Topic 2.1 Structures & Qualifications
What amendment has caused Congressional representatives to be more accountable to the people?
What is the 17th Amendment? Allowed for direct elections of Senators
Where can a bill be introduced?
In the House or Senate floor
What are the steps to assigning new seats in the HOR?
Census, Reapportionment, Redistricting, and Gerrymandering
What is an impeachment trial?
Process of charging an elected official with a crime and trying to remove them from office
What are the 4 parts of the Bureaucracy?
Cabinet Departments, Independent Executive Agencies, Government Corporations, Independent Regulatory Commissions
What is someone running for re-election called? How does a representative who is up for re-election have more advantages than a new representative running?
What is an incumbent? What is being well-known, having a base, and a track record?
What happens to a bill once it is sent to committees?
It can be pigeonholed (die in committee) or it goes through markups.
What is gerrymandering?
The process of drawing district lines to give advantage to one party over another
Who initiates impeachment trials?
House of Representatives
How can a bureaucratic department influence policymaking?
Use bureaucratic discretion to determine how to enforce a law
What can House AND Senate Committee members do with bills?
What is passing the bill? leave in committees? markup?
What are the 4 types of markups?
Logrolling, riders, pork barreling, and earmarks
Bonus points if you can explain each
How does gerrymandering affect representation in Congress?
It can allow one party to dominate districts even if they are not the majority party. This can lead to more leaders of one party in a state than the other.
Ex. Houston mostly democrat but 7 out of 9 districts are republican led.
Who conducts the impeachment trial?
The Senate
Who confirms new leaders to the bureaucracy?
The Senate
If a senate leader wanted to control his party, how could he use committees to do so?
What is committee assignments?
A senate leader can take people off of committees or assign them to ones they don't care for if they block the senate leaders' agenda.
If Republicans hold a majority, what happens to leadership positions and committee positions in the HOR? in the Senate?
Republicans would be able to put their own leaders into those positions. Kevin McCarthy would become SOH and he would assign new committee positions. In the Senate, Mitch McConnell would become the Majority leader and he would assign new committee positions.
What are the two ways someone can gerrymander?
Cracking and packing
What is the power of the purse?
Congress' ability to create and control the budget of the U.S. government
How can people become a civil servant?
Take and pass a merit-based exam
What are the qualifications for being a member of the HOR? the Senate?
HOR=At least 25 yrs, a citizen, and live in the state/district you represent
Senate=At least 30 yrs, a citizen, and live in the state you represent.
What special power does the Senate have to block a bill on the senate floor?
What is the filibuster?
Is gerrymandering positive or negative? Explain with evidence.
Your opinion. Points for evidence & explanation.
What is most likely to occur if the President vetoes a bill?
The bill will die
What holds the bureaucracy accountable?
Funding, appointment and firing, being created, destroyed, or reorganized