| A | B |
|---|
| How many members in the U.S. House? U.S. Senate? | 435, 100 |
| How long is the term for U.S. Representatives? for Senators? | 2 years, 6 years |
| What are the qualifications for serving in the House? | 25 years old, 7 year ciitizen, resident of State |
| What are the qualifications for serving in the Senate? | 30 years old, 9 year citizen, resident of State |
| How is representation determined in the House? | by a State's population |
| How is representation determined in the Senate? | every State is equal; all have two |
| Who currently has the majority in the U.S. House & Senate? | Democrats |
| How many times can a Representative or Senator be elected? | unlimited |
| How long is a term of Congress? What number of Congress is currently meeting? | two years; 111th |
| What does sine die mean? | adjourn a session |
| Explain the number of Senators that are up for election every two years. | 1/3 of the Senate is up for election every two years |
| What typically happens in "off year" elections? | party in power usually loses seats in Congress |
| What does it mean to be the "Dean of the House"? | longest serving member of the House; currently John Dingell whose been there over 50 years |
| When does the election of Congressman take place? | Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even numbered years |
| What term refers to drawing a House district to give an advantage to one political party? | gerrymandering |
| What word means "two houses"? | bicameral |
| word meaning to distribute; done after a census that tells how many reps each State will receive | apportionment |
| Name Idaho's Senators. | Jim Risch, Mike Crapo |
| Name Idaho's Representatives. | Walt Minnick, Mike Simpson |
| What are constituents? | "people back home" that elected the Congressman |
| What is another name for the elastic clause? | Necessary and Proper Clause |
| What body approves treaties, confirms appointments and runs the trial in an impeachment process? | Senate |
| Why is the Senate a "continuous body"? | only 1/3 of their members are up for election; 2/3 continue on |
| How many total members in the U.S. Legislature? | 535 (435 in House; 100 in Senate) |
| What does it mean to reapportion seats in the House? | seats change based on population changes; some States gain, some lose |
| What voting philosophy describes making voting decisions solely on the merits of the bill? | trustee philosophy |
| What voting philosophy describes making voting decisions based on constituents desires? | delegate philosophy |
| Why are Representatives more likely to use a delegate philosophy than a Senator? | they only serve for two years (Senator is six) so they are more concerned about pleasing constituents and getting re-elected |
| Why did the Framers make a bicameral Congress? | so one House could "check" the other, compromise of proposed plans & England did it this way |
| How do people viewing the Constitution with a "strict" view feel about implied powers? | don't use them unless absolutely necessary |
| What type of "view" did Thomas Jefferson have of the Constitution? | strict |
| How did Alexander Hamilton feel about National vs. State power? | He favored giving more power to the National government |
| What are the 3 types of delegated powers? | expressed, implied, inherent |
| If the electoral college can't select a President, who does the selection? can't select the Vice President? | House of Representatives (Pres) and Senate pcks the Vice President |
| What are the roles of the House & Senate in an impeachment process? | House brings the charges; the Senate runs the trial |
| What is a censure? | formal condemnation by Congress of an official` |
| What is the difference between a patent and a copyright? | patents protect inventions; copyrights protect writers |
| What is "senatorial courtesy"? | Presidential appointment is turned down because the Senator of the State involved is opposed |
| What is an expresed power? | power actually written down in the Constitution |
| What is eminent domain? | right of the State to take personal property and use it for public purposes |
| What is an implied power? | delegated power suggested from the ones written down |
| What is the difference between debt and deficit? | a deficit refers to spending more money in one year than is taken in; debt is the overall amount owed |
| What is naturalization? | process of a non-citizen becoming a citizen |
| Who has the power to declare war? | Congress |
| (true-false) Controlling weights and measures is an expressed power of Congress. | TRUE |
| What are delegated powers? | powers given to the national government |
| Who picks the Vice President if the electoral college can't do it? | Senate |
| Who brings the charges in an impeachment? | House |
| Who is responsible for the postal system? | federal government |
| (true-false) Congress may establish committees to investigate executive agencies. | TRUE |
| List the leadership positions of the House. | Speaker of the House, majority/minority leaders, majority/minority whips |
| List the leadership positions of the Senate. | President of the Senate, President pro tempore, majority/minority leaders, majority/minority whips |
| Who is currently te U.S. Speaker of the House? | Nancy Pelosi |
| Who is the presiding officer if the President of the Senate is absent? | President pro tempore |
| What is a pocket veto? | President doesn't sign the bill at the end of the session |
| How are the repsonsibilities of the president of the Senate different from the Speaker of the House? | the President of the Senate can't vote unless there is a tie; the Speaker does not have this restriction |
| What is one of the main duties of the whips? | get fellow party members to vote with their party on bills |
| What are the responsibilities of majority leaders? | devise strategies, plan the order of business on the floor |
| Who is the President of the Senate right now? | Joe Biden |
| What is the difference between standing and select committees? | standing committees are permanent, whereas, select committees are temporarily set up for specific purposes |
| What is the purpose of conference committees? | they try to iron out differences between similar bills of the House & Senate |
| (true-false) One responsibility of the Speaker is to put questions to a vote. | TRUE |
| What is a bill? | proposed law |
| What is a resolution? | matter just concerning one house body |
| What is a joint resolution? | matter concerning both houses; has force of law |
| What is a concurrent resolution? | matter concerning both houses, without the force of law |
| What is a rider? | an attachment to a bill that probably wouldn't pass on its own |
| What does censure mean? | formal condemnation by Congress of an individual |
| What does impeach mean? | bring a charge |
| What is a quorum? | minimum number of people necessary to have a meeting |
| What is a filibuster? | "talking a bill to death" so a vote can be prevented |
| What is cloture? | vote to stop debate in the Senate |
| Describe the 6 steps of getting a bill passed. | (1) introduced/numbered (2) assigned to committee (3) debated on the floor (4) passed by one body (5) passed by other body (6) President signs |
| How many Senators in the Idaho Legislature? Representatives? | 35 & 70 |
| How long do Representatives serve in the Idaho Legislature? Senators? | 2 years; 2 years |
| What is the top leadership position in Idaho's House of Representatives? | Speaker of the House |
| Who are the presiding officers in Idaho's legislature? | Lt. Governor, President pro tempore |
| Who is currently the Governor of Idaho? | Butch Otter |
| Who is currently Idaho's Lt. Governor? | Brad Little |
