Show:
Making Laws
Committees
The House
The Senate
Terminology
100
Which chamber is allowed to initiate a revenue bill?

The House

100

What type of committee is the House Foreign Affairs Committee?

A standing committee

100

How old must you be to serve in the House?

25 years old.

100

How old must you be to serve in the Senate?

30 years old

100

What is the act of drawing congressional boundaries within states?

Redistricting

200

What do you call a bill that establishes a program and a limit for how much money could be spent on that program?

An authorization bill.

200

What is the "seniority rule" and name one advantage of the rule.

Seniority rule means the senior person on the committee from the majority party runs the committee.  And it eliminates fighting within the party.

200

How many congresspersons serve in the House?

435

200

This word, derived from Dutch for "pirate," is used to describe a method in the Senate to stall progress on legislation.

Filibuster

200

What do you call a private meeting of party leaders who get together to choose candidates for office?

A caucus

300
What is the name of the position that serves as a link between the floor leader and the rest of the members of the House and Senate?  This position routinely checks in with other members and reports back to the floor leader how many votes can be counted on to pass a bill.

A party whip

300

These committees can be either temporary or permanent.

Joint Committees

300

Who is the most powerful person in Congress?

The Speaker of the House

300

The word used to describe the motion to end a filibuster.

Cloture

300

What is the act of drawing a congressional district to create an advantage for a group of voters?

Gerrymandering

400

In what part of the legislative process is a bill most likely to die?

In Committee

400

What type of committee might be formed to investigate a national emergency like a terrorist attack that kills thousands of Americans?

A Select Committee

400

Who is the person who assigns bills to House committees?

The Speaker of the House

400

What is the name of the position responsible for presiding over the Senate?

President Pro Tempore

400

What do you call a paid representative of an interest group who contacts government officials on behalf of those interest groups.

A lobbyist

500

Name the committee that determines how long a bill is allowed to be debated on the floor of the House.

The Rules Committee

500

What is the name of the House Committee responsible for tax policy?

The Ways and Means Committee

500

Name an exclusive power belonging to the House.

1. Impeachment

2. Initiating revenue bills

3. Electing the President when no one wins a majority of electoral votes.

500

Name an exclusive power belonging to the Senate.

1. Conducting impeachment trials

2. Ratifying treaties

3. Confirming or rejecting the President's nominees for leadership positions in the executive branch

500

What is the act of drawing a congressional district to favor a political party called?

Partisan gerrymandering