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AP Government Unit V Study Guide

Terms in this set (22)

Incumbents
People that hold a position in the office. They are 90% more likely to win in Congress compared to other opponents who are inexperienced [lack of serious contenders - more common in the House]. They have more power and money to advertise, credit claim [earmark/pork barrel], position taking [casework and answering questions of their constituents] and log rolling with other members in Congress to vote favorably on the incumbent candidate. They also have other advantages such as franking privileges, staffers, name recognition, casework, pork barrel, and gerrymandering [in the House] - but cannot use the census to gerrymander.
Casework
Members of an office or running candidates for congressional election, typically try to connect better with their constituents through the community activities and also gain credibility of them being "the person of the people."
Pork Barrel
Any amount of financial means given to the constituents to win an election. Ex. The Big Dig in Boston
Reciprocity/Logrolling
The exchange of favors in politics - voting on proposed legislation, pork barrel, etc...
Bicameral Legislature
Our Congress is an example of bicameral legislature. There are two chambers represented in those houses - House or Representatives and the Senate.
House Rules Committee
This committee is a select group of leaders in the House, who determine the possible chances of a bill to surpass and succeed in winning the House.
Filibuster
A stall from passing the bill to have members of the House or Senate to have more time to vote on the bill.
Cloture
Ends a filibuster
Speaker of the House
Paul Ryan is our current Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House makes the choices of which committee assignments are to be debated and thoroughly checked, lead the voting bloc, limit the time spent on debate - can be able to take the spot of the President and Vice President if they are unable to serve in office.
Majority Leader
Our Senate Majority leader is Mitch McConnell and our House Majority leader is Kevin McCarthy. The House majority leader is the representation of the major/head of the party, counts the votes in the House and gets the votes ready for members. Meanwhile, the Senate majority leader, organizes dates to go over the bill, is the lead speaker of the major party, focuses on the bill [debates and discussion] and influences how the bill is going to be changed or decided.
Whips
Our whips for the House are . Our whips for the Senate are . Their role is to be able to get their party members to vote.
Minority Leader
Our Senate minority leader is Chuck Schumer and our House minority leader is Nancy Pelosi. They both speak for their minor party - they debate from their stance, negotiate with the major party, and also influence how the bill will be compromised.
Standing Committee
A standing committee is a committee that is a group that is permanent in Congress. For example, there can be a section for armed forces that may need expansion and financial needs to continue our national defense system.
Joint Committee
A joint committee is when the bicameral legislation or other organizations join together to discuss about certain tasks in committees.
Conference Committee
A conference committee is only held if both the Senate and the House voted for different legislation [when they made revisions] and to reconcile their differences to finally compromise and approve legislation or bill.
Select Committee
A small committee made for a certain purpose in legislation.
Legislative Oversight
Congress oversights on the activities done by the executive branch and others within the federal bureaucratic agencies.
Committee Chairs
These are people who are assigned to specific committees in the House or Senate to pass a revised version of bills - they are not required to form their own bill.
Seniority System
The decision made for incumbents or for other members in Congress who have served longer- deserves more privileges such as joining their personal committee assignments or even becoming committee chairpersons.
Caucus
Informal gathering of members of a certain political party or other affiliation to discuss their policies and agenda. Ex. Black Caucus
Bill
A bill is passed through the House: it goes to the subcommittee, then the full committee, then the rules committee [to approve the bill], then it goes to the full house committee [to be debated by the whole house [needs 218/435 votes to pass] , then it goes to the Senate; In the Senate, the bill goes through its subcommittee, then its full committee, then through leadership [where the Senate leaders of Democratic and Republican debate about the issues in the bill], and then sent to the full Senate [to be debated by all Senators; also needs 51/100 votes to pass], then if it passes with amendments it will transfer to the conference committee where both the House and the Senate will vote on the bill. If it passes there then it will pass on to the president to sign or veto the bill.
Gerrymandering
Redrawing district lines for political reasons. Sometimes incumbents [after they win] will redraw the district so that their former challenger would not live within the same district to run against the incumbent.
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