APGOVCH6.Zariah White

Question 1

apportionment

Answer 1

the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its proportion of the population, flollowing the decennial census

apportionment adjusts the number of seats after each u.s. census.

Question 2

bicameral legislature

Answer 2

a two-house legislature.

any two-house legislature, such as the one created by the framers, is called a bicameral legislature.

Question 3

bill

Answer 3

a proposed law.

no bill, or proposed law, can become law without the consent of both houses.

Question 4

cloture

Answer 4

mechanism requiring the vote of sixty senators to cut off debate.

sixty senators must sign a motion for cloture.

Question 5

committee of the whole

Answer 5

a procedure that allows the House of Representatives to deliberate with a lower quorum and to expedite consideration and amendment of a bill.

when the day arrives for floor debate, the house may choose to from a committee of the whole.

Question 6

conference committee

Answer 6

special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the house and senate.

a conference committee comprises members from the house and senate committees that originally considered the bill.

Question 7

congressional budget act of 1974

Answer 7

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

the congressional budget act of 1974 established the congressional budgetary process in use today.

Question 8

congressional budget office (cbo)

Answer 8

created in 1974, the cbo provides congress with evaluations of the potential economic effects of proposed spending policies and also analyzes the president’s budget and economic projections.

the cbo was created in 1974 to evaluate the economic effect of different spending programs and to provide information on the cost of proposed policies.

Question 9

congressional research service (crs)

Answer 9

created in 1814, the non-partisan crs provides information, studies, and research in support of the work of congress and prepares summaries and tracks the progress of all bill.

additional help for members comes from support personnel at the congressional research service (crs).

Question 10

congressional review

Answer 10

a process whereby congress can nullify agency regulations within a 60-day window by passing a joint resolution of legislative diapproval. the president’s approval of the resolution or a two-thirds majority vote in both houses to overrule a presidential veto is also required.

if using congressional review, congress has sixty days after the implementation of an administrative action or, in the case of the district of columbia any laws, resolutions or ballot measures, to pass a joint resolution of legislative disapproval.

Question 11

delegate

Answer 11

someone who attends or communicates the ideas of or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations, which may be at the same level or involved in a common field of work or interest

a second theory of representation holds that a representative should be a delegate.

Question 12

discharge petition

Answer 12

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 signed by a majority (218) of the house membership can force bills out of a house committee.

Question 13

divided government

Answer 13

the political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and at least one house of congress.

committee hearings are now routinely televised and are among congress’s most visible and dramatic actions, especially in times of divided government.

Question 14

edmund burke

Answer 14

conservative british political philosopher of the eighteenth century who articulated the view that elected representatives should act as “trustees” and use their own best judgement when voting.

edmund burke served in the british parliament.

Question 15

filibuster

Answer 15

a formal way of halting senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate.

the content of a filibuster has no limits as long as a senator keeps talking.

Question 16

gerrymandering

Answer 16

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

the redistricting process often involves gerrymandering.

Question 17

government accountability office (gao)

Answer 17

established in 1921, the gao is an independent regulatory agency for the purpose of auditing the financial expenditures of the executive branch and federal agencies; until 2004, the gao was known as the general accounting office.

additional help for members comes from support personnel at the government accountability office (gao).

Question 18

hilary clinton

Answer 18

first female major party candidate for president of the united states, a democrat, who ran against president donald j. trump in 2016. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013; new york senator from 2001 to 2009; former first lady.

a select committee was used to examine secretary of state hillary clinton’s actions on benghazi.

Question 19

hold

Answer 19

a procedure by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or nomination is brought to the floor.

a hold request signals leadership that a member may have objections to the bill (or nomination) and should be consulted before further action is taken.

Question 20

house committee on rules

Answer 20

the influential “rules committee” determines the scheduling and conditions, such as length of debate and type of allowable amendments, for all bills in the House of Representatives (but not in the Senate, where debate is less regulated).

although most committees in one house parallel those in the other, the house committee on rules, for which no counterpart in the senate exists, plays a major role in the house’s law-making process.

Question 21

impeachment

Answer 21

the process by which a legislative body levels charges against a government official.

the house has the power of impeachment.

Question 22

incumbency

Answer 22

already holding an office.

incumbency helps members stay in office once they are elected.

Question 23

joint committee

Answer 23

standing committee that includes members from both houses of congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies.

joint committees focus public attention on major matters such as the economy, taxation, or scandals.

Question 24

logrolling

Answer 24

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

on issues that are of little interest to a legislator, logrolling often occurs.

Question 25

majority leader

Answer 25

the head of the party controlling the most seats in the house or representatives or the senate

majority leader is second in authority to the speaker of house and in the senate is regarded as its most powerful member.

Question 26

majority party

Answer 26

the political party in each house of congress with the most members.

A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country’s politics.

Question 27

markup

Answer 27

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

if the subcommittee votes in favor of the bill, it is returned to the full committee and then through markup.

Question 28

minority leader

Answer 28

the head of the party controlling the most seats in the house or 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.

the minority leader is the one in the party with the second highest number of seats in the house.

Question 29

minority party

Answer 29

the political party in each house of congress with the second most members.

A minor party is a political party that plays a smaller role than a major party.

Question 30

party caucus (or conference)

Answer 30

a formal gathering of all party members.

at the beginning of each new congress, the members of each party formally gather in their party caucus.

Question 31

pocket veto

Answer 31

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.

when the president chooses not to sign the bill after the adjournment by congress during the ten days, it is called a pocket veto.

Question 32

politico

Answer 32

an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue.

a third theory of representation holds that a politico alternately dons the hat of a trustee or delegate depending on the issue.

Question 33

pork

Answer 33

legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs.

representatives often seek to win appropriations known as pork.

Question 34

president pro tempore

Answer 34

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

the position of pro tem today is primarily an honorific office generally awarded to the most senior senator of the major party.

Question 35

programmatic requests

Answer 35

federal funds designated for special projects within a state or congressional district.

programmatic requests were once called earmarks.

Question 36

reconciliation

Answer 36

a procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affetingthe budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster.

one special process detailed by the congressional budget act of 1974 is reconciliation.

Question 37

redistricting

Answer 37

the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn

redistricting is a largely political process.

Question 38

richard m. nixon

Answer 38

the thirty-seventh president, a republican, who served from 1969 through 1974. nixon advocated détente during the cold war and resigned rather than face impeachment and likely removal from office due to the watergate scandal.

richard m. nxon, exposed several shortcomings in the system.

Question 39

select (or special) committee

Answer 39

temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose.

select (or special) committees are appointed for purposes like investigating 9/11.

Question 40

senatorial courtesy

Answer 40

a process by which presidents generally allow senators from the state in which a judicial vacancy occurs to block a nomination by simply registering their objection.

in the case of federal district court appointments, senators often have considerable say in the nomination of judges from their states through senatorial courtesy.

Question 41

seniority

Answer 41

time of continuous service on a committee.

committee chairs in the house, unlike the senate, are no longer selected by seniority.

Question 42

speaker of the house

Answer 42

the only officer of the house of representatives specifically mentioned in the constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position

the speaker of the house is traditionally a member of the majority party.

Question 43

standing committee

Answer 43

committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one congress to the next.

standing committees are those to which bills are referred for consideration.

Question 44

trustee

Answer 44

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

according to burke, a representative should be a trustee.

Question 45

unified government

Answer 45

the political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and congress.

in times of unified government the president may act as chief of the party and attempt to coerce members to support his legislative package.

Question 46

veto

Answer 46

the formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without further congressional action.

the president can veto the bill, which is more likely to occur when the president is of a different part from the majority in congress.

Question 47

war powers resolution

Answer 47

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.

in a delayed response to lyndon b. johnson’s conduct of the vietnam war, in 1973 congress passed the war powers resolution over president nixon’s veto.

Question 48

whip

Answer 48

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.

the republican and democratic whips assist the speaker and majority and minority leaders in their leadership efforts.