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Bur, Jud, Budget
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many members in house of representatives? | 435, apportioned by population. |
| How many members in Senate? | 100, 2 per state. |
| Qualifying for House? | 25 years old, 7 years citizen, must live in state. |
| Qualifying for Senate? | 30 years old, 9 years citizen, must live in state. |
| Term of office for House? | Two years, entire House elected every 2 years. |
| Term of office for Senate? | 6 years, one third of Senate elected every 2 years. |
| Constituencies for House? | Smaller, by districts. |
| Constituencies for Senate? | Larger, entire state. |
| Prestige for House? | Less prestige. |
| Prestige for Senate? | More prestige. |
| Apportionment? | distribution among the states based on the population of each of the states. |
| Reapportionment? | the redistribution of Congressional seats after the census determines changes in population distribution among the states |
| Congressional districting? | the drawing by state legislatures of congressional districts for those states with more than one representative |
| Gerrymandering? | drawing congressional districts to favor one political party or group over another |
| Incumbency Effect? | The incumbency effect is the tendency of those already holding office to win reelection. The effect tends to be stronger for members of the House of Representatives and weaker for the Senate. |
| name recognition- | Voters are more likely to recognize the officeholder than the challenger. |
| credit claiming - | The officeholder may have brought government projects and money into the state or district. |
| casework for constituents - | Officeholders may have helped constituents solve problems involving government and the bureaucracy. |
| more visible to constituents - | Members can use the "perks" of the office to communicate with constituents. Franking, the privilege of sending official mail using the incumbent's signature as postage, provides communication with constituents. |
| media exposure - | Incumbents are more likely to gain "free" publicity during a campaign through the media |
| Bureaucracy | A form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures |
| Bureaucrat | A career government employee. |
| Department | Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest rank in Federal hierarchy |
| Independent agency | A government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches |
| Independent regulatory commission | A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress. |
| Government corporation | A government agency that operates like a business corporation, created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program. PBS, NPR are examples. |
| Senior Executive Service | Established by Congress in 1978 as a flexible, mobile corps of senior career executives who worked closely with presidential appointees to manage government. |
| Spoils system | A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends |
| Merit system | A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage |
| Office of Personnel Management (OPM) | Agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations |
| Hatch Act | Federal statute barring Federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds |
| Implementation | The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending |
| Apportionment | changing the number of HOR seats b/c of census |
| Baker v. Carr | case that made sure that the system of drawing districts was fair (one man one vote) |
| Bicameral | legislature w/ two houses |
| Bills | proposed laws |
| Congressional Caucuses | informal groups in the HOR and Senate with members with common interests |
| Censure | behavior warning from government to a person (disapproval of pres or member of congress) |
| Christmas Tree Bill | a bill with a lot of riders on it. (lots of ornaments on the tree) |
| Closed rule | A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments. |
| Cloture | A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate. |
| Concurrent resolution | a joint resolution that is not a law (weaker than a joint resolution) |
| Conference committee | Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form. |
| Congressional Budget Office | office that advises Congress on the effects and prices of budget spending |
| Delegate Model | An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of legislator. |
| Discharge petition | Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives’ members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration. |
| Earmarks | Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents. |
| Enumerated powers | The powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution. |
| Filibuster | A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue. |
| Franking Privilege | the ability of members of congress to mail letters to their constituents for free |
| Gerrymandering | The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent. |
| Government Accountability Office | audits many other agencies of the federal government and other organizations that do business with the federal government and reports it's findings to Congress. |
| House Rules Committee | only in the HOR, not in the Senate. A committee that decides rules for debating each bill and whether or not it can be amended. |
| Impeachment | The power delegated to the HOR to charge the president, vice president, or other civil officers, with treason, bribery, "high crimes and misdemeanors" first step in the constitutional process of removing such government officials from office. |
| Incumbent | The current holder of the elected office. |
| Joint committee | A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations. |
| Joint resolution | opinion of both houses not signed by the president (includes Cons amendments) |
| Line Item Veto | the president can take some parts out of a spending bill without vetoing the bill completely. (declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court) |
| Logrolling | Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators. Attentive public |
| Majority leader | The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line. |
| Markup | when committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor in either house for a vote. (they mark the bill up) |
| Minority leader | the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition. |
| Override | An action taken by Congress to reverse the presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber. |
| Oversight | the act of Congress monitoring the activities of an agency, department or office (usually in the Executive Branch) |
| Party caucus | A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the Republicans. |
| Pigeonhole | when a bill is set aside in committee w/o even considering it |
| Pocket veto | A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for 10 days, the bill does not become law and does not return to Congress for possible override. |
| Pork Barrel | a project by a legislator that benefits his constituents and will get him more votes. (originated from slaves competing for barrels of pork from their owners) |
| President pro tempore | Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president. |
| Quorum | the minimum number of members needed for a vote to take place. (must be at least a majority of members for each house (51 and 218) |
| Reapportionment | The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts. |
| Redistricting | The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population. |
| Restricted rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that limits what kind of amendments can be made to the bill on the floor (somewhere between open and closed rules) |
| Riders | an addition to a bill that has nothing to do with the original bill. Example: A bill about farms that has a part that about war in Iraq. |
| Safe seat | An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party’s candidate is almost taken for granted. |
| Select committee | temporary committee for a special purpose |
| Senatory Courtesy | pres appoints district (state) judges. He lets Senators from that state do it. (usually only when same party) |
| Seniority rule | A legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee. |
| Shaw v. Reno | case that said a state can redistrict while considering race to help a minority, but can’t make race the only reason for the redistricting |
| Speaker of the House | the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives |
| Special or select committee | A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation. |
| Standing committee | group of legislators who hear proposed bills. (standing=always there) |
| Trustee Model | elected representatives who listen to constituents' opinions and then use their best judgment to make final decisions. |
| War Powers Act | A piece of legislature requiring notification of Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops, and approval of Congress to have military force remain longer than 90 days; designed to lessen the President's power. |
| Westburry v. Sanders | case that said all congressional districts must have the same population |
| Whip | makes sure every congressman in the party votes on bills |
| Cabinet | Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president. |
| Chief of staff | The head of the White House staff. |
| Executive agreement | A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval. |
| Executive Office of the President | The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units. |
| Executive orders | Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the Federal bureaucracy. |
| Executive privilege | The right to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to National Security. |
| Impeachment | Formal accusation against a president or other public official, the first step in removal from office. |
| Inherent powers | Powers that grow out of the very existence of government. |
| Line item veto | Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. |
| Electoral Mandate | A president’s claim of broad public support. Used to show that he is the voice of the people who elected him. |
| Office of Management and Budget (OMB) | Presidential staff the agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies. |
| Parliamentary system | A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president. No separation of powers. |
| Pocket veto | A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns |
| Presidential ticket | The joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the Twelfth Amendment. |
| Rally point | A rising public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans “rally ’round the flag” and the chief executive. |
| State of the Union Address | The president’s annual statement to Congress and the nation. |
| Treaty | A formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two thirds of the Senate. |
| Veto | A formal decision to reject the bill passed by Congress. |
| Lame duck period | The period of time for a president after her or his successor has been elected, but before the successor's term begins. Between November and January 20th at the end of their term. |
| Balanced Ticket | Theselection in runnning partner that brings diversity in ideologies, ethnicity/race, geography, etc. |
| Press Secretary | The president's spokesperson to the media. |
| Expressed Powers | Powers written directly into the Constitution. Also called enumerated powers. |
| Inherent Powers | Powers that are implied in the Constitution. Also called implied powers. |
| Approval Ratings | Percentage of people who "approve" or "disapprove" of how the president is handling things. |
| Watergate | During the Nixon administration, scandals involving burglaries, wire planting and the cover-up by high-up officials. |
| Twenty-second Amendment | Passed in 1951, the amendment that limits presidents to two terms of office. |
| Twenty-fifth Amendment | A 1967 amendment to the Constitution that establishes procedures for filling presidential and vice presidential vacancies and makes provisions for presidential disability. |
| National Security Council (NSC) | An agency in the Executive Office of the President that advises the president on national security. |
| Presidential Coattails | The situation occurring when voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president's party because they support the president. |
| War Powers Resolution | A law passed in 1973 in reaction to Vietnam that requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension. |
| "Bully Pulpit" | The nature of presidential status as an ideal vehicle for persuading the public to support the president's policies. |
| Bureaucracy | A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials. |
| Pendleton Civil Service Act | Passed in 1883, an Act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage. |
| Civil Service | Service for the government. Government workers. |
| Hatch act | A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics. |
| Office of Personnel Management (OPM) | Agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations. |
| Independent Regulatory Agency | An administrative agency that is not considered part of the government's executive branch and is not subject to the authority of the president. Independent agency officials cannot be removed without cause. |
| Federal reserve Board | The 7-member board governing the Federal Reserve System. |
| National Labor Relations Board | An independent agency of the United States government charged with mediating disputes between management and labor unions. |
| Federal Communications Commission | An independent government agency that regulates interstate and international communications by radio and television and wire and cable and satellite. |
| Federal Trade Commission | Established to preserve competition by preventing unfair business practices and investigates complaints against companies. |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | An independent federal agency that oversees the exchange of securities to protect investors. |
| Government Corporations | A business owned and operated by the federal government. Can provide services that could be provided by the private sector. NPR and PBS are examples. |
| Independent Executive Agencies | A federal agency not part of a cabinet department, but reports directly to the president. |
| General Services Administration | A central management agency that sets Federal policy for Federal procurement and real property management and information resources management. |
| Policy Implementation | The primary function of the bureaucracy; it refers to the process of carrying out the authoritative decisions of Congress, the president, and the courts. |
| Standard Operating Procedures | Rules that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies. |
| Government Regulation | Use of governmental authority to control of change some practice in the private sector. |
| Deregulation | The lifting of restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer. |
| Iron Triangles | The alliance among congressional committees, interest groups, and federal departments/agencies. |
| Twelfth Amendment | Beginning in 1804, electors would vote separately for President and Vice President. |
| Chief Executive | The office of the United States head of state, which is the president. |
| Pardons | Freedom from punishment. |
| Commander in Chief | The officer who holds the supreme command, the president. |
| Pendleton Act | 1883 law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons. |
| Privatization | To change from government or public ownership or control to private ownership or control. |
| Spoils System | The system of employing and promoting civil servants who are friends and supporters of the group in power. |
| Whistleblower | An employee who exposes unethical or illegal conduct within the federal government. |
| Honeymoon Period | The time following an election when a president's popularity is high and congressional relations are likely to be productive. |
| Impoundment | refusal of a President to spend money that has been appropriated by Congress |
| Red tape | complex rules and procedures required by bureaucratic agencies |
| Electoral College | Official electors of the president. Today, they are a "rubber stamp", giving their votes to the candidate that the majority of the state voted for in the general election (winner take all). Sometimes the votes are proportional. |
| Winner take all system | The way most states give out Electoral College votes. The EC gives their votes to the candidate that the majority of the state voted for in the general election |
| Proportional System | When the Electoral College votes are divided like the popular vote. In Kentucky, if someone gets 50% of the popular vote, they'll get half the EC votes. |
| Cabinet Secretary | The head of a cabinet department. There are 14 of them. |
| Divided loyalties | the fact that most cabinet members usually take the side of their department when they have to choose between it and the president's wishes. This is also the case with legislators when they must choose between constituents and the prez. |
| Chief Legislator | a nickname of the president that discusses the president's power in introducing laws to Congress. It basically means that he is the most important law maker, even though he isn't in the legislative branch |
| Chief Diplomat | a nickname of the president that addresses his importance in working with leaders from other countries. He is the most important ambassador we have. |
| "Rally round the flag" | the idea that after national crisis or a war, the president will have higher approval ratings. a type of rally point. |
| Bureaucracy | A form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures. |
| Bureaucrat | A career government employee. |
| Department | Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest rank in Federal hierarchy. |
| Independent agency | A government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. |
| Independent regulatory commission | A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress. Examples are the FCC and the EPA. |
| Government corporation | A government agency that operates like a business corporation, created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program. PBS, NPR are examples. |
| Spoils system | A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends. |
| Merit system | A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage. |
| Office of Personnel Management (OPM) | Agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations. |
| Hatch Act | Federal statute barring Federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds. |
| Implementation | The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending. |
| Regulations | The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws. The way the government controls private businesses. Examples include hiring equality and those regarding environmental issues. |
| Uncontrollable spending | The portion of the Federal budget that is spent on programs, such as Social Security, that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut. |
| Entitlement programs | Programs such as unemployment insurance, disability relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens. |
| Oversight | Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization.Can be in response to a crisis of some kind or part of routine review. |
| Iron Triangle | An alliance among a bureaucratic agency/department, an interest group and a congressional committee. When they form, they can get a lot of things done in government. They are sometimes called sub governments. |
| Issue Network | A group of people who usually debate policy or political issues. They include policy experts, media pundits, congressional staff and members of interest groups. They often get hired for bureaucracy jobs. |
| Policy Network | The issues that a policy maker consider to be important. The media often influences the issues which receive public opinion. |
| Hierarchy | a system of levels where one level is higher than the others. |
| Civil Service | a job working for the federal government such as for the postal system or anything in the bureaucracy |
| Pendleton Act | created the federal civil service and made all jobs in the bureaucracy based on merit, not on spoils |
| Hatch Act | a law stating that federal employees can't campaign while they are on the clock and banning them from being fired for their political beliefs |
| Block grants | a type of grant from the federal government to the state or local government where the state or local government gets to choose how the money is used. This is an example of devolution. |
| Devolution | the fact that power has been shifted from the federal government to state and local governments. Started by Reagan in the 1980s. |
| Federal mandate | a command from the federal government forcing state or local governments to do certain things. This has led to an increase of the number of state and local public employees. |
| Department of the Treasury | Cabinet department that is responsible for printing money |
| Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) | Independent regulatory agency that regulates business practices in the US and makes sure they are fair |
| Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) | Independent regulatory agency that regulates the stock market |
| National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) | Independent regulatory agency that regulates the treatment of employees by employers |
| Federal Reserve Board (The Fed) | Independent regulatory agency that regulates monetary policy |
| Monetary policy | policy concerning things like interest rates, money supply and inflation. Controlled only the the Fed. (different from fiscal policy). |
| Fiscal policy | policy concerning taxing and spending. (different from monetary policy). Controlled by state and local governments and federal legislators and the president. Basically, budget making. |
| Adversary system | A judicial system in which the court of law is a neutral arena where two parties argue their differences. |
| Amicus curiae brief | Literally, a “friend of the court” brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case. |
| Appellate | means appeal. Appellate courts hear appeals from lower courts. |
| Civil law | A law that governs relationships between individuals and defines their legal rights. |
| Concurring opinion | An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning. |
| Court of appeals | A court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts. |
| Defendant | In a criminal action, the person or party accused of an offense. |
| Dissenting opinion | An opinion disagreeing with a majority in a Supreme Court ruling. |
| Judicial activism | Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values. |
| Judicial restraint | Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect what the framers intended and what its words literally say. |
| Judicial review | The power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or, in a state court, the state constitution. |
| Opinion of the Court | An explanation of the decision of the Supreme Court or any other appellate court. |
| Original jurisdiction | The authority of a court to hear a case “in the first instance.” Appellate jurisdiction |
| Plea bargain | Agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser offense to avoid having to stand trial for a more serious offense. |
| Precedent | A decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the Supreme Court that is binding on all other federal courts. |
| Senatorial courtesy | Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work. |
| Stare decisis | The rule of precedent, whereby a rule or law contained in a judicial decision is commonly viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is presented. |
| Writ of certiorari | A formal writ used to bring a case before the Supreme Court. Docket |
| Writ of habeas corpus | A court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody. |
| Rule of Four | A rule stating that the Supreme Court will hear a case if four of the justices say they want to hear it. Note that this is less than a majority. |
| Plaintiff | the side in a trial that is bringing charges or suing (plaintiff is the comPLAINer) |
| Defendant | the side in a trial that defends themselves against charges or a lawsuit |
| Prosecution | in a case where the government is against a person, the government is the prosecution (we don't call them a plaintiff if they are representing the government) |
| Passive branch | Another name for the judicial branch that talks about how the branch has to wait for cases to be brought before them in order for them to act. Therefore, they are reactive, where as the other two branches are proactive |
| Jurisdiction | The area that a court is over. Example: the Kentucky Supreme Court can only hear cases from Kentucky |
| District Courts | Level one of the federal court system. Federal lawsuits start here unless they are part of the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction. |
| Court of Appeals or Federal Appellate Court | Level two of the federal court system. If someone loses at district court, they can appeal to here. This level reviews the case and rules on whether or not the original ruling stands. |
| Supreme Court | Level three of the federal court system. "The court of last resort". Cases appealed from the Federal Appellate Court can be heard here. The rulings here are final and are considered "the law of the land". |
| Marbury v. Madison | Early Supreme Court Case that established judicial review. |
| How to pick a good Supreme Court Justice | Must be competent, share ideology with the president and have the right race, gender or ethnicity |
| American Bar Association (ABA) | The regulation agency for lawyers and judges. The make the "Bar Exam" that all lawyers and judges must pass. Any judge nominated to the Supreme Court must have this agency do a background check on their records at trial. |
| Senate Judiciary Committee | Committee in the Senate that first holds confirmation hearings on an appointed SC justice. If they like the justice, they will recommend to the full Senate to confirm the justice. |
| SCOTUS | Short for Supreme Court of the United States. Compare to POTUS (president) |
| Original Jurisdiction of the SCOTUS | The types of cases that start at the SCOTUS. Not heard by lower courts. They include cases between two states, between a state and the federal government and between the US and foreign ambassadors. |
| Solicitor General | Member of the Department of Justice that hears appeals from level two courts. Has a big influence on which cases the SCOTUS chooses to hear. |
| Brief | an essay giving what your argument for the case is going to be. It shows precedent and the main reasons why you should win the trial. Both sides must file one at the original level one court. |
| 30 minutes | The amount of time you have to present your side of the case to the SCOTUS |
| Majority opinion | aka the "opinion of the court". Most SOCTUS members agree with this opinion and therefore it is "the law of the land". |
| Ways SCOTUS is insulated from political pressures | life terms (no elections), certiorari (gets to choose own cases), public only hears the 30 minute audio clips |
| District Courts- | Level 1. |
| Court of Appeals- | Level 2. |
| What does the Court of Appeals do? | Does not hold trials or hear testimony. |
| Court of Appeals can- | Review ruling and overturn it, decide which case they review. |
| Certiorari Process? | "Give us the facts", chooses own cases. |
| Rule of Four- | 1) Supreme Court 2) Original Jurisdiction. 3) Level two, facts. 4) People beg to take case. |
| Solicitor General | Handles appeals against government. |
| Filing Briefs? | Essay on why you should win the case. |
| What is in Filing Briefs? | Facts, legal principles, precedents that support their arguments. |
| "Amicus Curiae" | Brief given to judge by someone who isn't on either side of case, can be in any court, 3rd party brief. |
| 4,5 ? | 4 choose case, 5 to rule on it. |
| Oral Arguments- | Could take months of alliberation. |
| Writing Opinions is also known as - | Ruling. |
| Precedent- | Already a rule. |
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