AP Gov: Congress – Flashcards

a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts.

an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill.

districts in which candidates elected to the HOR win in close electrons, typically by less than 55% of the vote.

districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55% or more.

an alliance between Republican and conservative Democrats (blue dog democrats).

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate.

legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate.

a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking.

the presiding officer of the HOR and the leader of his/her party in the house.

by the strict definition, occurs when 90% or more of the Democrats in either house vote together against 90% or more of the Republicans; by the loose definition, occurs when 50% of the Democrats vote together against 50% of the Republicans.

an association of congressional members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest.

permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area.

congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.

committees on which both reps and senators serve.

a device by which any member of the HOR may petition to have a bill brought to floor after it has been in committee for 30 days.

an order from the House rules committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor.

an order from the House Rules committee that sets a time limit on debate and forbids a bill from being amended on the floor.

an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor

the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress.

amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will "ride" to passage through the congress.

a rule used by the senate to end or limit debate, typically during a filibuster.

a procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business

members shout "yea" or "nay" to vote quickly and anonymously on bills.

members stand and are counted but are still anonymously recorded.

members answer "yea" or "nay" when their names are called.

members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second.

power of president to disapprove a bill; may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house.

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

the same party controls both the White House and both houses of Congress.

hidden congressional provision that direct the federal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific federal taxes or fees.

gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by using their signature for postage.

members of Congress from more moderate states or districts who sometimes "cross over" to vote with Republicans on legislation.

a person represented by a legislator or other elected/appointed official.

the drawing of legislative district boundary lines to obtain partisan or factional advantage. A district is said to be gerrymandered when its shape is manipulated by the dominant party in the state legislature to maximize electoral strength at the expense of the minority party.

the actions and behaviors of a member of Congress in Washington, D.C. intended to promote policies and the member's own career aspirations.

the actions and behaviors or a member of Congress aimed at the constituents and intended to win the support and trust of the voters at home.

an arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other's bills.

the process by which Congress follows up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered in the way Congress intended.

chosen by majority party in Senate, based on seniority, honor position with little power.

the allocation of seats in the HOR to each state after each census.

the redrawing of boundaries of the congressional districts within each state.

a standing committee of the HOR that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the House.

The House of Representatives committee that, along with the Senate Finance Committee, writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole.

a custom followed in the both chambers of Congress specifying that the member of the majority party with the longest term of continuous service will be given preference when a committee chairman is selected.

an agreement on the rules of debate for proposed legislation in the Senate that is approved by all the members.

a legislative district in which a minority group is the majority of the population.