unit 4 ap gov -- legislative branch

  • Structure of Bicameral National Legislative Branch

    • Congress split into the House & the Senate

  • Process that a bill becomes a law

  • Checks and Balances in legislative process (vetoes/pocket vetoes and overrides) 

  • Committees (types of committees and specific duties for each) 

  • Seniority in committees 

  • Influence of Special Interest Groups and Lobbyists (types of SIGs and Iron Triangles) 

  • Demographic differences between House and Senate 

  • Procedures in the House vs. Senate passing legislation 

  • Rules Committee in the House 

  • Majority vs. Minority Leaders 

  • Role of the whips 

  • Congressional Caucuses vs. Congressional Committees

  • Influence of the Freedom and Progressive Caucuses 

  • Coattails and the Power of the Presidency 

  • Incumbent Advantage/ Recent Challengers (what are the 3 most important advantages?) 

  • Gerrymandering/ Cracking vs. Packing/ Safe Districts

  • Special Powers of the Senate (debate, filibuster, treaties, confirmation process) 

  • Filibuster and Rule 22 (changes to the filibuster and votes to confirm official positions including SCOTUS justices) 

  • Inflation (cost push vs. demand pull) 

  • Hyperinflation vs. Stagflation 

  • Smith vs. Keynes

  • The Federal Reserve (why was it created and when was it created) 

  • Open Market Operations 

  • Oversight of the Federal Reserve 

  • Contractionary vs. Expansionary Monetary Policy 

  • Structure of the Federal Reserve 

  • Phillips Curve 

  • Money Supply, Interest Rates, Inflation, and Unemployment 

  • Discount Rate

  • Reserve Requirements 

  • Fiscal vs. Monetary Policy 

  • Demand vs. Supply-side economics 

  • Contractionary vs. Expansionary Fiscal Policy 

  • Taxes and Government Spending 

  • Laffer Curve and Reaganomics 

  • Entitlements (Social Security, Welfare and Medicare) 

  • Problems with Social Security 

  • Earmarks vs. Amendments 

    • earmark - congressional provision directing funds to be spent on specific projects within a member’s district

      • keep constituents (more recently donors n lobbyists) happy & pass legislation

  • Bridge to Nowhere 

  • Pork Barrel Legislation 

    • legislation that allows reps to enrich their districts w public works, military bases, n other programs

  • Christmas Tree Bill 

  • Rider 

  • Logrolling 

  • Regulations on Earmarks in the House