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APG Unit II Review

APG Unit II Review. 2013. What is the name for federal spending on local projects members of Congress want in order to win favor from their constituents?. pork barrel spending. How does the Constitution handle the question of political parties?.

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APG Unit II Review

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  1. APG Unit II Review 2013

  2. What is the name for federal spending on local projects members of Congress want in order to win favor from their constituents? • pork barrel spending

  3. How does the Constitution handle the question of political parties? • It doesn’t, parties have emerged and reshaped their coalitions (who supports them) over time

  4. Who can exert more influence over the legislative process, an individual member of the House, or an individual Senator? Why? • Senator, more informal proceeding in Senate & rules allowing for filibusters, cloture, etc.

  5. What is the name for the process by which Congress holds the Executive branch, and all bureaucratic agencies, accountable? • Congressional (or legislative) oversight

  6. When do senators use a motion for cloture? What kind of majority do you need for a cloture motion? • to end a filibuster; 3/5 or 60% (60 senators makes you “filibuster proof”)

  7. In general, all bills pertaining to revenue and other monies must originate where? • House of Reps

  8. What type of spending is required by law and cannot be adjusted by Congress during the regular budgetary process? What type of spending can Congress adjust? • Mandatory is required, Discretionary can be adjusted

  9. What is an entitlement program? What are the two biggest examples? • Government program that provides benefits to a specific group of people; Social Security and Medicare

  10. Which branch did the founders believe would be the most powerful? Why did they fear its power? • Congress, bad experiences with Parliament

  11. In what list are most of the specific powers of Congress found? What two areas do most of these relate to? • The enumerated powers, finance and defense

  12. What gives Congress the power to make all laws “necessary and proper”? • Elastic clause

  13. What gov’t role was a part time job for much of the first 100 years of our history? When did Congress first start meeting in continuous session? • Working in congress, mid 20th century

  14. How many bills are introduced in Congress each year? • About 10,000

  15. Which branch most often takes exception to the growing power of the President? • Legislative

  16. Who has the power to create new courts? Do they use this power often? • Congress, no

  17. The right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the gov’ts expense is called____. Why is this an advantage for incumbents? • Franking, constant PR at no expense to themselves

  18. Which Constitutional clause has been used most often to expand the power of the national gov’t? How? • Commerce clause; so many things fall under the purview of regulating commerce

  19. How many sessions is each term of congress divided into? How long does a modern session last? • 2, January to November

  20. What is the age requirement for serving in the House? The citizenship requirement? • 25 years of age, 7 years a citizen

  21. How many representatives currently serve in the House? How are these reps divided between the states? • 435, by population

  22. Who has the power to cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate? Who runs the Senate in the absence of the VP? • The Vice President, President Pro Tempore

  23. How long is the term of office in the house? • 2 years

  24. What organization determines the population of each state? How often is this done? How does this impact Congress? • The Census Bureau, every ten years – seats in the House are reapportioned based on the census

  25. Who is in charge of redistricting a state after the census? • Usually the legislature of each state, some states now use bipartisan committees

  26. Identify the two main ways that state legislatures have traditionally abused this power. • creating districts of unequal population and gerrymandering to favor a certain party

  27. What is gerrymandering? it’s when districts are drawn to benefit a specific political party or constituency, or to limit power of a minority group

  28. What did the “one person-one vote” decision require? • that all districts contain approximately 600,000 people, assuring equal power for each vote

  29. When a member of congress works to resolve a specific issue related to an individual or small group from their district, they are doing ________. • casework

  30. What is the age requirement to be a senator? The citizenship requirement? • 30 years of age, 9 years a citizen

  31. How long is the term of office for a senator? What portion of the senate is up for reelection every two years? • 6 years, 1/3 is up for reelection

  32. What is censure? • a formal vote that disapproves of a member’s behavior

  33. Describe the average member of congress in terms of age, ethnicity, profession and gender. • over 50, white, lawyer and male

  34. What percentage of incumbents won reelection between 1945-1990? • 90%

  35. Identify two reasons why incumbents are generally more successful in winning reelection. • money from PACs, gerrymandering, voter recognition, franking privileges

  36. When did the tide begin to turn against incumbents? • the “Voter Revolution” of 1994

  37. Identify the three House leaders chosen by the majority party. • Speaker, majority leader, majority whip

  38. What are the basic definitions of fiscal policy and monetary policy? Which is controlled by Congress and the President? • Fiscal policy is all the decisions Congress and the President make in regard to the federal budget (taxing and spending), monetary policy relates to how the FED controls the money supply

  39. What are two of the main powers of the Speaker? • assigning bills to committees, presiding over House debates, playing a key role in the calendaring of bills

  40. What do the party leader and whip do, respectively? • leader sets the agenda and priorities, whip maintains party discipline

  41. What is the primary role of congressional committees? • to closely evaluate proposed bills, hold hearings on them, and decide whether they go on to the full house or senate

  42. Which committee controls the proceedings of the house and gives final consent to the calendar? • the Rules Committee

  43. Who has the power to declares laws/acts unconstitutional? Judicial Branch/Supreme Court

  44. Who has the power to tax, regulate trade and coin money? Congress

  45. Who has the power to declare war, raise an army, and approve treaties? Congress

  46. What are two ways the President can try to influence Congress? • veto, call special session, make State of the Union Address

  47. What are two powers Congress has over the President? • approve treaties, cabinet officials, & judges (advise & consent power held by Senate), veto override, control the budget

  48. What percentage of bills actually become laws? • roughly 5%

  49. What is the basic procedure for amending the Constitution? • Amendments originate in Congress (2/3 support) and then must be passed by ¾ of the state legislatures

  50. What type of representative system often leads to domination by two major political parties? • Single representative system – in which each geographical district has only one representative

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