Chapter 6 terms Poli Sci

The philosophy that legislators should consider the will of the people but act in ways they believe best for the long term interests of nat

The philosophy that legislators should follow their own judgement until the public becomes vocal about a particular matter

The philosophy that legislators should follow the will of the people until they truly believeit is in the best interests to be different

A legislator's responsiveness to questions and concerns of the people he or she represents

Assumption that a legislator will represent/favor his/her own ethnic group or gender among the constituency as opposed the entire population

a legislature composed of two houses

Change to Constitution, ratified in 1913, which provides for the direct election of senators

The staggering of senatorial terms such that one third of the Senate comes up for election every two years

president killing bill that has been passed by both houses by not signing it, occurs if congress has adjourned within 10 days

Article 1 Section 8 Constitution that grants congress the power to pass all laws "necessary and proper for carrying out the list of exp. pow

Districts encompassing an entire state, or large parts of the state, in which house members are elected to represent the area

The idea that a legislator should represent the interests of the people living in a specific geographic location

The process of redrawing legislative district boundaries within a state to reflect population changes

Drawing legislative district boundaries in such a way as to gain political advantage

Voting districts in which members of a minority group make up the majority of the population

Supreme court case that set the standard that House districts must contain equal number of constituents thus establishing one house one vote

The process by which seats in the house of representatives are reassigned among the states to reflect population changes following the Censu

Specialized groups within standing committees

Temporary committees created to deal with a specific issue

A committee of members of the house and senate that irons out differences in similar measures that have passed both house to create 1 bill

Units that conduct oversight or issue research but do not have legislative power

a congressional committee composed of members from both legislative chambers.

The process of assigning a new bill to several committees at the same time

Committee sessions for taking testimony from witnesses and for collecting information on legislation under consideration for new legislation

The section by section review and revision of a bill by committee members; the actual writing of a piece of legislation

The responsibility of Congress to keep an eye on agencies in the federal bureaucracy to ensure that their behavior conforms to its wishes.

The job of familiarizing a new member of Congress with the procedures, norms, and customs of the chamber

Summaries encapsulating the informed judgement of others in the legislature; members of Congress rely on these to streamline the process

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, who is also the leader of the majority party in the House

The head of the majority party in the Senate; the second-highest-ranking member of the majority party in the House

A numerical measure of how often members of the same party vote together on legislation

Assistants to House and Senate leaders, responsible for drumming up support for legilation

The chief presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president

The leading spokesperson and legislative strategist for the minority party in the House or the Senate

Agreement of all senators on the terms of debate, required before a bill goes to the floor

A process in the US Senate used to block or delay voting on proposed legislation or on an appointment of a judge or other official by talkin

A rule declaring the end of a debate in the Senate

Rule that allows a senator to announce the intention to use delaying tactics if a particular piece of legislation moves to a vote

Lengths of time served in a chamber of the legislature. Members with greater seniority have traditionally been granted greater power

The norm that new members of Congress are expected to work hard and quietly learn the legislative process

A norm suggesting that members of both chambers have extensive knowledge in a particular policy area

Supporting a legislator's bill in exchange for support of one's own bill

Legislation that benefits one state or district; also called particularized legislation

The member of Congress who introduces a bill

A bill that is only passed in only one house of Congress