1.
apportion(ed); reapportion: The Constitution mandates that the total number of seats in the House of Represenatatives must be _____ (distributed) among the States on the basis of their respective populations; the Constitution also directs Congress to _____ (redistribute) the seats in the House every ten years; that is-after every census.
2.
bill; committee: A _____ is a proposed law presented to the House or Senate for consideration; fewer than 10% become law; most die in _____.
3.
consensus: A _____ is simply a general agreement (of the American people).
4.
constituents/constituency: A Senator's _____, the people and interests he or she represents (the people back home), is much larger and more varied than a member of the House of Representatives.
5.
continuous body: While a term of a representative is two years, the term of a senator is six years. All seats in the House come up for election every two years, whereas on 1/3 of the Senate seats expire every two years; the Senate is considered a _____ because all seats are never up for election at the same time.
6.
filibuster; cloture: A _____ is a stalling tactic used in the Senate when a minority of senators seek to delay or prevent a final vote on a bill. Talk, and more talk, is the weapon. The Senate can limit this with a 3/5 vote called _____.
7.
Great Compromise; bicameral legislature: One of the main compromises in the U.S. Constitution settled the dispute between the small States and the large States concerning representation in Congress. The _____ established a _____, one made up of two houses.
8.
impeach: In order to _____ the President, Vice President or any civil officers of the U.S., they must be charged with treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors against the Constitution.
9.
limited government: The Constitution gives Congress a number of powers with which it can limit the actions of the executive and judicial branches; this is the constitutional principle of _____.
10.
national debt: The _____ is all the money borrowed by the National Government and not yet repaid, plus the interest on that money. As of March, 2012, our current debt is $15.5 trillion.
11.
necessary and proper clause: The constitutional basis for the implied powers of Congress is the _____; often called the "elastic clause" because it expands the powers of Congress beyond the explicit wording (expressed powers) of the Constitution.
12.
off-year elections: Those congressional elections that occur in the non-presidential years--that is in 2002, 2006, 2010, etc. are called _____.
13.
rider: A _____ is an amendment to a bill; this amendment is not likely to pass on its own merit and is attached to a bill that is certain to pass.
14.
seniority rule; committee chairmen: The _____ provides that the most important positions, including _____, are chosen based on party affiliation (member of the majority party) and length of service on the committee.
15.
Speaker of the House; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House: The presideing officer of the House of Representatives, the _____ is more important and powerful the _____ who is also the Vice President of the U.S.. The _____ for the 112th term of the House is John Boehner (R).
16.
standing committees: Each house of Congress sets up permanent committees to consider all bills. These committees are called _____.
17.
taxes: _____ are charges levied (collected) by the government on persons or property to raise money to meet public needs.
18.
term of Congress; session of Congress: A term of office is the length of time that officials (members of Congress) serve after an election; each term lasts for two years. Currently we are in the 112th _____, 2nd _____.
19.
trustees; partisans; delegates: In broad terms each lawmaker has three main voting options: _____ believe that each question should be decided on its own merits (conscience and independent judgment are their guides), _____ feel duty-bound to vote in-line with their party's ideals and party leaders, and _____ respond to the wishes of their constituents-with the intention of supporting public opinion.
20.
veto: When a bill that has passed both houses of Congress is sent to the President; he may either sign it (and it becomes law) or refuse to sign it. This refusal is termed a _____.
