Congress Flashcards
What are the two functions of Congress?
- Policy/law making
- Representation
- -> Represent district of people that they are voted in from
Why is Congress the most powerful source of government?
-People are represented in congress
How might the two function of Congress clash?
-Getting ride of debt, one way to do so is raising taxes and there must be representation
What is the role of Legislature in Congress?
-Role is to arrive at compromises between the represented people and Congress
What is the U.S. Congress made up of?
- 435 Representatives
- 100 Senators
What are the enumerated powers of Congress?
- The authority capacity granted by the Constitution
1. Power of taxation and spending of public funds
2. Fiscal policy: borrowing money on the credit of U.S.
3. Power to declare war
4. Power of Impeachment: Any federal official to be removed form public office
5. Commerce Clause: Has power to regulate international and states business/commerce
6. Copy right laws, uniform bankruptcy laws, and naturalization laws
7. Power to coin money and printing money
8. Power to establish a post office and build roads
9. Establish lower federal courts beneath the US. supreme court, as many as necessary.
10. NOT OFFICIAL POWER: the oversight power, Checks the judiciary and executive branch.
What are bankruptcy, copyright, and naturalization laws?
- bankruptcy laws govern how many assets can be ceased in bankruptcy
- Naturalization- immigration laws
- Copy right laws- are the laws that protect intellectual property
What is the War power Resolution and purpose?
-Attempt by congress to keep some power from the president creating wars, under article 1 of constitution.
What is the Oversight power of Congress?
- Not an official power of Congress
1. Impeachment
2. Holds hearing on the executive and judiciary branch - ->implicit threat to change the behavior of agency or will lose funding.
How is Congress organized?
- Organized into 3 principles
1. Hierarchal- Party leaders (rank), and file makers (everyone else).
2. Division of Labor: Divide groups into congressional committees, Senate and House Committee, when they meet its separated into 2 floors.
3. Bicameral: Separated into 2 chambers, 100 members called the Senate and Lower chamber with 435 called the House of Representatives.
How was Bicameralism implemented in the U.S. ?
- In the Constitutional Convention with the “Great Compromise”
- Agreement of Statehood and population representation.
- -> every state has 2 senators
- -> House of Repres based on the population of each state.
What is the importance of organization in Congress?
-a party leadership structure organized a large group of people to make decisions.
What are the rules and procedures of the House of Representatives?
- Strict rules and procedure because of large number
- Rules Committee: controls the flow of legislation and condition of debate
- ->Schedules debate of bill with the floor, must go through commute to decide on a bill.
- Germaneness Requirements- All amendments must be relevant to a bill.
- Majoritian: Majority rule has the opportunity to pass bills or bring to floor
What are the rules and procedures of the Senate?
- Not limited on debate
- Germaneness rules do not apply
What is the rule committee in Congress?
- Part of the House of Representatives
- Last phase of a bill
- Scheduling for a bill to go the floor occurs
- Bill that majority is not in favor off are placed in a disadvantage spot.
