ap gov unit 2

• The senate: 100 members (2 each state), serve 6 year terms, elections every 2 years
• The house: 435 members, serve a 2 year term, only represent 1 district of a state, any laws with money start here
• Congressional leaders: majority (more than half votes) and minority party (less than half votes)
• Speaker of the House: most powerful person in congress, elected by the house, always a member of majority, decide where bills go on calender, 3rd in line for president
• Pres. Pro Tempore: backup for vice president (leader of senate), acts as chairperson of senate, 4th in line for president
• Floor leaders: know all congress laws & try and get them to benefit their party. Party whip: help floor leaders & make sure people vote with party
• Committee system: majority of congress' work done in committees rather than floor, most bills die in committees
• Committee assignments are political, can make or break a persons career. Seniority rule: senior members placed on committees first as leader
• Members of congress get franking privlege (job related mail for free)
• Incumbents have advantages such as advertising, credit claiming (case work & pork barrel), weak opponents, & campaign spending (money donated to incumbents thru PACs
• Powers of Congress - Expressed: written in constitution, can be given to any branch. Enumerated: Article 1, section 8, given to congress only. Implied/Elastic clause: necessary & proper clause, end of article 1 section 8, congress can make any law they think is good
• Reapportionment: happens every 10 years after census, some states lose seats in house & others gain
• Gerrymandering: not illegal, states have power to draw districts, parties draw districts in odd shapes to keep their party in power/get most votes. can be done through packing or cracking. can be reviewed by national courts.
• parties do gerrymandering to gain control of the house (power of purse & impeachment)
• Senate members represent states, house members represent people
• allocation bills: allowing/dividing money out. appropriation bills: given money to spend.
• only congress can declare war
• impeach: press charges of wrongdoing against person in office. House files charges (bc more ppl oriented) & senate acts as jury
• Special powers of senate: power of filibuster & cloture (3/5 vote to end), has to approve all president treaties & appointments
• Legislative oversight: congress makes sure laws are carried out as intended so they monitor the bureaucracy (agencies taking laws & enforcing) & its administration of policy thru committee hearings