Term
| What key aspect of Congress resulted from the Connecticut Compromise? |
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Definition
| The Connecticut Compromise settled the argument about whether the each state should have an equal number of representatives, or if representatives should be apportioned according to a state's population. The compromise created a Bicameral system, meaning the Congress has two chambers, the Senate (two representatives per state), AND the House of Representatives (number of representatives determined according to state population) |
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Term
| How are Senators and Congressional Representatives elected? |
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Definition
Senators are elected by voters across their entire home state and serve six year terms.
In the House of Representatives, Congresspersons are elected by specifically defined districts covering some portion of the voters in their home state, and are elected for two year terms. |
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Term
| How many Senators are there in total? |
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Definition
| With two Senators per state and 50 states there are currently 100 Senators. |
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Term
| How many Representatives are there in the House of Representatives? |
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Definition
| There are currently 435 Representatives in the House. |
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Term
| What is typically different about the way Senators vs. House members represent their constituents? |
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Definition
Senators have to represent the various interests of everyone (heterogeneous) in their entire state as well as the nation at large, so they tend to be generalists in terms of which issues they focus on.
Representatives in the House tend to represent districts that are relatively homogeneous (smaller, more consistent set of interests), and tend to serve on one key committee, so they focus on a smaller, more focused set of issues. |
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Term
| What is the difference between Sociological vs. Agency representation in Congress? |
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Definition
Some representatives share characteristics, background and interests with their constituents. This is called sociological representation. An example would be a congressperson who is part of a local trade union and then gets elected to Congress to represent the local industry workers.
Some representatives have other incentives to act in the best interest of their constituents. This is called "agency" representation. An example would be a wealthy businessperson who gets elected to Congress, but whose district is primarily comprised of workers and middle class people unlike the representative herself. |
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Term
| Why do Parties almost never ask a member of Congress to vote against the interests of his or her constituents? |
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Definition
| Parties know that if a member of Congress votes against the interests of his or her constituents they are more vulnerable to being voted out of office in the next election. That can mean loss of a seat to the other Party, and a potentially more costly campaign for reelection. |
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Term
| Who nominates candidates for Congress? |
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Definition
| Candidates must "self select" to run for Congress, but some people are encouraged by Parties more than others. |
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Term
| What characteristics help a Congressional candidate have the best chance of getting elected? |
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Definition
Good candidates for Congress need:
1) Good name recognition (people have heard of the candidate for some, hopefully good, things they have done in the past)
2) a track record of success running for lower offices, at the state and/or local level
3) Ability to raise funds (campaigns are expensive, so candidates must be willing to pitch their ideas to donors)
4) Willingness to campaign (it is almost unheard of in modern times to win an election without vigorously campaigning)
5) Ability to reach out to voters (the candidate must be able to demonstrate to voters that they are concerned about their needs and interests so the voters develop faith in the candidate) |
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Term
| What is the "Incumbency Advantage" ? |
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Definition
The so-called incumbency advantage is the fact that once in office, members of Congress have many tools at their disposal to help them remain in office, notably the following:
1) Constituency services (they can use their office to directly affect the needs of their constituents, who may reward them with another term in office)
2) Franking privilege (Congresspersons may send mail to their constituents without having to pay for postage)
3) Name recognition and title (once you are a Senator or Congressperson, that alone may make you familiar to your constituents, and people will tend to vote for you again)
4) Pork barrel spending for a Congressperson's district (as federal funds get allocated, representatives will agree to certain bills provided they include some amount of funds that benefits their own district and constituents directly, even when this is unrelated to the core issue the bill is focused on primarily). |
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Term
| What makes a Congressperson's seat "safe" ? |
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Definition
| A Congressperson earns their "seat" by getting elected. Because the vast majority of incumbents come from districts where the majority of voters are in the same party as the Congressperson, their seat is considered "safe," meaning it is unlikely that voters in their district will elect a candidate from the other Party. |
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Term
| Patronage is a key way Congresspersons ensure the safety of their seat. What forms does patronage most often take? |
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Definition
Patronage refers to actions taken by congresspersons to help secure the safety of their seat by "patronizing" (sending federal money to) their constituents in certain ways such as:
1) Pork barrel spending (ensuring federal dollars flow to their district as part of government spending bills)
2) Earmarks (where certain federal spending benefits only a particular district or state project, organization or company, rather than the nation as whole)
3) Jobs - some local and state elected officials have the ability to offer certain jobs to their constituents
4) Constituent services (various services provided to voters in the congressperson's district)
5) Private bills (a private bill is a proposal for a law that would apply to a particular individual or group of individuals, or corporate entity. This is unlike public bills which apply to everyone within their jurisdiction. Private law can provide relief from another law, grant a unique benefit or powers not available under the general law, or relieve someone from legal responsibility for some allegedly wrongful act.) |
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Term
| How is Congress organized internally? |
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Definition
Congress is generally subdivided into:
1) Parties (Republicans, Democrats, and a very small number of Independents)
2) Committees (members of both parties guide legislation tied to specific sets of issues such as banking or transportation)
3) Staff (Congresspersons have their own staff to help them weigh in on votes, political implications, etc.)
4) Caucuses (groups of members who meet to pursue a set or sets of shared legislative objectives)
5) Parliamentary rules (the set of rules that governs how order is maintained during Congressional sessions) |
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Term
| What title is given to the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives? |
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Definition
| The Speaker of the House is the leader of the party that holds the majority of the seats in the House of Representatives. |
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Term
| How do the majority and minority leaders differ from the majority and minority whips? |
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Definition
| The majority and minority leader typically set their Parties' legislative agenda and oversee the activities of committee leaders, while majority and minority whips put pressure on representatives from their party to vote according to the party's agenda, and are responsible for making sure their party members are present to vote on key bills and measures. |
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Term
| The Speaker of the House chairs the House of Representatives, but who officially chairs the Senate? |
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Definition
| Officially, the Vice President of the United States is the Chair of the Senate. However, in the Vice President's absence, which is common due to other commitments, the President Pro Tempore (chosen by the Vice President, and typically, the highest ranking member of the majority party) usually chairs the Senate, even he/she may hand off to another member for routine business. |
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Term
| What are the four types of committees in Congress? |
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Definition
The four types of Congressional committees are:
1) Standing committees (Permanent committees, where the majority of legislation is written)
2) Select committees (formed temporarily to focus on a specific issue. Select committees can NOT present bills in the chamber, but can bring attention to a specific subject or issue)
3) Joint Committees (formed from members of both the House AND the Senate to gather information and to cover certain issues that are internal to Congress)
4) Conference Committees (formed to write the final wording when both the House and the Senate pass similar bills and the distinctions need to be reconciled before becoming law) |
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Term
| True or false. The majority and minority parties have an equal number of seats on committees. |
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Definition
| False. The majority party gets more seats on committees, roughly proportional to the number of seats the Party holds in the House. Seniority determines which representatives get assigned to committees. |
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Term
| If there are 100 Senators and 435 Congresspersons why are there roughly 13,000 people who work as Congressional staff? |
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Definition
| Members of Congress need staff who are experts in specific fields, and also staff to help constituents. So Congressional staff far outnumber actual elected representatives. |
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Term
| What are Congressional Caucuses? |
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Definition
| Congressional Caucuses are groups of Senators or Representatives who share common goals or interests. They may have large budgets and significant staffs, and are capable of pressuring Congress and the Executive branch to take action according to the group's interests and agenda. |
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Term
| What is a proposed law called before it is passed? |
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Definition
| A bill is a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of Congress and submitted to the Clerk of the House or Senate. |
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Term
| What does a Committee do with a bill? |
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Definition
| A bill is sent to the most appropriate committee to consider it. The committee may form a subcommittee to write the language for the bill, and then the full committee will send the bill to the floor of the House or Senate to be debated and eventually voted upon. |
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Term
| What is different about the amount of time allowed for debating a bill in the House vs. the Senate? |
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Definition
In the House, the House rule determines how much time is allocated for floor debate regarding the bill.
In the Senate, there is no limit on how long a bill can be discussed. |
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Term
| What is a filibuster and how can one be ended? |
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Definition
| A filibuster is a powerful Parliamentary tactic that allows a Senator or group of Senators to talk for as long as they like and on any subject to force a vote to be delayed or avoided altogether. It can be ended if 60 of the 100 Senators vote to end it. The term for ending it in this way is called cloture. |
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Term
| If a bill passes either the House or the Senate, what must happen before it becomes law? |
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Definition
Once a bill passes either the House or the Senate, it must be sent to the other house and the process starts over.
Typically, in order to be passed by both houses, the wording of the bill will get changed during the process.
If both houses pass the bill, but with different wording, a Conference Committee is formed to reconcile the differences so the final bill is consistent in both houses. |
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Term
| How long does the President have to decide whether or not to veto a law? |
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Definition
| The President is given 10 days to veto a law. If there are less than 10 days left in a legislative session and the President does not sign the bill into law, the bill dies, and must be proposed from scratch all over again in the next legislative session, a situation known as a pocket veto. |
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Term
| How can Congress override a Presidential veto? |
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Definition
| A Presidential veto can be overridden by a 2/3 vote in EACH chamber of Congress. |
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Term
| What is Congress' role in Oversight? |
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Definition
| Congress is expected to oversee the activities of the Executive Branch in order to ensure funding is spent properly, and laws are enforced properly |
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Term
| Which situations does the Constitution say require the "advice and consent" of the Senate? |
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Definition
| The Senate must confirm top-level executive (mostly Presidential) appointments such as cabinet posts, ambassadors and federal judges (including Supreme Court justices), and must approve any treaties with other nations. |
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Term
| If high officials such as the President are thought to have committed "Treason, Bribery or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors" what process can be invoked by Congress? |
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Definition
If high officials are thought to have committed "Treason, Bribery or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors" they can be "impeached."
Impeachment is a trial process that takes place within the Congress, with the House of Representatives acting as grand jury to draw up the charges, and the Senate conducting the actual trial. |
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