Chapter 9- Congress Flashcards
(30 cards)
What are the two branches of Congress?
The House and the Senate\
How many members are in the House?
435
How are the House members elected?
From districts, apportioned by population
How many members are in the Senate?
100
How are the Senate members elected?
In a statewide vote, 2 to each state
What is the length of a Senator’s term?
6 years
What is the length of a House member’s term?
2 years
What kind of constituency does the House have? The Senate?
The House has a local and statewide (since it’s by population), and The Senate is statewide (since there are only two per state
What is one result of the House members’ frequency of reelection, consituency-wise?
They are more in tune to what their constituencies need now
What is one result of the Senate members’ infrequency of reelection, consituency-wise?
They are more able to advance the longer-term policies
What is sociological representation?
It’s the concept that someone is more likely to represent you accurately if they are more like you
What is agency representation?
It’s the concept that someone is more likely to represent you accurately if they are accountable to you if they represent you inaccurately
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (RCCC) do what for their incumbents?
They place vulnerable incumbents in its “Frontline” program to receive extra funding, choice committee assignments, and high-profile speaking engagements.
Why must state legislatures redraw election districts and redistribute legislative representatives?
To reflect population changes or in response to legal challenges to existing districts
Apportionment
The act of redistributing the number of state legislators per state based on population changes
Gerrymandering
The act of manipulating the redistricting process to advocate for certain policies, and to create gaps and more incumbents of the same party close together
Miller v. Johnson (1995)
Supreme Court limited racial redistricting by ruling that race could not be the predominant factor in creating electoral districts
Shelby County v. Holder
Ruled that the Justice Department does not have to approve the redistricting plans of jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination
Patronage (in state legislators)
Directed benefits provided to constituents
Pork-barrel legislation (or pork)—
Stuff state legislators do for their constituents, by giving them allowances and money for projects that aren’t really needed, but that will make them look good for next election.
“Earmarks”
Language that state legislators put in bills to help their constituents, can sometimes lead to scandals ( like bribes)
What is the leader of the House of Representatives called? How do they get elected?
Speaker of the House, they get elected from the elected party leaders in the caucus and conference of that Congress session.
In the Senate, who is the presiding officer?
The president pro tempore
Who really controls the calendar and agenda of the Senate?
The majority and minority leaders
