point for most federal litigation. This is the trial court where there are juries, witnesses, and where evidence is introduced.

Divided Government

A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress, as opposed to a United Government, when one party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.

Ex Post Facto law

A law applied to an act committed before the law was enacted.

Exclusionary Rule

Supreme Court guideline that prohibits evidence obtained by illegal searches or seizures from being admitted in court.

Executive Agreement

A pact and therefore not part of US law, that does not have to be approved, between the president and the head of a foreign state.

Executive Order

A directive, order or regulation issued by the President but have the Constitutional force of law. (Disadvantage of this is that the next president can revoke it).

Executive Privilege

The President's power to refuse to disclose confidential information. In US vs Nixon it was ruled that this power is not guaranteed (it must really be a matter of national security to apply).

Expenditures

money spent by the government in any one year.

Express Powers

Powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution.

Federal debt

all of the money borrowed by the government over the years that is still outstanding.

Federal Reserve System

created by Congress in 1913 to regulate the lending practices of banks and thus the money supply.

Filibuster

A way of delaying or preventing action on a bill by using long speeches and unlimited debate to "talk a bill to death."

Franking Privilege

The right of members of Congress to mail newsletters to their constituents at the government's expense.

Governmental corporations

provide services that could be handled by the private sector and generally charge cheaper rates than a private sector producer.

Gridlock

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

Hatch Act

passed in 1940, prohibits government workers from active participation in partisan politics.

House Rules Committee

a committee unique to the House, which is appointed by the Speaker of the House, reviews most bills coming from a House committee for a floor vote, and which gives each bill a rule, places it on the calendar, limits debate time and determine its amendments.

House Ways and Means Committee

Committee that is responsible for originating all revenue bills (tax bills).

Impeachment

the political equivalent of an indictment for removing a discredited president.

Income tax

the portion of money individuals are required to pay to the government from the money they earned.

Incrementalism

the best predictor of this year's budget is last year's budget plus a little bit more.

Incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection. Usually this is the most important factor in determining the outcome of the election.

Independent executive agencies

executive agencies that are not cabinet departments, not regulatory commissions, and not government corporations (i.e. CIA, EPA, FEC, FEMA, Rederal Reserve Board, FTC, NSA, Peace Corps, SEC, SSA, US Postal Service)

Independent regulatory agency

Independent agencies that have the responsibility for a sector of the economy to protect the public interest. (i.e. EEOC, FCC, FDIC, FEC, Federal Reserve, FTC, OSHA, SEC).

Iron Triangles

Alliances among administrative agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees where each member provides key services, information, or policy for the others.

Joint committees

special committees composed of members from each chamber (Senate and House).

Judicial Activism

Philosophy that judges must make bold decisions to correct injustices when other branches of government or the states refuse to do so.

Judicial implementation

how and whether court decisions are translated into actual policy (i.e. the Court's decision in Brown v. Bd. Of Ed. Took years to implement due to brush back by state governors and others refusing to implement it)

Judicial Restraint

Philosophy that judges should use precedents and the framer's original intent to decide cases, and leave policy-making to the legislative branch.

Judicial Review

the courts have the power to decide whether the actions of the legislative and executive branches of state and national governments are in accordance with the Constitution.

Justiciable disputes

cases that can be settled by legal methods.

Lame-Duck Period

The period of time in which the President's term is about to come to an end and they have less influence.

Legislative oversight

the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policy.

Legislative veto

a clause which allows Congress to override the action of the executive.

Line-Item Veto

An executive's power (the president or a governor) to veto specific dollar amounts or line items from major congressional spending bills. This power was struck down as an unconstitutional expansion of the President's power in the federal gov't, but many governor's have this power in state gov't.

Logrolling

Tactic of mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.

Majority leader

The Speaker's principal partisan ally who is responsible for soliciting support for the party's position on legislation.

Marbury v. Madison

1803 Supreme Court case that established the concept of judicial review.

Merit system

Government workers hired on the basis of qualifications, using entrance exams and promotion ratings for hiring workers, as opposed to the "patronage" or "spoils system", where government employees/officials are hired on the basis of a reward for who they know.

Minority leader

is the minority party's counterpart to the majority party's leadership.

National Security Council (NSC):

a committee that links the president's key foreign and military advisors.

Nuclear option

A parliamentary procedure that allows the U.S. Senate to override a rule or precedent by a simple majority of 51 votes, instead of by a supermajority of 60 votes. Allows the Senate to decide any issue by majority vote, even though the rules of the Senate specify that ending a filibuster requires the consent of 60 senators (out of 100) for legislation, 67 for amending a Senate rule. In November 2013, Senate Democrats used the nuclear option to eliminate filibusters on executive branch nominations and federal judicial appointments other than those to the Supreme Court, due to frustration with Republicans holding up President Obama's nominees from being confirmed. Before November 2013, Senate rules required a three-fifths vote (usually 60 votes) to end debate on a bill, nomination or other proposal. After Nov. 2013, a filibuster on a nominee can be ended by a simple majority of senators. This backfired on democrats because it would later help Republicans in 2016 affirm Trump nominees.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Office responsible for preparing the budget that the president submits to Congress.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

responsible for hiring for most agencies.

Original intent

the theory that judges should determine the intent of the framers and decide in line with their intent.

Original jurisdiction

given to a court where a case is first heard.

Oversight

Congressional review of the activities of an executive agency, department or office.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

passed in 1883, it created the federal Civil Service. It carries out the "merit system" of government hiring rather than the patronage /spoils system.

Pocket veto

this occurs when Congress adjourns within 10 days after submitting a bill and the president takes no action to sign it or veto it.

Policy implementation

Policy implementation: the stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy and the results of the policy for individuals.

Political Questions

conflicts between the president and Congress.

Pork barrel

list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges, and institutions.

Precedent

the way similar cases have been handled in the past is used as a guide to current decisions. Enables the system of "stari decisis" (let the decision stand).

Presidential coattails

where voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president's party because those candidates support the president.

Regulation

the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector.

Revenues

money received by the government in any given year.

Rule of Four

The Supreme Court will hear a case if four justices agree to do so.

Select committees

appointed for a specific purpose.

Senate Finance Committee

responsible for writing the tax code.

Senatorial Courtesy

An unwritten tradition whereby the Senate will not confirm nominations for lower court positions that are opposed by a senator of the president's own party from the state in which the nominee is to serve.

Seniority system

Unwritten rule in both houses reserving the committee chairs to members of the committee with the longest records of continuous service (Newt Gingrich did away with this system in the house with Republicans in the 1990's)

Social Security Act of 1935

passed to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans. A mandatory retirement system. Today in danger of collapse because Baby Boomers are retiring and living longer than system was set up to provide for.

Solicitor General

the solicitor general is responsible for handling all appeals on behalf of the US government to the Supreme Court.

Speaker of the House

is mandated by the Constitution, is next in line after the vice president to succeed a president who is unable to fulfill his/her term and who presides over the House.

Spoils System

Government workers hired on the basis of a reward for who they know, as opposed to the "merit system", where they are hired on the basis of qualifications, using entrance exams and promotion ratings for hiring workers. Spoils system also known as "patronage".

Standard operating procedures

detailed rules written to cover as many particular situations as officials can anticipate to help bureaucrats implement policies uniformly.

Standing Committees

Permanent subject-matter congressional committees that handle legislation and oversee the bureaucracy.