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| To what three groups do members of Contress have a responsibility? | 1) constituents (the people he or she represents) 2) the whole nation (because laws often affect all Americans) 3) his or her political party |
| Explain what a bill is and how it moves through Congress? | 1) Bill is introduced and given a number 2) Bill is sent to committee for study. If approved sent to full House or Senate 3) The Bill is read and debated on House or Senate floor. If approved sent to the other house where it goes through the same process |
| You are a lobbyist for the National Education Association. What is your job? What is the NEA an example of? | The NEA is an example of an interest group. My job as lobbyist would be to try to convince members of Congress to support legislation favorable to NEA and to defeat laws that hurt the NEA. |
| Congress is made up of what two bodies? | the Senate and the House of Representatives |
| What is the minimum age for being a member of the House of Representatives? | at least 25 years old |
| What is the minimum age for being a member of the Senate? | at least 30 years old |
| Who are our Congressmen in the Senate? | Charles Robb and John Warner |
| Who are our Congressmen in the House of Representatives? | Rick Boucher |
| We are in the 9th district. What does that mean? | We are in the 9th Congressional district. A district is the area that a member of the House represents. Each state is divided into as many districts as it has representatives in the House. Each district contains roughly 570,000 people. |
| The Constitution grants cerain powers to Congress. What are they? | collect taxes, borrow money, regulate trade with foreign nations and among the states, make laws about naturalization and bankruptcy, coin money and set a standard of weights and measures, punish counterfeiters, establish post offices and highways |
| Explain writ of habeas corpus and the limits placed on Congress? | In the US, if you are held in jail without a charge, a lawyer or friend can get a writ of habeas corpus. this paper orders the police to bring you into court, where the court will decide if police have enough evidence to hold you. If not, you must be rele |
| Explain bill of attainder and the limits placed on Congress? | A bill of attainder is a law that convicts a person of a crime without a trial. The Constitution prevents Congress from passing bills of attainder. |
| What is ex post facto and explain how it relates to the limits placed on Congress? | An ex post facto law makes a particular act a crime and then punishes people who committed the act before the law was passed. Congress cannot pass ex post facto laws. |
| What title does the presiding officer have in the House? | Speaker of the House |
| What title does the presideing officer have in the Senate? | President of the Senate. Officially the Vice President, but because he's so busy, the president pro tem usually acts as the Senate's presiding officer. |
| What is the name of the presiding officer in the Senate right now? | Al Gore |
| Define president pro tempure. | An officer who presides over the Senate when the Vice-President is absent. Also known as the president pro tem. |
| Define majority party. | The party with more members in both the House and the Senate. |
| Define minority party. | The party with fewer members in both the House and the Senate. |
| Define floor leader. | The chief officers of the majority and minority parties in each house. They are responsible for guiding bills through Congress. They work closely with committee leaders and party members to persuade them to accept compromises or trade-offs in order to win |
| Define whip. | Whips are assistant floor leaders in each house. They try to persuade members to support the party's position on key issues and to be present when it is time to vote. |
| Every day in 3rd period class Anne and Estella attempt to filibuster. What are they trying to do? What is a filibuster? | A filibuster is the use of long speeches to prevent a vote on a bill in the Senate. |
| What is cloture? What happens without it? | Cloture is an agreeement to end the debate on a bill in the Senate. Without cloture a party can kill a bill through filibuster, preventing it from coming to a vote. |
