decides what bills will be debated in the full House
100
Who is the head of the Senate?
Vice President of the U.S.
100
What is a joint committee?
permanent committee of legislators from both the House and Senate that deals with matters of common interest
100
What is an enumerated power?
powers written in the Constitution
100
What is a bicameral legislature?
a lawmaking body made up of 2 chambers or parts
200
What are the roles of the majority and minority leaders?
They manage legislation on the House floor and on the House floor when there is a debate
200
Who is the President of the Senate pro tempore and when does s/he serve?
senior senator from the majority party (takes place of the Vice President)
200
What is a standing committee?
a permanent committee from either the House or Senate responsible for specific policy areas (agriculture, military, etc.)
200
What is implied powers?
powers not explicitly listed in the Constitution
200
What is a voice vote?
a congressional voting procedure in which members should "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval
300
What is the role of the minority and majority whips?
keeping the leadership informed and persuading members to vote along party lines (e.g. "whip" them in shape)
300
What is the role of the majority leader of the Senate?
spokesperson for the party that holds the most seats; has to work with members of both parties to move legislation
300
What is a select committee?
a temporary committee formed by either the House or Senate to investigate a specific problem
300
What role does the Senate play in an impeachment? (2 or 3 things)
the Senate tries impeachment trials; the trials are presided over by the Chief Justice; a 2/3 of the Senate vote is needed to remove an official
300
What is a role-call vote?
a congressional voting procedure in which members should "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval
400
What is a "trustee," a "delegate" and "politico" congressional representative?
a trustee uses their own best judgment, a delegate votes the way their constituents want, and a politico acts as a trustee or delegate
400
One controversial issue is seniority. Why is it controversial?
members with the most seniority are given leadership over committees not based on ability; discourages new members; may be out of touch with public opinion
400
What is a conference committee?
a temporary committee of legislators from both the House and Senate created to work out differences in bills passed by both chamber of Congress
400
List three powers of the Congress
tax, commerce (trade), war, patents (weights, measures)
400
What is a caucus?
an association of Congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic or economic interest
500
What is the role of the Congressional Budget Office?
studies presidential budget proposals and comes up with their statistics, predictions and arguments
500
Why is gerrymandering controversial?
boundaries are drawn for a congressional district to support one party or group and hurt another group
500
What is cloture? What is required?
process to end a filibuster in the Senate; requires 3/5th or 60 Senators to vote in favor of the cloture to end the filibuster
500
What role does the Senate play in an impeachment? (2 of 3 roles)
the Senate tries impeachment trials; the trials are presided over by the Chief Justice; a 2/3 of the Senate vote is needed to remove an official
500
What is pork-barrel legislation?
legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or state in hope of wining voters votes in return