legislative branch Flashcards
What is pork barrel spending?
Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.
What is logrolling?
Trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation.
What is oversight?
Efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.
What is a constituency?
A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.
What is apportionment?
The process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.
What is redistricting?
States’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.
What is gerrymandering?
The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.
What is partisan gerrymandering?
Drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.
What are majority-minority districts?
A district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.
What is malapportionment?
The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.
What is incumbency?
Being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.
What is incumbency advantage?
Institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.
Who is the Speaker of the House?
The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.
What is a political action committee (PAC)?
An organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.
Who is the House majority leader?
The person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives.
What is a whip?
A member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.
Who is the minority leader?
The head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members.
Who is the Senate majority leader?
The person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.
What is a committee chair?
Leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda.
What is a discharge petition?
A motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.
What is the House Rules Committee?
A powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.
What is the Committee of the Whole?
Consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules; making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.
What is a hold?
A delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill.
What is a unanimous consent agreement?
An agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.
