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Chapter 10: Congress

Terms in this set (64)

2005 consolidated appropriations act
On Friday November 19, 2004 it was announced that the United States government was in danger of running out of money by midnight that night. Eager to adjourn for the year, the House responded by drafting a 3,500 page Consolidated Appropriations Act approving $388 billion in spending in a late night session.
appropriation
the actual amount available in a fiscal year for each program that has been authorized
authorization bill
states the maximum amount of money available when setting up a government program
bicameral
two house legislature with checks and balances on the legislature
baker vs. carr
permitted voters to challenge the constitutionality of voting districts in the courts
"bridge to nowhere"
a controversial earmark that led to a public outcry to reign in wasteful spending in terms of a small project that was expensive and didn't positively impact a lot of people
caucuses
grouping of members of congress who share the same interests or points of view; their goal is to share the agenda of congress by elevating issues or interests to a prominent place
"christmas tree bill"
a bill that has many riders to increase its chances of being passed
closed rules
sets strict time limits on debates and forbids amendments from the floor, except those from the presenting committee
cloture
in which 3/5s of the entire senate membership must vote to stop debate (or filibuster)
committee of the whole
a device in which a legislative body is considered one large committee; all members of the legislative body are members of such a committee
conference committees
are formed exclusively to hammer out differences between house and senate versions of similar bills
congressional calendars
house: union (bills to raise or spend money), house (nonmoney), private (do not affect general welfare), consent (noncontroversial), discharge
senate: executive (presidential nominations), calendar of business (all legislation)
contract with america
...
concurrent resolution
comes from both houses and settles housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses
discharge petition
petition that, if signed by majority of the house of representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.
earmarks
any part of a spending bill that provides money for a specific project
easley vs. cromartie
...
elastic clause
allows congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the constitution.
filibuster
the practice of talking a bill to death
franking privilege
free mailings
germane amendments
amendments that are relevant
gerrymandering
in which district boundaries were drawn in strange ways in order to make it easy for the candidate of one party to win election in that district
hidden earmarks
earmarks inserted in committee reports that are then sent back to congress with the final bill
incumbency
...
joint committees
like select committees but are set up to conduct business between the houses and to help focus public attention on major issues
joint resolution
requires the approval of both houses and the signature of the president and are essentially the same as a law
league of united latin american citizens et al. vs. perry, governor of texas
ruled that the mid-decade redistricting did not violate any constitution because nothing prevented the state from redrawing its electoral boundaries
line-item veto
permits executives to veto sections of a bill that were objectionable; ruled unconstitutional
logrolling
occurs when a member of congress supports another member's pet project in return for support for their own project
majority leader of the house
is responsible for scheduling bills and for rounding up votes for bills the party favors
majority leader of the senate
the most influential person in the senate; has the right to be the first senator heard on the floor, determines the senate's agenda
malapportionment
when states drew districts of unequal sizes which led to some citizens having better access to their representatives
marking up
bills that are changed or revised and returned to the full committee where they may be altered further
mid-decade redistricting
redistricting to gain votes
minority leader of the house
is the spokesperson for the minority part and steps in to the position of speaker if the party gains a majority in the house
minority leader of the senate
assists the majority leader in setting the agenda
minority/majority districting
the rearranging of districts to allow a minority representative to be elected
multiple referral
when a bill considered by several groups is submitted to several committees at once
open rules
permits amendments and often has less strict time limits, allowing for input from other members
oversight
...
party polarization
a growing distance between policy views of the average members of each party
party whips
serve as a go-between for the members and the leadership; inform members when important bills come up for a vote, do nose counts for the leadership, and pressure members to support
pigeonholing
the process by which a Congressional Committee chairperson can kill a bill assigned to his/her committee simply by ignoring it, such as not scheduling it for hearings or for a markup session
pocket veto
when the president receives a bill within tend days of the adjournment of a congressional session and chooses not to respond
pork barrel legislation
legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return
president pro tempore
the more senior member of the senate party
revenue bills
must originate in the house of representatives
simple resolution
passed by either the house or senate that establishes rules, regulations, or practices that do not have the force of the law
select committees
are formed for specific purposes and are usually temporary
seniority system
how chairmen are chosen; in which the member with the longest continuous service on the committee is placed in the chairmanship
sequential referral
when a bill is sent to another committee once one has complete its work
shaw vs. reno
the justice department was charged with reverse discrimination and district lines had to be redrawn according to justice department standards
signing statements
used to qualify approval of a law and to state whether some parts of the bill are constitutional or not
speaker of the house
the most important leadership position in the house; recognizes members who wish to speak, rules on questions, appoints members to committees, assigns bills, appoints the party's legislative leaders
standing committees
handle bills in different policy areas and shape legislation
term limits
the amount of times someone can be in office; state imposed limits on members of congress were unconstitutional
veto
...
teller votes
in which members file past the clerk, saying "yay" or "nay"
voice votes
in which they simply shout "yay" or "nay"
division votes
in which members stand to be counted
roll call vote
in which people respond "yay" or "nay" when their name is called
electronic votes
in which members can insert a plastic card to record their vote
wesberry vs. sanders
one man one vote
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...