Chapter 7 Congress Flashcards

1
Q

A two-house legislature

A

bicameral legislature

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2
Q

The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to the proportion of the population

A

apportionment

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3
Q

A proposed law

A

bill

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4
Q

The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other “civil officers,” including federal judges, with “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” This is the first step in the constitutional process of removing government officials from office

A

impeachment

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5
Q

Already holding an office

A

incumbency

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6
Q

The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state

A

redistricting

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7
Q

The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district

A

gerrymandering

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8
Q

The political party in each house of Congress with the most members

A

majority party

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9
Q

The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members

A

minority party

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10
Q

A formal gathering of all party members

A

party caucus or conference

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11
Q

The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority party

A

Speaker of the House

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12
Q

The head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as its most powerful member

A

majority leader

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13
Q

The head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate

A

minority leader

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14
Q

Party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote counts on key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within a party

A

whip

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15
Q

The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party.

A

president pro tempore

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16
Q

Committee to which proposed bills are referred ; continues from one Congress to the next.

A

standing committee

17
Q

Standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress setup to conduct investigations or special studies

A

joint committee

18
Q

Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

A

conference committee

19
Q

Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose.

A

select (or special) committee

20
Q

Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction

A

discharge petition

21
Q

Time of continuous service on a committee

A

seniority

22
Q

A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor

A

markup

23
Q

A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or nomination is brought to the floor. this request signals leadership that a member may have objections to the bill and should be consulted before further action is taken.

A

hold

24
Q

A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate

A

filibuster

25
Q

Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate

A

cloture

26
Q

The formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from borrowing law without further congressional action

A

veto

27
Q

If congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without the president’s signature.

A

pocket veto

28
Q

Act the established the congressional budget process by laying out a plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills.

A

Congressional Budget Act of 1974

29
Q

Funds that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects within a state or congressional district

A

earmark

30
Q

Passed by congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period

A

War powers Act

31
Q

A process whereby congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval.

A

congressional review

32
Q

A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs.

A

senatorial courtesy

33
Q

Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents opinions and then uses his or her best judgement to make a final decision

A

trustee

34
Q

Role played by and elected representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want him or her to, regardless of his or her own opinions

A

delegate

35
Q

Role played by and elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue

A

politico

36
Q

The political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and congress

A

divided government

37
Q

The political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress

A

unified government

38
Q

Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support

A

logrolling