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Congress Test Flashcards

(85 cards)

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1
Q

House:

A

25 years of age, citizen of US for 7 years, live in the state that you’re running from

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2
Q

Senate

A

30 years of age, citizen for 9 years, have to live in the state that you’re running from.

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3
Q

Re-elections House

A

Every 2 years, unlimited terms

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4
Q

Re-election Senate

A

Every 6 years, unlimited terms, 1/3 every 2 years are up

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5
Q

The reason for 1/3 of senate every 2 year

A

So there is some experience in government, and won’t be a total drastic change during some elections

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6
Q

CongressPay

A

Upper 100s average, 200s for leadership

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7
Q

What are compensation privileges of incumbents

A

Franking, Raising their pay, and COLA

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8
Q

Explain Franking

A

Free mail for official business

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9
Q

Raising their pay

A

Sets everyone’s pay including themselves

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10
Q

Cola

A

Cost of living adjustment, their pay goes up with the inflation and they have to vote against it if they don’t want to take it

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11
Q

Power of Incumbency

A

someone already in Congress

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12
Q

Percentage of incumbents who win

A

90%

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13
Q

Name three reasons why

A

Gerry maundering, Name recognition and Proven Service

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14
Q

Gerrymandering

A

drawing district lines to favor your political party

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15
Q

Name Recognition:

A

people vote for the name they know (sometimes people vote for dead people because they know the name

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16
Q

Proven Service:

A

Incumbent can show what they have done

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17
Q

Experience/Seniority

A

I have experience with this and that whereas the other guy doesn’t have it. The longer you are in office, the more likely you are to get leadership positions.

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18
Q

Casework:

A

Doing specific work that is more personal than broad (like proven service) Personal service, Individual

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19
Q

Franking:

A

Free mail. Costs for the challenger, but doesn’t for the incumbent.

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20
Q

Quorum

A

what it takes to vote in Congress (50%+1) (218 people needed) (

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21
Q

Committee of the Whole:

A

As long as 100 people show up they can debate. ONLY IN HOUSE, senate doesn’t count how many people show up

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22
Q

Pigeonholing

A

number one way that bills die is in committee, and pigeonholing is one way of that. The chairperson sets the bill aside never to be seen again. (like in side pocket of a chair)

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23
Q

Discharge Petition:

A

The way to force a bill that has died in committee. Takes 218 in the House (needs a majority to press) (Legally Blonde)

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24
Q

Germane vs. non-germane amendments:

A

The House has to do germane amendments (has to be related). In the Senate, you can attach anything you want to a bill.

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25
Germane
To attach something it has to have to do with the bill. | HOUSE
26
Non-germane
Doesn't have to have anything in common with the bill. | SENATE
27
Pork
Bringing home good things for your state
28
Filibuster:
Unlimited debate time in senate to make a bill not pass, always done by the minority.
29
Nuclear Option
Eliminated the filibuster from appointment
30
What does the Nuclear option not eliminate.
Supreme court, legislation, appointments
31
Riders
Term for an attachment to a bill.
32
Pork-Barrel Legislation
Type of rider or legislation when you’re doing something valuable for your state.
33
Earmark:
rider where you’re setting aside money for something.
34
Christmas Tree Bills:
Types of bills that attract earmarks and pork: The main bill is really popular so if you attach your small bill it will probably still pass.
35
Veto:
President can veto and kill legislation but Congress can override it by ⅔
36
Pocket Veto:
if Congress does something last moment, (last ten days of a session) the president can refuse to sign it and stick it in his pocket, because they can’t override it. It’s an unofficial veto.
37
Caucus
It is like a club, an informal group of congress that shares an interest: Black caucus, Hispanic caucus, women caucus
38
Seniority Rule:
Used to be firm, now it’s just a consideration. Used to determine committee chairs from the majority.
39
Senatorial Courtesy:
President appointing state judges, they are supposed to get affirmation from the majority party senators from that state or else they will reject the nomination/appointment.
40
Logrolling:
You support my bill I'll support yours
41
Cloture
You can stop a filibuster by getting 3/5, 60 people, you can stop it.
42
Expressed powers of congress
Article 1 section 8 clause 1-17
43
Power to tax
Added 16th amendment
44
Commerce Powers
Regulating interstate commerce (more have gone to court cases in this than anything else) And regulate trade with foreign nations
45
Borrowing Power:
Can borrow money (doesn’t say how much they can borrow) Caused controversy because of the banking system and such
46
Military Power:
Maintain army and Navy, funding 2yrs at a time then reconsider
47
Currency Power:
they get to determine what our money is
48
Bankruptcy Power:
Passing laws if someone goes barnkrupt | No jail, protects house
49
Naturalization:
``` the rules to become a citizen-the test, 1. be a good moral character, 2. live in the country for five years, 3 enter the country legally, 3. be literate in the English language, 4. renounce your old citizenship ```
50
Post Office:
they will provide mail and transportation for mail, through roads
51
Copyrights and Patents
to protect and promote science | and poor
52
Weights and Measures:
how we decide what measurements we use
53
Judicial Powers:
1. Counterfeiting-printing money 2. Treason-betraying the country 3. Piracies-originally conceived as stealing on the high seas, but now it is stealing digital information and the like
54
Implied Powers---McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
1. States are not allowed to tax the federal government | 2. Has to relate back to an expressed power
55
Expressed vs. implied powers:
1. Implied powers have to relate back to an expressed power. | 2. Expressed is a power written in the Constitution or an amendment.
56
Strict vs. Liberal Constructionist:
Strict: Have to stay really close to literal written document Liberal: Changes with time as long as it some how relates
57
Reserved powers
State powers example: education 10th amendment
58
Non-Legislative Powers:
The ones that are expressly stated in the Constitution | These require laws to become official
59
Constitutional Amendments:
Both House and Senate propose amendments (⅔)
60
Electoral Duties:
House picks President in the case of a tie or no majority, | Senate would pick Vice President
61
Impeachment
President, Supreme Court members, for themselves. House brings the charge 50%+1, Senate does the trial (and conviction-⅔)
62
Appointments:
Senate (50%+1)
63
Treaties
Only the Senate approves of treaties with ⅔
64
Investigatory:
Congress gets to look into any topic and investigate (promote the general welfare)
65
Oversight:
They have the right to look into anything that they put money into.
66
Advice and Consent, treaties and appointments belong to who
Senate
67
who Initiate tax laws and spending bills
House of Represenatives
68
Debate who's limited
House is limited, Senate is not limited
69
Original selection
435 reps, 100 senators
70
who has more Constituency
The senators, represent more than just a district.
71
Distribution of Power
Reapportionment, Reapportionment act of 1929, Gerrymandering, Wesberry vs Sanders, Single-member districts vs proportional.
72
Reapportion:
Redraw district lines, every 10yrs
73
Reapportionment Act of 1929
House limited to 435, | can temporarily have above 435, new state, senate can go up as much as you need
74
Wesberry vs Sanders
Each district has to be similar population
75
Single member districts vs proportional
Single member districts - made 2 party system | Proportional -even low % gets representation
76
Speaker of the House
1. Most powerful person of the house 2. Majority party 3. Control debate, 4. assign bills to committee, 5 input on who’s on what committees ( the Committee on Committees), 6. select committees, expected to be fair and biased. 6. Fair in the application of rules and biased to favor their party. 7. They get to debate and they also get to vote. 8. Vice President is the head of the Senate, but only vote in case of tie
77
Senate Pro Temps:
Most senior member of the majority party
78
Majority Minority Leader:
Majority leader almost equal speaker of the house in the senate, majority leader is the most powerful person in the Senate.
79
Majority and Minority Whips
Makesure you show up to vote Pressure ppl into voting their way Keep track of people voting
80
Committee Chair
Always Majority party and the majority of the committees are from the majority. They can kill the bill by themselves by pigeonholing it.
81
Standing Committees
The ones that are permanent
82
Select Committees
are not permanent
83
Joint Committees:
Both House and Senate members (Conference Committee)
84
Rules Committee:
Only in the House. Limits on debates and amendments. If they refuse to give it a rule, they kill the bill.
85
Committee Actions:
1. Pass the bill, 2. amend the bill, 3. replace it with their own version of the topic, 4. kill it, 5. pass with a recommendation to kill it

AP congress (2 decks)

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