AP®︎ U.S. Government & Politics: Topic 2.2 Flashcards

Division of Congress into the House and Senate, both of which must pass identical legislative text

Congressional powers expressly listed in the Constitution, such as taxing, spending, regulating commerce, and declaring war

Congressional powers derived from the necessary and proper clause rather than expressly listed in the Constitution

Congress's authority to tax, appropriate, limit, or withhold federal funds

A proposed law formally introduced by a member of the House or Senate

Article I requirement that all bills for raising revenue through taxation originate in the House

A list placing bills among those eligible for floor consideration, without guaranteeing that leaders will schedule them

A group that divides Congress's workload by reviewing, investigating, revising, and deciding whether to advance legislation

A committee proceeding used to gather testimony and information, question officials, and publicize policy issues

A committee session in which members consider a bill section by section and vote on revisions, additions, or deletions

A permanent congressional committee with continuing jurisdiction over a broad policy area

A committee created for a particular investigation or study, often temporarily and sometimes without power to report legislation

A committee containing House and Senate members that generally conducts studies, investigations, or administrative coordination

A temporary bicameral committee that reconciles differences between House and Senate versions of legislation

The majority-party member who leads a committee and influences hearings, witnesses, markups, and voting schedules

The senior member of the minority party on a congressional committee

The majority-elected House presiding officer and chief agenda setter who helps schedule legislation and assemble support

Party leaders who coordinate their respective parties' legislative strategies in the House

Party officials who count votes, communicate leadership positions, persuade members, and encourage attendance for important votes

The House committee that sets the conditions for debating most major bills, including debate time and permitted amendments

A House Rules Committee resolution specifying how a particular bill will be debated and amended

A House debate rule permitting members to offer relevant floor amendments under ordinary House procedures

A House debate rule prohibiting floor amendments to a bill

A House debate rule allowing only designated amendments or amendments meeting specified conditions

All House members meeting under expedited debate rules and a 100-member quorum, without authority to pass a bill finally

A House procedure through which 218 representatives can remove a bill from committee and move it toward floor consideration

The Senate's principal scheduler and legislative strategist, who must negotiate within rules protecting individual senators

A Senate arrangement that bypasses procedural steps or sets debate terms when no senator objects

An informal senator's request that party leaders delay floor consideration of a bill or nomination

A Senate tactic of prolonging or threatening extended debate to delay or prevent a final vote

The procedure for limiting Senate debate, normally requiring three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn, or 60 when all 100 seats are filled

A provision attached to a larger bill, sometimes unrelated to its main subject, to improve its chance of passage

A large legislative package combining numerous subjects, programs, or appropriations into one bill

Federal spending required by existing law and determined by legal commitments and eligibility, not annual appropriations

A program whose law guarantees authorized benefits to people who satisfy its eligibility rules, such as Social Security or Medicare

Federal spending approved through the annual appropriations process, including defense, education, research, and infrastructure

Authorization establishes or continues a program's legal authority; appropriation supplies money for it

The amount by which federal expenditures exceed federal revenues during a fiscal period

A lapse in funding for affected discretionary operations when Congress fails to enact necessary appropriations

Funding for a project benefiting a particular district, state, or locality, usually included in a larger bill

A specifically directed expenditure for a designated project, often associated with pork-barrel legislation

The exchange of political favors among legislators, especially reciprocal vote trading on different priorities

The larger House uses centralized leadership and tightly structured debate; the smaller Senate allows less restricted debate and greater procedural influence for individual members and minorities