AP Gov Congress Flashcards

Flashcards on AP Gov's Unit 2 - Congress

Bicameral

Having 2 houses (legislature - Great Compromise)

Seventeenth Amendment

1913 - popular elections for senators

Elite Democracy

What the Senate was before the seventeenth amendment

Caucuses

Groups within Congress - each party has 1 in each house - not official

Power of the Purse

Congress (House) collects taxes, spends money, and coins money - Article I, section 9, clause 7

Commerce powers

Gun laws (or not - see Lopez), envt laws, healthcare (overuse)

Foreign/military

Military, conscription, declare war, money (no ambassadors or troops)

Necessary and Proper Clause

Elastic clause, end of Article I, exercise enumerated powers (McCulloch v Maryland)

House powers - different

Revenue, choose president, impeachment

Senate powers - different

Recommend/reject presidential appointees, approve/ veto treaties, impeachment trials

Advice and consent

Senate can recommend or reject presidential appointees - also senate confirmation hearings - generally quick

Official leadership

Speaker of the House, President of the Senate (VP), and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate

Senate Terms

6 years (1/3 up each election)

House Terms

2 years

Speakers of the House

Leader of the House majority party (Nancy Pelosi), recognizing members for speeches/comments, organizing committees, and influencing lawmaking

Whip

Deputy leader - in charge of discipline and keeps a rough tally of votes

President of the Senate

Vice President - nonvoting except in the case of a tie, rarely there, so President Pro Tempore steps up (oaths of office)

Senate Majority Leader

Has a lot of power, legislation + first to debate on it, little say in decisions

Standing committees

Permanent, with a particular policy area

Ways and Means Committee

House committee relating to tax policies

Joint Committees

Permanent committees that include both House and Senate members. - Library of Congress and Joint Committee on Taxation

Select Committees

FOrmed for a specific and temporary purpose - single chamber or joint

Conference Committee

Fix a bill that has had different versions passed in each chamber

Germane

Amendments directly related to the legislation

Rules Committee

House committee that prevents legislation from even reaching the floor

Committee of the Whole

House Committee that usually includes all representatives - rules are more relaxed

Discharge petition

Can bring a bill out of a committee - requires simple majority

Filibuster

Senators try to stall or kill a bill by speaking for a very long time

Unanimous consent

A measure that requires the approval of all of the senators

Hold

A measure used in the Senate to stall a bill

Cloture Rule

Rule 22 - requires a 2/3 supermajority to halt a bill, 3/5

Senate Foreign Policy

Ratify/deny treaties, confirm ambassadors

Riders

Nongermane amendments - not allowed in the House

Omnibus bill

A bill that addresses multiple areas or programs - Christmas Tree Bill - lots of riders

Pork-Barrel Spending

Funds are designated for a specific purpose in a district - secret riders

In Committees (House Version)

Bills go through hearings, markups, and reporting out

Logrolling

Members trade votes in order to gain support for a bill

Mandatory Spending

Social security, Medicare, Medicaid - gvt frequently has to borrow money

Discretionary Spending

Committees decide how to divide this money - human resources spending

Gridlock

Caused by more partisanship - opposing forces prevent ideas from moving forward

Delegate Model

House members + those trying to reflect their constituency - Substantive/descriptive

Trustee Model

Senate - regardless of constituents’ views

Politico Model

Combination of trustee + delegate

Baker v. Carr

When constitutional principles are not being applied, the Court can rule on these cases even if they are “political”

Shaw v. Reno

A district drawn to ensure an African American rep violates the equal protection clause

Lame Duck President

At the end of his 2nd term in office or has not won reelection

Pigeon holed

A bill is stopped in committee

Unanimous Consent Agreements

Arrange for the orderly consideration of legislation - Senate Rules Committee Replacement

Earmarking

Designating funds for a specific purpose

Leg. Process

1. Draft

2. Introduce

3. Assign committee/subcommittee

4. Hearings/amendments

5. Rules Committee

6. Debate/amendements

7. Vote

8. Introduction to other chamber

9. Amendments/debate

10. Vote other chamber

11. Conference committee

12. President

House #

435

Reapportionment Act of 1929

Periodic seat redistribution based on the census

What laws must originate in the House?

Tax proposals or revenue laws

Can courts get involved in apportionment/redistricting cases?

Yes, Baker v. Carr

Apportionment in the Constitution

Article I, section 2, clause 3: 3/5, excludes “Indians not taxed”
Fourteenth Amendment, Section 2: Respective numbers of people in each state, no 3/5

Malapportionment

Creating legislative districts with differing numbers of voters - Baker v. Carr

Gerrymandering SCOTUS case

Shaw v. Reno - Does drawing congressional districts positively on the basis of race violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause? Yes