Legislative Structure
The total number of Senators in the U.S. Senate
What is 100?
The informal name for Congress's constitutional ability to control government tax and spending money.
What is the "Power of the Purse"?
The chamber of Congress that must approve presidential appointments for federal judges and cabinet members.
What is the Senate?
These permanent congressional groups focus on ongoing topics like Agriculture or National Security.
What are Standing Committees?
The initial rough draft of a proposed law introduced in Congress.
What is a bill?
The total number of members in the House of Representatives.
What is 435?
The most powerful leader in Congress, chosen by the majority party in the House of Representatives.
Who is the Speaker of the House?
The choice a President makes when rejecting a bill sent by Congress.
What is a veto?
Temporary groups formed in Congress to investigate a specific, special issue.
What are Select Committees?
Professionals hired by interest groups to meet with lawmakers and influence their votes.
Who are lobbyists?
The factor determining how many representatives each state gets in the House.
What is state population?
Political party assistants whose main job is to "whip up" support and count votes.
Who are Party Whips?
The primary check Congress holds to accuse and put a president or federal judge on trial for serious crimes.
What is impeachment?
The stage in the legislative process where most proposed bills actually die.
What is the Committee Review phase?
The stage where the full House or Senate discusses and argues for or against a bill after it leaves committee.
What is the Floor Debate?
This term describes a legislature divided into two separate chambers, like the U.S. Congress.
What is bicameral?
The political party in a congressional chamber that holds the most elected members.
What is the Majority Party?
The fraction of votes required in both chambers of Congress to override a presidential veto.
What is a two-thirds (2/3) vote?
The special committee formed when the House and Senate pass different versions of the exact same bill.
What is a Conference Committee?
The requirement for a bill's text before it can be sent to the President for signature.
What is passing both chambers in the exact same form?
The article of the U.S. Constitution that established Congress.
What is Article I?
The title given to the longest-serving member of the majority party who leads the Senate when the Vice President is absent.
Who is the President Pro Tempore?
This branch of government cannot spend taxpayer money without first receiving permission from Congress.
What is the Executive Branch (or the President)?
Three specific actions committees take to do the "heavy lifting" on a bill before a full vote.
What are reviewing/editing bills, holding hearings, and debating?
According to the presentation, the main reason the lawmaking process is intentionally designed to be slow and complicated.
What is to ensure careful debate, require compromise, and prevent rushed or harmful laws?