Civics Final
Where does the power come from regarding the federal government - The people/The constitution
Why is section 1 of article 1 is so powerful and important for our federal government - Gives power to make laws/established legislative branch
Size of house of reps - 435 (more ratio of representatives to population)
Additional delegates in the HOR - 6
What it the Rationale for why terms are only 2 years in HOR - So representatives can be replaced
Reapportionment - The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.
When do elections happen - Tuesday after first monday in November, even years
What happens at midterms - HOR gets new reps, usually flips
Required qualifications HOR -
25 years of age
A citizen of the United States for at least 7 years
At the time of election, be a resident of the state
Informal qualifications of HOR members - Party, gender, ethnicity
Senate size - 100
Term length - 6
Senate term rational - So they can focus on more long-term issues
How many senators are up for reelection every two years - one third
What the 17th amendment did for the Senate - Direct elections, filled vacancies
Required qualifications for senate - 30 years of age
A citizen of the United States for 9 years
At the time of election, be a resident of the state
What is a filibuster? - an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures.
What is cloture? - the process by which three-fifths of the Senate can end a filibuster.
Role of VP in Senate - President of the Senate (tie breaker)
How the 27th amendment regulates the pay of congressional members - Any law changing salary cannot take effect until after the next election of representatives has occured
How a bill becomes a law - idea - comittee - house - senate commitee - senate - president
Some of the categories of power that Congress holds - Power to declare war, regulate commerce, borrow money
Habeas Corpus - a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person's release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.
ex post facto - a law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed
bill of attainder - a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court
US Senator for Michigan - Slotkin D, Peters D
US Congress Member - Jack Bergman R
MI Senator - Michael Webber R
MI Representative - Gregory Markkanen R
Speaker of the House - the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives
House Whips - Main job of these people is keep party members in line when a vote occurs
President of the Senate - the presiding officer of a senate; in Congress, the vice president of the United States; in a state's legislature, either the lieutenant governor or a senator
President Pro Tempore of the Senate - the person who presides over the Senate when the Vice President is not present
First woman in congress - Jeannette Rankin, represented Montana, born in Montana
Gerrymandering history - a reaction to the redrawing of a MA state senate election district map
Gerrymandering cracking and packing - Cracking- splitting district with minority population to prevent a certain representative from being elected. Packing - the opposite
Gerrymandering impact on congress - Decides which party controls state legislatures
Michigan Prop 18-2 - Create a commission of 13 registered voters randomly selected by the Secretary of State: 4 each who self‑identify as affiliated with the 2 major political parties; and 5 who self‑identify as unaffiliated with major political parties.
Why does the presidential cabinet matter - The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he or she may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.
Pardon - A pardon releases a prisoner from all or part of their punishment and reinstates their civil liberties. Pardons can be conditional or unconditional.
Commutation - A commutation reduces a sentence to a lesser penalty or jail time. Commutations do not change the inmate's conviction
Qualifications to be President - natural born citizen, resident of US for 14 years, at least 35
The big change to the US Constitution brought about by the 12th amendment - Revises and outlines the procedure of how Presidents and Vice Presidents are elected, specifically so that they are elected together
Responsibilities/Roles of the President - President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of laws created by Congress.
How the president is kept in check by congress - through its power to override presidential vetoes, approve or reject presidential appointments, and initiate impeachment proceedings against the President