Congress

Introduction:

Because power is widely distributed and checks prevent one branch from usurping powers from the others, institutional actors are in the position where they must both compete and cooperate in order to govern.

Essential Questions:

Describe the various parts of Congress.
Explain the purpose and function of Congress.
Explain the process a bill goes through to become a law.
Compare and contrast the powers of Congress in relation to the other branches.
Explain the incumbency advantage in elections.
Discuss the Congress's role in policy making.
Justify use of the war powers resolution.
How do the branches of the national government compete and cooperate in order to govern?
To what extent have changes in the powers of each branch affected how responsive and accountable the national government is in the 21st century?

Key Terms

Constituency: The people that reside in the area from which an official was elected.
Bicameral: A legislative assembly that is composed of two chambers or houses.
Pork Barrel: Government projects or appropriations yielding rich patronage benefits.
Select Committee: Typically, temporary legislative committees that are set up to highlight or investigate a certain issue or address an issue that is not within the jurisdiction.
Standing Committee: Permanent committees that have the power to propose and write legislation that covers a certain subject.
Joint Committee: Legislative committees that are formed of members of both the House and the Senate.
Conference Committee: Joint committees that are created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation.
Seniority System: The ranking that is given to an individual based on the length of continuous service on a committee in Congress.
Filibuster: A tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation that they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down.
Cloture: The only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster.
Roll Call: A system of voting in which each legislator's vote is recorded as the clerk calls the names of the members alphabetically.
Logrolling: The practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other's proposed legislation. Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.
Gerrymandering: The manipulating of electoral constituency boundaries in order to favor a specific political party or socioeconomic class.
Redistricting: The process of drawing electoral district boundaries.
"Lame duck": Period of office when an elected official is serving after the new successor has been elected.

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