AP Gov Unit 2

Powers listed in the Constitution. Also called express powers

powers only the federal government has (for example, judicial review)

Powers that only state governments have

Powers that are not listed in the Constitution but needed for the branches to carry out their powers. Defined in the Necessary and Proper Clause

Powers reserved for the states

Powers shared between federal, state and local governments

Denied to the federal government, state governments or both

Two legislative bodies in Congress - House and Senate

435 members who serve two year terms. 25 yrs old to be a HOR member

100 Senators with six year terms. 30 yrs old to be a senator

Power of the Purse (lay and collect taxes), declare war, coin money, regulate inTERstate commerce, Senate can approve presidential appointments and ratify treaties

the President nominates Supreme Court justices and federal judges, and the Senate confirms them by a simple majority vote

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives. They will (almost) always be a part of the majority party. They determine when a bill should be considered for a vote and preside over debate

is the Vice President of the US and only places a vote if the Senate draws a tie

presides over the Senate and is usually the longest-serving senator from the majority party

permanent committees split in different groups such as Banking, Foreign Relations, etc.

not permanent, created for a specific purpose and then dissolved. Sometimes they investigate allegations made towards a member of the executive branch

Permanent committees that contain both House of Reps. members and Senators. They take care of tasks that involve both chambers

Temporary joint committees, compromise between the House of Reps. and Senate versions of the same bill. Dissolved after the process is finished

Decides the rules of debate for the House of Reps. after a bill is shown by a standing committee. The rules placed will significantly affect the chances of the bill being passed

the people that are represented by a legislator or other elected official

When groups of people work together for a common cause in politics

A practice in the Senate where a Senator can speak for unlimited amounts of time to extend a debate.

3/5s of the Senate is needed and it calls for a complete end to debate and start of voting

An anonymous way for a Senator to stop any consideration of a bill

if signed by majority of the House of Representatives’ members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration (when a bill is sent to the floor, this means it is sent for consideration in a formal session House of Reps., or Senate)

An agreement in which all Senators must agree to something before proceeding

House of Reps.

Congressmen vote for each other’s bills for returned support (if you help me, I’ll help you)

elected officials add funding for local projects to larger budgets, even if those projects have little to do with the larger bill

Spending that must happen by law (social security, Medicare)

Optional spending, changes every year. For example, the amount spent on national defense varies yearly

Representatives use their constituents' views ONLY to vote on a bill

Representatives use their own judgment to vote on bills

Representatives use their own judgment on bills that may not be as popular, and their constituents' judgment on bills that they have a strong opinion on

Redistricting to favor one party over another

When the majority party of Congress and the President are of different parties

When the majority party of Congress and the President are of the same parties

disagreement/fighting between rival parties and it’s hard to get bills passed/things done

someone who favors one party over another

every 10 years

Formal - When the president rejects a bill. When the president doesn’t reject it, but doesn’t sign it for 10 days it dies as a pocket veto

Formal - The President can do this with other nations with if the 2/3rds of the Senate approves

Formal - Manage military operations (only Congress can declare war)

Informal - Allows the president to pass orders similar to laws but without congressional approval

Informal - Allows the president to have agreements with other countries similar to treaties but without Senate approval

Informal - Presidents write these to describe how they interpreted the law when signing it

A yearly address the president makes to tell congress what they would like to see happen in relation to law/policy

The President's ability to use the public to further their goals. Theodore Roosevelt came up with the term

No. Only congressmen can introduce legislation

The president’s advisors in different departments such as the Department of Energy/Education/Homeland Security

a federal law that limits the President's ability to commit U.S. armed forces to an armed conflict without the approval of Congress, unless there is an imminent threat to national security

The power of the judicial branch to rule a law/executive order/etc unconstitutional

Judicial branch should be independent from political pressure to remain fair

Actively looking for laws/actions that are unconstitutional

Waiting for laws/acts that are unconstitutional to come to them

First Supreme Court Justice of the United States

For life

holds that courts and judges should honor “precedent”—or the decisions, rulings, and opinions from prior cases (following previous rulings to remain constant)

Cases that go straight to a specific court

Cases that go to courts before going to a second court (court reviews decision made by a lower court)

4/9 of the Supreme Court Justices have to agree to take a case

Government agencies, divisions and departments

When an interest group, congressional committee, and the bureaucracy work together to achieve a policy goal

rewards political party loyalists and friends

promotes and hires employees based on their skills and performance

A group that tries to influence policy in their liking. They lobby Congress, try to get people to join their group, etc

Groups of interest groups, they are less structured and want to promote a common agenda

An agency's ability to decide whether or not to take certain courses of action when implementing existing laws

An agency's ability to make rules that affect how programs operate, and to force states and corporations to obey these rules as if they were laws