What are bills?
proposed laws
How many bills can be made in a singular year term?
10,000
How many bills were introduced in 1791?
268
What is congress divided into in order to get all work done?
small commitees
How does dividing into small commitees benefit congress?
more efficient and people can specializse in their own areas
How many standing commitees does the House have?
20
What is a standing commitee?
permanent commitee of congress
How many standing commitees does the Senate have?
16
Who studies a bill before it is considered by congress?
standing commitees
What is a standing commitee divided into?
smaller groups
what do each of the smaller standing commitee groups deal with?
specific issues based on the area of the whole commitee
Example of subcommitee
Senate Foreign Relations Commitee has subcommitees in other countries
What is the name for the smaller groups of the standing commitees?
subcommitees
What are select commitees used for?
to deal with issues not covered by the standing commitee
the house will ----- use select commitees
periodically
Are select commitees permanent or temporary?
temporary
When are joint commitees used?
when both houses feel that working together would be beneficial
How many members of the House and the Senate are joint commitees made up of?
equal number from both
Ex of joint commitee
taxation commitee
When is a conference commitee used
to compromise when the house and senate pass different versions of the same bill
is a conference commitee temporary or permanent
temporary
how many standing commitees does a member of the house serve on
usually one
how many standing commitees does a member of the senate serve on
at least two
In the house and the senate what kind of commitees do they want to be on
the most important ones
How is commitee membership divided
based on the number of members each party has in that branch in congress
if the senate has 60 republicans and 40 democrats, how many reps and dems would the senate have in a commitee?
6 reps and 4 dems
a group who nominates or names the members of the party to serve on many standing commitees
commitee on commitee
Who is the commitee on commitees work reviewed by
party caucuses
Who gets the best assignments on a commitee on commitee
the longtime party members
What does a commitee chairperson do
decide when they will meet and hold hearings
where is a commitee chairperson always from
majority party
Who gets to create subcommitees
commitee chairpersons
how are commitee chairpersons elected today?
by a secret ballot at the party caucuses of the majority party
Who impacts the ballot of the commitee chairpersons the most?
seniority
Who are congressional staffs
specials assistants, clerks, and secretaries
who runs the offices of members in congress in washington and at home
congressional staffs
what makes congress so powerful
constitution
What part of the Constitution states the powers of congress
article 1 section 8
What are the powers of congress called?
delegated powers
what five areas does congress cover?
finance government, regulating and encouraging, defending the nation, deciding national laws, providing for the nations growth
How does congress finance our nation
raise and collect taxes, borrow money, and print or coin money
how does congress use funds from our nation
to pay debts or to defend the nation
Who can congress regulate trade with
other nations and the states
What can congress set for trade
standard weights and measures
What can congress do to encourage trade?
establish post offices, build roads, and help businesses
What crimes can congress punish for that include trade
piracy and crimes against ships
What power does congress have over defending the nation
declaring war, maintaining the army, military draft
what power does congress have over the nations laws
pass laws against treason and counterfeiting, and establish courts
How does congress provide for the nations growth
governs territories and admits states, regulates immigration and naturalization laws
to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying in executiom for foregoing powers
the Elastic Clause
Why is the elastic clause called the elastic clause
because congress can stretch its power over many subjects
What are the powers of the elastic clause called
implied powers
What kind of power does congress have for impeaching
the powers to bring high officials to trial
What high officials are impeached
president, vice president, and federal judges
Who were the three Presidents who were impeached
andrew johnson, bill clinton, and donald trump
Where does the process of impeachment start?
the house of representatives
When is an official formally accused or impeached
when a majority votes in the house
Who acts as a court to determine if the impeached should be removed?
senate
Who is the judge if the v.p. or president is being impeached
Chief Justice of the supreme court
how many federal officials have been impeached
16
how many officials were convicted and dismissed from office
7
how many officials were convicted and dismissed from office
7
what president was found innocent by one vote
andrew johnson
which president was just found innocent and not removed from office
bill clinton
which president was impeached twice
donald trump
which president would have been impeached and removed but resigned first
richard nixon
Where musst all bills to raise money start?
in the house
Who gets to pick the president if no one gets enough electoral votes
the house
Where are all impeachment trials
in the senate
Who gets to pick the vice president if no one recieves enough votes
the senate
all treaties or agreements must be
approved
Where must all high presidential employees be approved
the senate
congress is very powerful, but
their power is limited
who is congress checked by
the supreme court and the president
what amendment says that all powers not given to congress are reserved for the states
the 10th amendment
what section of the constitution lists the limits on congress
article 1 section 9
what is an ex post facto law
a law that applies to an action prior to the passing of the law
what is a bill of attainder
laws that sentence a person to jail without a trial
can't set aside or suspend --------
Writ of Habeaus Corpus
what is habeus corpus
court order that requires the accused to be brought to court for a trial
when is the exeption to habeus corpus
times of war
congres cant tax -----
exports
cant pass any laws that violate ------
the bill of rights
cant favor trade of ------
one state over another
cant grant titles----
of nobility to any American citizens
cant withdraw money from the treasury-------
without a law
work for the people they represent and should do what the majorty of the people in the district or state
helping constituents
investigate national issues to determine whether a new law is needed or if an existing law is being carried out correctly
conduct investigations
where can bills begin
the house or the senate
what are appropriations bills
bills to spend money
where do appropriations bills begin
in the house
only a ------ can introduce a bill
congressmen
first step of making a bill
carefully writing it out
where is the bill placed after it is written out
in the Hopper
what happens to a bill after it is placed in the hopper
the clerk of the house gives it a letter and a number
what happens after a bill is given a letter and a number
the speaker of the house sends it to the appropriate standing commitee
what are special meetings that are held by the commitee called
hearings
are hearings public or private
public
who does the commitee call for the hearings
experts to give more information
people who represent a certain group's viewpoints or interests
lobbyists
what happens to a bill during a hearing
the commitee studies it and then votes on it
what is the first step in a bill becoming a law
the bill is introduced in the house
what is the second step in a bill becoming a law
goes to a commitee
what is the third step in a bill becoming a law
the house considers the bill
what is the fourth step in a bill becoming a law
the house votes
what is the fifth step in a bill becoming a law
the senate acts on the bill
what happens if a bill gets referred by a commitee
the whole house studies the bill
where is a bill placed in order for the house to study it
on the house calendar
what is the house calendar
schedule that lists the order in which bills are considered
how many times is each bill read by the whole house
3 times
who reads a bill for the first time in the whole house
by commitee
what happens when the whole house reads a bill for the second time
they debate it
is debate limited or unlimited in the house on a bill
limited
is debate limited or unlimited in the senate on a bill
unlimited
what is it called when the house acts as one big commitee and bills are read aloud and discussed
commitee of the whole
who reads a bill for the third time in the whole house
commitee of the whole
what is it called when a majority of members have to be present to do business
quorum
how does the senate act on a bill
repeat the same steps as the house
keep talking to delay a vote on a bill
filibuster
what is the longest someone has spoke for during a filibuster
24 hours and 18 minutes
what is a cloture
can stop a filibuster
how much of a vote is needed for a cloture
3/5
for a bill to go to the president, what must happen between the house and the senate
they must agree on the same version of a bill
who makes compromises on a bill if the senate and house do not agree
commitee
what happens after a commitee makes a compromise on a bill
it is voted on in the house and the senate
what is the sixth step in a bill becoming a law
the president approves the bill
what are the presidents options when considering a bill
sign it, veto it, pocket veto it
how much of a vote does congress have to have in order to override a veto from the president
2/3
how many days is a pocket veto kept
10
after ten days what happens to a bill if it sits on the presidents desk
it automatically becomes a law
what happens if congress goes out of session while a bill is on the presidents desk
the bill dies
what kind of commitee has been used to investigate government scandals
select commitees
what commitee holds hearings and makes recommendations then gets disbanded
select commitees
who provides important information about members of congress
congressional staffs
who helps congress members stay informed about what the people they represent want
congressional staffs