HAG TEST

Congress Study Guide Flashcards

1. What is a standing committee?

• A permanent committee in Congress that meets regularly to discuss and review legislation related to a specific policy area (e.g., Agriculture, Education).
  
  

2. What are the committees' functions?

• Investigate proposed bills, hold hearings, amend legislation, oversee federal agencies, and decide whether bills move forward.
  
  

3. What is a select committee?

• A temporary committee created for a specific purpose, often to conduct investigations or address a particular issue not handled by standing committees.
  
  

4. What is a joint committee?

• A committee made up of members from both the House and the Senate, usually to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks.
  
  

5. What is a conference committee?

• A temporary, joint body created to reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.
  
  

6. Office Holders (Matching):

• President of the Senate – Vice President of the United States (Currently JD Vance)
  
  

• President Pro Tempore – Senator who presides over the Senate in absence of VP (Currently Chuck Grassley)
  
  

• Speaker of the House – Leader of the House of Representatives (Currently Mike Johnson)
  
  

• Majority Leader of the House – Second in command in the House, manages legislative agenda (Currently Steve Scalise)
  
  

• Majority Whip of the House – Assists leadership in managing votes and party discipline (Currently Tom Emmer)
  
  

• Minority Leader of the House – Head of the minority party in the House (Currently Hakeem Jeffries)
  
  

• Minority Whip of the House – Helps the Minority Leader manage the party (Currently Katherine Clark)
  
  

• Majority Leader of the Senate – Leader of the majority party in Senate (Currently John Thune)
  
  

• Majority Whip of the Senate – Assists Majority Leader (Currently John Barrasso)
  
  

• Minority Leader of the Senate – Leader of the minority party in Senate (Currently Chuck Schumer)
  
  

• Minority Whip of the Senate – Assists Minority Leader (Currently Dick Durbin)
  
  

7. President of the Senate

• Role: Presides over the Senate, casts tie-breaking votes.
  
  

8. President Pro Tempore

• Role: Presides in absence of VP, usually senior-most senator of the majority party.
  
  

9. Party Caucus

• Meeting of party members to select leaders, plan strategy, and make decisions.
  
  

10. Floor Leader

• Lead spokesperson and strategist for each party in either chamber.
  
  

11. Whip

• Counts votes, keeps party members in line, communicates between leadership and members.
  
  

12. Committee Chairman

• Heads a standing committee, controls agenda and hearings.
  
  

13. Ranking Member

• Senior-most member of the minority party on a committee.
  
  

14. Bill

• A proposed law presented to Congress for consideration.
  
  

20. Subcommittee

• A smaller part of a standing committee that focuses on specific issues within the committee’s jurisdiction.
  
  

24. Committee of the Whole

• A device in the House to expedite consideration of legislation by resolving into a large committee (includes all members).
  
  

25. Quorum

• Minimum number of members needed to conduct business (usually a majority).
  
  

26. Engrossed

• A bill that has been passed in one house and is officially printed in its final form.
  
  

27. Filibuster

• A tactic used in the Senate to delay or block legislative action by extended debate.
  
  

28. Cloture

• A procedure to end a filibuster; requires 60 votes in the Senate.
  
  

29. Veto

• The president's rejection of a bill passed by Congress.
  
  

30. Pocket Veto

• If the president takes no action on a bill for 10 days while Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.
  
  

31. Four reasons for Bicameral Congress:

1. Historical – Modeled after British Parliament.
   
   

2. Practical – Compromise between large (House) and small (Senate) states.
   
   

3. Theoretical – Checks and balances within the legislature.
   
   

4. Federalism – Reflects federal structure (states + population).
   
   

32. Term

• Two years for House members; six years for Senators.
  
  

33. Session

• Annual meeting period of Congress.
  
  

34. Adjourns

• Congress ends its session.
  
  

35. Prorogue

• President’s power to end a session of Congress if the two houses cannot agree.
  
  

36. Special Session

• A meeting called by the President to deal with an emergency.
  
  

37. Apportioned

• Distribution of seats in the House based on population.
  
  

38. Reapportion

• Redistribute House seats every 10 years after the census.
  
  

39. Off-year Elections

• Congressional elections that occur in non-presidential years.
  
  

40. Reapportionment Act of 1929

• Fixed the number of House seats at 435 and set rules for reapportionment.
  
  

41. Gerrymandered

• Drawing district boundaries to favor a party or group.
  
  

42. Formal qualifications for House:

• 25 years old
  
  

• 7 years a U.S. citizen
  
  

• Resident of the state they represent
  
  

43. Informal qualifications:

• Party identification, name recognition, experience, fundraising ability, demographic appeal
  
  

44. Constituencies

• The people and interests a member of Congress represents.
  
  

45. Continuous Body

• Senate: Only 1/3 of seats are up for election every two years.
  
  

46. Formal qualifications for Senate:

• 30 years old
  
  

• 9 years a U.S. citizen
  
  

• Resident of the state they represent
  
  

47. Trustees

• Vote based on personal judgment.
  
  

48. Partisans

• Vote according to their party’s position.
  
  

49. Delegates

• Vote according to what their constituents want.
  
  

50. Politicos

• Combine trustee, partisan, and delegate roles when voting.
  
  

51. Expressed Powers

• Powers specifically stated in the Constitution: coin money, declare war, regulate commerce, collect taxes, raise armies.
  
  

52. Implied Powers

• Not stated but suggested by expressed powers: create IRS, draft army, establish a national bank.
  
  

53. Inherent Powers

• Belong to all sovereign nations: immigration regulation, acquiring territory, protecting against rebellion.
  
  

54. Necessary and Proper Clause

• Gives Congress the power to make laws needed to carry out its expressed powers (aka the Elastic Clause).
  
  

55. Impeach

• House brings charges against a federal official; Senate holds the trial.
  
  

56. 17th Amendment

• Allowed direct election of U.S. Senators by the people.
  
  

📜 Examples of Expressed and Implied Powers of Congress

🔹 Expressed Powers (Directly written in the Constitution, Article I, Section 8): These are specifically stated and limited by the Constitution.

• To coin money
  
  

• To regulate commerce (trade)
  
  

• To declare war
  
  

• To raise and support armies and maintain a navy
  
  

• To establish post offices
  
  

• To collect taxes
  
  

• To borrow money on the credit of the United States
  
  

• To fix the standard of weights and measures
  
  

✅ KEY: If it’s directly written word-for-word in the Constitution, it’s expressed.

🔸 Implied Powers (Come from the Necessary and Proper Clause): These powers are not stated directly, but Congress has them to help carry out their expressed powers.

• Creating the IRS (to help collect taxes)
  
  

• Creating a national bank (to manage money and borrowing)
  
  

• Drafting citizens into the military (to raise an army)
  
  

• Regulating internet or air travel (falls under regulating commerce)
  
  

• Establishing federal minimum wage (tied to commerce powers)
  
  

✅ KEY: If Congress “logically” needs the power to make an expressed power happen, it’s implied.

🧾 How a Bill Becomes a Law (In Order!)

1. Introduction – A bill is introduced by a member of Congress in either the House or Senate.
   
   

2. Committee Action – Sent to a standing committee. Can be sent to a subcommittee for further study.
   
   

   • The committee may hold hearings, make changes, and vote on the bill.
     
     

   • If approved, it moves forward; if not, it dies ("pigeonholed").
     
     

3. Floor Debate – The bill goes to the floor of its house (House or Senate) for debate and a vote.
   
   

   • In the Senate, it can face a filibuster unless stopped by cloture.
     
     

4. Vote – If passed by a majority vote, the bill moves to the other chamber.
   
   

5. Other Chamber – The bill goes through the same steps (committee, debate, vote).
   
   

6. Conference Committee (if needed) – Members of both chambers iron out differences in the bill versions.
   
   

7. Final Approval – Both the House and Senate must approve the final version.
   
   

8. Presidential Action – The President can:
   
   

   • Sign it → it becomes law.
     
     

   • Veto it → returns to Congress (they can override with 2/3 vote in both chambers).
     
     

   • Do nothing for 10 days while Congress is in session → it becomes law.
     
     

   • Pocket Veto → if Congress adjourns within 10 days and the president does nothing, it dies.
     
     

✅ KEY: Committee → Floor → Other Chamber → Conference (if needed) → President

📜 Amendment to Remember

🔹 17th Amendment

• What it does: Allows for the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people.
  
  

• Before it: State legislatures (state congresses) chose Senators.
  
  

• Why it matters: Gave more democratic power directly to citizens. Cuts out corruption that sometimes happened with state-chosen senators.

⚖ Impeachment Process (Super Testable!)

🔹 Who Impeaches?

• The House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach (which means to bring formal charges against a federal official — like an indictment in criminal law).
  
  

🔹 Penalty for Impeachment

• If convicted, the official is removed from office.
  
  

• The Senate holds the trial and needs a 2/3 vote to convict.
  
  

• Extra: The penalty is removal and possible disqualification from holding future federal office — but no jail time (that would be a separate criminal case).