Permanent committees with the responsibility of particular areas of public policy.
What are standing committees?
100
A proposed legislative act.
What is a bill?
100
The most recent case of a presidential election where the winner did not secure the majority of the popular vote.
What is the 2000 presidential election?
100
The heads of the fifteen executive departments
What is the cabinet?
200
The share of federal spending projects that congressional members work hard to get.
What is pork or pork-barrel spending?
200
The policy area where the committee is authorized to act.
What is jurisdiction?
200
A procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate whereby a minority of legislators prevents a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration.
What is a filibuster?
200
An unofficial term that refers to the electors who cast the states' electoral votes
What is the Electoral College?
200
The time period during which Congress, the press and the public anticipate initiatives from the Oval Office and are more predisposed than usual to support them
What is a honeymoon period?
300
Drawing of district boundaries by the party in power in the state legislature in a way that favors candidates of its party.
What is gerrymandering?
300
He said "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-room is Congress at Work"
Who is Woodrow Wilson?
300
Limits Senate debate to 30 hours and has the effect of defeating a filibuster.
What is a cloture?
300
They mark the end of the nominating campaign.
What are the national party conventions?
300
A presidential directive instructing civilian or military members of the executive branch on the conduct of their jobs.
What is an Executive Order?
400
The 435 seats in the House of Representatives are reallocated among the states in proportion to their population.
What is reapportionment?
400
Joint committees that are formed temporarily to work out differences in House and Senate versions of a particular bill.
What are conference committees?
400
An amendment to a bill that deals with an issue unrelated to the content of the original bill.
What is a rider?
400
Granting all the states' electoral votes as a unit to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote.
What is the unit rule? Also acceptable is "what is the winner takes all" system?
400
The ability of a Presidential candidate to bring out supporters who then vote for his party's candidates for other offices
What are Presidential coattails?
500
Disruptive issues, personal misconduct, variation in turnout, and strong challengers
What are pitfalls of incumbency? Also acceptable is "the factors contributing to incumbent loss"?
500
The federal statute that requires each bill introduced in Congress be referred to the proper committee.
What is the 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act?
500
The situation where the President of the United States fails to sign a passed bill within ten days, and Congress has adjourned, resulting in the rejection of a bill.
What is a pocket veto?
500
The last president who was a Senator prior to becoming a president before President Obama.
Who is President John F. Kennedy?
500
When the president appeals to the people, going over the heads of Congress to force legislation