Upgrade to remove ads
Busy. Please wait.
Log in with Clever
or

show password
Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?  Sign up 
Sign up using Clever
or

Username is available taken
show password


Make sure to remember your password. If you forget it there is no way for StudyStack to send you a reset link. You would need to create a new account.
Your email address is only used to allow you to reset your password. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


Already a StudyStack user? Log In

Reset Password
Enter the associated with your account, and we'll email you a link to reset your password.

GOPO Congress Terms

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
        Help!  

Question
Answer
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  
🗑


   

Review the information in the table. When you are ready to quiz yourself you can hide individual columns or the entire table. Then you can click on the empty cells to reveal the answer. Try to recall what will be displayed before clicking the empty cell.
 
To hide a column, click on the column name.
 
To hide the entire table, click on the "Hide All" button.
 
You may also shuffle the rows of the table by clicking on the "Shuffle" button.
 
Or sort by any of the columns using the down arrow next to any column heading.
If you know all the data on any row, you can temporarily remove it by tapping the trash can to the right of the row.

 
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.

  Normal Size     Small Size show me how
Created by: rockcastle
Popular American Government sets