Untitled Flashcards Set

House of Representatives- Lower chamber of Congress, represents districts. 2. Senate- Upper chamber of Congress, represents entire states (2 per state) 3. Constituency Body of voters electing a representative or senator. 4. Lawmaking Primary function of Congress to create legislation. 5. Budgeting Process of allocating funds for government programs. 6. Oversight Congress's monitoring of executive branch activities. 7. Pork Barrel Spending Funds directed to local projects for political gain. 8. Logrolling Vote trading among Congress members for mutual beneft. 9. Earmarks Funds allocated for specifc projects in districts. 10. Apportionment Determining number of representatives per state via census. 11. Redistricting Redrawing electoral district boundaries after census. 12. Gerrymandering Manipulating district boundaries for political advantage. 13. Majority-minority District District where minority ethnicity holds electoral majority. 14. Malapportionment Uneven population distribution among legislative districts.Incumbency Holding office, advantageous for re-election. 16. Incumbency Advantage Benefits held by current officeholders in elections. 17. Baker v. Carr Established 'one man, one vote' principle.Shaw v. Reno Overturned racially biased district drawing. 19. Speaker of the House Leader of the House of Representatives. 20. Political Action Committees (PACs) Organizations raising funds for political candidates. 21. House Majority Leader Second in command in the House of Representatives. 22. Whips Members of congress choosen by their party ensuring party discipline and unity. 23. House Majority Leader Most powerful member in the Senate. 24. Committee Chairs Leaders of congressional committees directing agendas. 25. Standing Committees Permanent committees where most congressional work occurs. 26. Joint Committees Committees with members from both houses. 27. Conference Committees Temporary committees resolving bill differences between houses.Select/Special Committees Temporary committees investigating specific issues. 29. Discharge Petition Motion to bring a bill out of committee. 30. House Rules Committee Determines debate rules for bills in the House. 31. Filibuster Senate tactic delaying legislation through prolonged debate. 32. Cloture Procedure to end debate in the Senate as long at 60 or senators agree. 33. Veto President's power to reject legislation.Office of Management & Budget (OMB) The executive branch ofce that assists president in setting national spending priorities. 35. Entitlement Programs Benefts provided regardless of income qualifications. 36. Mandatory Spending Spending required by existing laws that is "locked in" budget 37. Discretionary Spending spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president 38. Budget Surplus The amount of money remaining when the government takes more than they can spend. 39. Budget Defcit When government spends more than it earns. 40. National Debt Total money owed by the federal government. 41. Delegate Role Congress members act according to constituents' wishes. 42. Trustee Role Members make decisions based on their judgment. 43. Politico Role Balancing constituents' interests with party decisions. 44. Bipartisanship Cooperation between parties to pass legislation. 45. Gridlock Inability to legislate due to partisan divisions. 46. Divided Government control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress split 47. Lame Duck Period period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees 48. Unanimous Consent Agreement an agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a billHold a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill 50. Committee of the Whole consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation 51. House Rules Committee a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor 52. Speaker of the House The leader of the House of Reps, chosen by an election of its members.