Constitutional Principles
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Vocabulary
The House
The Senate
100

Division of power between the states and the federal government

What is federalism?

100
A smaller group of representatives who meet to look at and make recommendations on proposed bills
What is a committee?
100
The people in a representative's district
What are constituents?
100
435
What is the number of representatives in the House?
100
100
What is the number of representatives in the Senate?
200

Splitting electoral districts up by partisan means.

What is Gerrymandering
200
The committee in the House that schedules the bill on the calendar, decides how much time to give to debate, and decides what type of amendments can be offered
What is the House Rules Committee?
200

Member of Congress who is a direct messenger between the leaders and the rank and file members

What is a whip

200
Two years
What is the term length for representatives?
200
Six years
What is the term length for Senators?
300

Name a clause of the U.S. constitution that has been used specifically as an implied power

Commerce, Necessary and Proper

300
Changes to a bill
What are amendments?
300

One of the 4 ways elected officials can vote

Delegates, Trustees, Partisans, Politicos

300
The leader of the House
What is the Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi)?
300

The leader of the Senate (officially)?

What is the Vice President (Mike Pence)?

400

Powers to declare war, coin money, regulate interstate commerce, etc.

Expressed powers in Congress

400
The President rejecting a bill
What is a veto?
400
Government spending on local projects that benefit a representative's home district
What is pork?
400

A committee in the House but not in the Senate and an example of how the House is more strict than the Senate. (sets the "rules" and is the Speaker's "right arm")

What is the House Rules Committee?

400

A tactic to delay a vote on a bill that can only be used in the Senate. (Talking a Bill to Death)

What is filibustering?

500

One of the two ways to interpret the constitution

Liberal or strict


500
Members of both houses work out differences between their versions of a bill
What is a conference committee?
500

The process of redistricting every 10 years

What is reapportionment 

500

1 reason congress would call a special committee

Investigation, emergency, intervention

500

Who holds the real power in the Senate and is the head of the majority party?

Mitch McConnell (Senate Majority Leader) 

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