ELP FINAL EXAM REVIEW                                                                                            

Congress (Chapter 9)

 

Part I:  Terms

1.       filibuster - a long speech in the Senate designed to block a vote.

2.       veto - the President’s rejection of a bill

3.       hopper - where a bill is placed in the HOR before it’s introduced

4.       rider - an amendment added to a bill that has nothing to do with the bill

5.       cloture - a vote to end a filibuster; it takes 60 votes to have cloture

6.       franking privilege - the right to send job-related mail for free

7.       pocket veto - President kills a bill by doing nothing to it while Congress is out of session.

8.       standing - permanent committee; all bills are sent to this type of committee

9.       gerrymandering - redrawing odd-shaped legislative districts for political purposes

10.   override - when Congress passes a law over the President’s veto

11.   session - Congress’ annual meeting; it lasts for almost the entire year

12.   select - temporary committees formed to handle particular issues

13.   conference - committee in which members of each house meet to smooth out differences in bills.

 

Part II: Leadership

HOR

 

Speaker of the House

 

-          highest ranking member of HOR

-          elected by entire HOR ( always a member of the majority party)

-          3rd in line for presidential succession (after VP)

-          controls committee assignments

 

 

 

 

Majority Leader

 

-          floor leader for Majority Party

-          chosen by party members in a caucus

-          leads party in debate and ensures that laws are in best interest of party

 

Minority Leader

 

 

 

-          roles is the same as Majority Leader

      (but for Minority Party)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party Whips

 

-          Asst. Floor Leader

-          Records how party members votes and encourages them to vote with the party

 

 

Party Whips

 

 

- same as Whip for Majority Party

 

 

 

 

Senate

 

Vice President

 

-          Official President of Senate

-          Rarely attends

-          Only votes to break a tie

 

 

 

 

President Pro Tempore

 

-          serves as President in absence of VP (he is President “for the time being”)

-          this is the most senior member of the majority party

-          mostly an honorary title with few real responsibilities

 

 

 

 

 

Majority Leader

 

-          the “REAL” day to day leader of Senate

-          controls most of the daily operations

-          acts much like Speaker of the House

 

 

Minority Leader

 

- same as Minority Leader in HOR

 

 

Party Whips

 

- same as whips in HOR

 

Party Whips

 

- same as whips in HOR

 

 

Part III: Powers of Congress

 

Nonlegislative Powers

1.       Investigate

  1. part of the lawmaking process
  2. review actions of the executive branch to make sure that the laws are being carried out

 

2.   Impeachment

  1. the House of Representatives bring the charges against an official
  2. the Senate acts as the jury in the trial

1.       it takes a 2/3 vote to convict an official during an impeachment trial

 

Special Powers

 

HOR

 

 

1. starts impeachment by bringing charges against an official

 

 

2. all appropriations bill must begin in HOR

 

 

3. chooses President if no candidate wins a majority in

    Electoral College

 

 

 

Senate

 

 

1. acts as jury in impeachment (conviction takes a 2/3 vote)

 

 

2. approve treaties (2/3 vote)

 

 

3. approve Presidential appointments (majority vote)

 

Odds & Ends

1.       Committee assignments are given out according to the seniority system, which gives the best positions to members of the majority party who have served the longest in Congress.

2.       Most of the work in Congress takes place in committees

3.       How may members of Congress vote?

a.  voice vote

 

b.  standing vote

 

c.  roll-call vote

 

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