| A | B |
|---|
| Function of legislative branch | make laws |
| Who makes up Congress | senate and the house |
| how many people in the house | 435 |
| how many people in the senate | 100 |
| how long does a member in the house serve | 2 years |
| how old to be in the house | 25 |
| how old to be in the senate | 30 |
| how long citizenship to become a senator | 9 years |
| how long citizenship to become a member of the house | 7 years |
| what is the name of the building where they meet | the capitol |
| what is a congressman's salary | 163,000 |
| bicameral | 2 houses |
| census | population count |
| what purpose does a census serve | determine # of representatives |
| when is a census done | every 10 years |
| reapportionment | determines # of representatives for each state |
| redistrict | the process of setting up new district lines |
| one person/ one vote | each vote carries the same weight. |
| Baker v. Carr | federal courts could decide conflicts over drawing district boundaries ( people have a right to fair representation) |
| how do they determine the number of the house and senate | Senate - 2 per state house - depends on population of state |
| gerry mandering | political party in control of State gov't redraws district voting boundaries |
| Franking | free postage for Congressmen |
| congressional immunity | free from arrest except felonies when in Congress or on the way to and from |
| travel privileges | free travel for Congressmen for trips home |
| medical/health privileges | free clinic and health club privileges for Congressmen |
| junketing | free travel for Congressional |
| censure | a vote for formal disapproval of a member's actions |
| Expel | 2/3 vote needed to remove a congressman |
| Code of ethics | rules and guidelines for the behavior of Congress |
| incumbent | elected official already in office |
| pork-barrel programs | programs for local projects funded by federal gov't ("Highway to Nowhere" in Alaska) |
| delegated, enumerated or expressed powers | powers given to Congress by the Constitution (can declare war) |
| sovereign powers | Declare war, coin money, create armed forces |
| War Powers Act | Pres. can send troops abroad to hot zone for no more than 60 days w/o Congress approval |
| 4 ways Congress can raise money | Taxes; duties/tariffs; excise tax(alcohol,tobacco, gas); treasury bonds |
| 3 ways Congress regulates and promotes trade | coin money; establish post offices; issue copyrights and patents |
| implied powers | Congress can pass any laws necessary to carry out functions of the gov't (example: draft) |
| "delegate" philosophy | must vote the will of the people (Most of House) |
| "trustees" philosophy | the people have placed their trust in me- I will make good decisions (Senators) |
| "politico" philosophy | will vote will of the people on attention-getting issues/vote their own way on minor issues |
| congressional term length | 2 years |
| # of sessions in each Congress | 2 |
| Congressional sessions begin | January after election year |
| What is this Congress numbered | 110th |
| Kansas Senator | Sam Brownback |
| Kansas Senator | Pat Roberts |
| Kansas Represenstatives | Nancy Boyda |
| Kansas Representative | Dennis Moore |
| President of the Senate | Dick Cheney |
| President Pro Tempore | Robert Byrd |
| Majority Leader | Harry Reid (most powerful senator) |
| Minority Leader | Mitch McConnell |
| Majority Whip | Richard Durbin |
| Minority Whip | Trent Lott |
| Speaker of the House | Nancy Pelosi |
| How many Democrats? | 233 |
| How many Republicans? | 201 |
| How many Indivuals? | 1 |
| Majority Leader | Steny Hoyer (D) |
| Majority Whip | James Clyburn (D) |
| Minority Leader | John Boehner (R) |
| Minority Whip | Roy Blunt (R) |
| Most bills die on the chamber floor? | True |
| The President of the Senate is not a very powerful position? | True/False? |
| the majority party controls Congressional schedules? | True |
| Standing committees review differences between the bills? | True/False |
| A pocket veto can only occur if the bill is received in the last 10 days of a session? | True/False |
| A lobbyist tries to personally influence a congressman? | True/False |
| Pork-barrel programs are congressmen's pet projects? | True/False |
| All bills may start either in the House or the Senate? | True |
| There are 2 sessions within a congressional term? | True |
| A joint committee is made up of members from both chambers of Congress? | True |
| The Supreme Court ruled that line-item vetoes are constitutional? | True/False |
| An override veto takes a simple majority of congress? | False |
| Constitiuents? | people in district |
| Partisan? | voting with party |
| Joint session of Congress? | Hosue and Senate brought together in same chamber |
| Special session of Congress? | Called back by President when not normally in session |
| Hopper? | the box the bill is put in |
| Pocket Veto? | Delivered in last ten days of session-does nothing with it and the bill dies |
| Pigeonhole? | let it pass without a signature |
| The Speaker of the House must come from? | the majority party |
| The most important position in the House of Repriesentiatives is? | Speaker of the House |
| The power in the Senate lies with? | President pro tempore |
| The majority party in the Senate is? | Republicans |
| Which is not a job of the Speaker of the House? | plans party legislation |
| Which is the Senate majority leaders job? | plans the Senate's work schedule |
| if a congressman dies or retires during their term, who appoints the replacement? | The Governor of the state |
