Basics
Population
What happens to most bills submitted to Congress?
They die and do not become laws.
Which type of committee meets for a special purpose and is then disbanded when its job is done?
Select committee
What is one way the president can check the power of Congress?
Vetoing a bill passed by Congress or suggesting policies for Congress to pass, sending troops where they are needed for a limited time
Who can submit a bill to be considered by Congress?
Only a congressman
Provide the term lengths and term limits for Senators and Representatives.
Senators: 6 years, unlimited terms
Representatives: 2 years, unlimited terms
When a bill is first introduced to the House or the Senate, it is sent to one of ___________ committees that is relevant to the subject of the bill.
Standing
Who is in control of the Senate when the President of the Senate is unavailable?
The President Pro Tempore
What is the term for when a civil servant is officially accused of a crime by Congress?
impeachment
Who presides over impeachment trials?
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Which type of bills must start in the House of Representatives?
Revenue or money bills.
Once a bill has passed through one part of Congress, what happens next?
The bill must go through the same process in the other part of Congress.
Ex. If it started in the Senate, it must now go through the House of Representatives.
What do whips do in the House and the Senate?
List one of the presidents who have been impeached.
Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump
What is the term for when state legislatures draw district boundaries in a state in order to give the party in power the advantage?
Gerrymandering
What happens in the House of Representatives after every federal census?
The seats are reapportioned based on the state's population; they can either gain seats, lose seats, or remain the same.
If the Senate wants to delay voting on a bill they can do what?
How does this end?
They can filibuster to delay the vote.
The filibuster can be ended by a cloture vote which requires 60 out 100 Senators votes.
In the House of Representatives, the main ally of the Speaker of the House is the ____________.
Majority leader
Name two ways Congress can check the judicial branch.
Changing the size of the Supreme Court, changing the courts' jurisdiction, amending the Constitution to nullify Supreme Court decisions.
Name two ways Congress can check the executive branch.
Impeachment, refuse to fund president's programs, refuse to appoint president appointments
Provide the requirements for each house of Congress.
House: 25 years old, citizen 7 years, resident of state
Sentate: 30 years old, citizen 9 years, resident of state
List the main steps which occur after a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate.
1. Bill is discussed and edited in a conference committee.
2. Bill is sent back to each house to be voted on one more time.
3. If passed, bill goes to the president.
4. President can either sign or veto the bill.
List 1 power for each part of Congress and 1 power Congress shares as a whole (apart from passing laws).
Senate: approve presidential nominations, ratify treaties, hold impeachment trials, elect vice president if no majority
House of Reps: start revenue bills, pass articles of impeachment, elect president if no majority
Both: override presidential vetoes, declare war, levy taxes
House of Representatives investigates and accuses someone of wrongdoing.
Senate tries the person to determine their guilt or innocence.
How can the judicial branch check Congress?
By declaring laws passed by Congress unconstitutional.