| A | B |
|---|
| State of the Union Message | This is required by the Constitution, where President reports to Congress on how US is doing |
| Constitutional officers of Congress are who? | Speaker of the House, Vice-President, President Pro Tempore of Senate |
| What does Speaker of House do? | Presides over Senate and is leader of majority party |
| Where is Speaker of House in line for President? | This person is second in line to be President after Vice-President. |
| Who is current Speaker of the House? | Nancy Pelos is __________. |
| What does Vice-President do in the Senate? | this person presides over Senate sometimes and may only vote to break a tie. |
| Who is the President of the Senate? | The vice-President is this Constitutional officer of the Senate. |
| What does the President Pro Tempore of the Senate do? | This person presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President |
| Who is the Vice-President? | Joe Biden is this US officer. |
| Who is President Pro Tempore of the Senate | Daniel Inouye of Hawaii |
| Where is President Pro Tempore in line to become President? | President Pro Tempore is 3rd in line to be President after VP and Speaker |
| What is a caucus? | A closed meeting of the members of each party in each house of Congress that deals with committee memberships and positions on bills |
| What do Senate Majority and Minority Leader do? | In charge of legislative strategy and chief spokespersons |
| What does just the Majority leader of the Senate do? | He controls order of business on the Senate floor. |
| Who is Senate Majority Leader and what party does he belong to? | Harry Reid is this and he is a Democrat |
| Who is Senate Minority Leader and what party does he belong to? | Mitch McConnell is this and he is a Republican. |
| Who is House Majority leader and what party does he belong to? | Steny Hoyer is House Majority Leader and he is a Democrat. |
| Who is House Minority Leader and what party does he belong to? | John Boehner is House Minority Leader and he is a Republican. |
| What do the Party Whips do? | They are a liaison between party leaders and ordinary members and get members of their party to vote their way. |
| Most of Congress' work is done by _? | Committees |
| Standing committees | permanent committees that consider all bills of a certain type |
| House Rules Committee | Most important Committee in the House of Representatives |
| A "rule" | What the House Rules Committee must issue before a bill can be debated and voted on |
| Subcommittees | Divisions of existing committees formed to address specific issues or subtopics |
| What is a bill? | A proposed law presented to the House of Representatives or Senate for consideration |
| Public bill | Bill that applies to the nation as a whole |
| Private bill | Bill that applies to an individual or place |
| What are resolutions? | These are passed by one or both houses of Congress and are often procedural, or to correct mistakes in other bills, propose amendments to the Constitution or state a position on a matter |
| What is a rider? | A provision to added to a bill or resolution that is unrelated to the bill and probably wouldn't pass on its own. |
| Christmas tree bill | A bill that has so many riders it looks like a Christmas tree |
| Hopper | The container in the House of Representatives where bills are put when they are filed |
| Pigeonholed bill | A bill that isn't acted on by the committee it's referred to |
| Discharge petition | A member of Congress may file this to force a committee to vote on a bill that has been in committee for 30 days |
| quorum | Name given to the majority of members must be present to vote on a bill |
| Voice vote | "Yays" and "Nays" way to vote on a bill if it is clear which way the vote goes |
| Roll call vote | Each person's name is called to vote on a bill |
| Filibuster | An attempt to delay action on a bill by talking on the floor of the Senate |
| Cloture | The rule requiring 3/5 of the Senate to agree to end debate on a bill and bring it to a final vote |
| Conference committee | A committee of both Representatives and Senators to reconcile different bills from the House and Senate on the same subject, that must put together one final bill for a final vote |
| Veto | Refusal of the President to sign a bill into law |
| pocket veto | A way to veto a bill by not signing it; it Congress adjourns within 10 days of passage and the President hasn't acted, the bill dies. |
