Congressional Procedures
This Senate procedure ends or cuts off debate of a bill.
What is a cloture motion?
According to election trends, this status significantly helps candidates get reelected to the House.
What is incumbency status?
The primary role of this type of committee is holding oversight hearings on executive agencies or making legislative decisions in its policy area.
What are standing committees?
The Vice President’s constitutional role gives them this specific legislative power in the Senate.
What is casting tie-breaking votes?
This chamber must ratify treaties with other countries.
What is the Senate?
This committee type is used to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate.
What is a conference committee?
The reelection rate in this chamber has remained consistently high because incumbency helps candidates secure another term.
What is the House of Representatives?
This Senate committee holds hearings on judicial appointments made by the President.
What is the Senate Judiciary Committee?
This SCOTUS case established the doctrine of "One Person, One Vote"
What is Baker v Carr?
This chamber approves presidential appointments to the Supreme Court and Cabinet.
What is the Senate?
These permanent subject-matter committees handle most of the legislative workload in Congress.
What are standing committees?
State legislatures can help House members maintain their seat by creating these “safe districts.”
What is gerrymandering?
A House committee chair is always a member of this group.
What is the majority party?
Directing federal funds into a member’s district through legislation is known as this.
What is pork barrel?
According to reelection data, this chamber has consistently high reelection rates due to incumbency advantages.
What is the House of Representatives?
These occur every ten years after a federal census to redistribute House seats among the states.
What is reapportionment?
This amendment removed state legislatures’ power to choose senators, shifting to direct election.
What is the Seventeenth Amendment?
This type of committee conducts special investigations and is not permanent.
What is a select committee?
An agreement made from the lengthy legislative process where neither side gets everything they want.
What is compromise?
Members of this chamber are less likely to be reelected than House members.
What is the Senate?
This House committee is one of the most powerful because it creates the rules and controls the terms of debate on bills.
What is the Rules Committee?
One factor that helps explain high re-election rates in Congress is this increase that benefits incumbent members.
What is an increase in funding for incumbent members?
This legislative activity occurs in the House but not the Senate.
What is the initiation of tax legislation?
These privileges refer to the free use of the mail system enjoyed by Congress.
What is the franking privilege?
Malapportionment in districts results from failing to do this after a census.
What is redistricting?