American Gov chapter 10 – Flashcards
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Special Session
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An extraordinary session of a legislative body, called to deal with an emergency situation.
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Trustee
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A legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.
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Single-member district
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An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.
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Adjourn
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Suspend
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Apportion
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Distribute, as in seats in a legislative body
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Partisan
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Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause
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Oversight function
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review by legislative committees of the policies and programs of the executive branch
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Prorogue
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Adjourn, as in a legislative session
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Session
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A period of time during which a legislature meets to conduct business
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Continuous body
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all of the seats are never up for election at the same time
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Franking privilege
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Benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free
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Reapportion
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Reallocation of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census.
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Constituency
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the people and interests that an elected official represents
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Gerrymandering
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Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power
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why is the lawmaking function of Congress central to democracy?
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because democracy is working for people of the US lawmaking ability of Congress pass laws in order to serve the people
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qualifications for a member of the House of Representatives
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30 years old, U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and must be a legal citizen of the state you represent
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who is in charge of screening bills for floor consideration
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committee members
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qualifications for a member of the Senate
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25 years old, a resident/citizen of the U.S. for 7 years have to live in the state you represent
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what political entity has generally used its power to gerrymander congressional districts
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Political parties
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he takes up most seats in Congress
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HOR
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why can't members of Congress be prosecuted in the House or Senate during congressional business
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did not want the sessions interrupted with petty crime issues & they have Immunity
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how many senators are up for reelection every two years
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100. 2 x 50 states = 100
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why do special sessions happen rarely
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President and Congress and House of Representatives and Senate all have meetings regularly
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how were senators chosen before the adoption of the 17th amendment
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state legislature
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what is the usual reason given for high congressional salaries
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A.High salaries can make public service appealing to qualified people who might not otherwise afford to serve in congress B.High salaries allow people to havethe most able people will people will run for congressa home in washington as well as one in their home state C.High salaries guarantee that the most able people will run for congress
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why is the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause important
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The class was very important at the beginning of our country's history because it emphasized the importance of the legislative independence the main point of this cause was to prevent president from exercising too much power overall the cause was helping prevent Congress from losing it
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why did the framers of the Constitution establish a bicameral Congress
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the founders wanted an upper house that would federally represent each state equally and a lower house that would federally represent each state based on population, in theory leading to an ideal representation for each state. Founders wanted a bicameral legislature because of their fierce support for the system of "checks and balances," preventing any kind of dictatorial control of the country.
