Understanding the Roles of Members of Congress and the Legislative Process: A Glossary, Quizzes of Local Government Studies

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TERM 1 Advertising DEFINITION 1 actions taken by a member of congress that are unrelated to government issues but have the primary goal of making a positive impression on the public TERM 2 Pork Barrel DEFINITION 2 legislative appropriations that benefit specific constituents created with the aim of helping local representatives win reelection TERM 3 Descriptive Representation DEFINITION 3 when a member of Congress shares the characteristics such as gender race religion or ethnicity of his or her constituentsDescriptive = Describes TERM 4 Bicameralism DEFINITION 4 the system of having two chambers within one legislative body, like the House and Senate in the U.S. Congress TERM 5 Substantive Representation DEFINITION 5 When a member of Congress represents constituents' interest and policy concerns TERM 6 Trustee DEFINITION 6 A member of Congress who represents constituents' interests while also taking into account national, collective and moral concerns.Trustees= Trust TERM 7 Delegate (Congressional Role) DEFINITION 7 A member of Congress who loyally represents constituents' direct interestsDelegate= Direct TERM 8 Politico DEFINITION 8 A member of Congress who acts as a delegate on issues that constituents care about such as immigration reform and as a trustee on more complies or less salient issuesPolitico= half Delegate, half Trustee TERM 9 Casework DEFINITION 9 Assistance provided by members of Congress to their constituents in solving problems with the federal bureaucracy or addressing other specific concerns TERM 10 Electoral Connection DEFINITION 10 the idea that congressional behavior is centrally motivated by members' desire for reelection TERM 21 Specialization DEFINITION 21 the expertise of a member of Congress on a specific issues or area of policy... more Common in the House than Senate( members tend to be policy generalists) TERM 22 Seniority DEFINITION 22 the informal congressional norm of choosing the member who has served the longest on a particular committee to be the committee chair TERM 23 Speaker of the House DEFINITION 23 elected leader of the House of Rep. TERM 24 Majority Leader DEFINITION 24 elected head of the party holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate TERM 25 Whip System DEFINITION 25 an organization of House leaders who work to disseminate info and promote party unity in voting on legislation TERM 26 Minority Leader DEFINITION 26 elected head of the party holding the minority of seats in the House of Senate TERM 27 President Pro Tempore DEFINITION 27 largely symbolic position usually held by the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate TERM 28 Roll Call Vote DEFINITION 28 recorded vote on legislation; members may vote yes, no, abstain or present. TERM 29 Party Votes DEFINITION 29 vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other partyParty Votes= Opposing Votes from Majority TERM 30 Party Unity DEFINITION 30 the extent to which the members of Congress in the same party vote together on party votesParty Unity= Vote Together TERM 31 Standing Committee DEFINITION 31 committees that are a permanent part of the House or Senate structure, holding more importance and authority than other committees TERM 32 Select Committee DEFINITION 32 committees in the House or Senate created to address a specific issue for one or two terms TERM 33 Joint Committees DEFINITION 33 Committees that contain members of both the House and Senate but have limited authority TERM 34 Conference Committees DEFINITION 34 temporary committees created to negotiate differences between the House and the Senate versions of a piece of legislation that has passed through both chambers TERM 35 Distributive Theory DEFINITION 35 idea that members of Congress will join committees that best serve the interests of their district and that committee members will support each other's legislation TERM 46 Open Rules DEFINITION 46 conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee allowing amendments to a billOpen= ALLOWS TERM 47 Modified Rules DEFINITION 47 conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee allowing certain amendments to a bill while barring others TERM 48 Legislative Veto DEFINITION 48 form of oversight in which Congress overturns bureaucratic decisions TERM 49 Constitutional Authority (presidential) DEFINITION 49 powers derived from the provisions of the Constitution that outline the president's role in government TERM 50 Statutory Authority (Presidential) DEFINITION 50 powers derived from laws enacted by Congress that add to the powers given to the president in the Constitution TERM 51 Vesting Clause DEFINITION 51 Article II Section I of the Constitution which states that "executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America," making the president both the head of government and the head of state TERM 52 Head of Government DEFINITION 52 One role of the president through which he or she has authority over the executive branch TERM 53 Head of State DEFINITION 53 one role of the president, through which he or she represents the country symbolically and politically. TERM 54 Recess Appoinment DEFINITION 54 when a person is chosen by the president to fill a position while the Senate is not in session thereby bypassing Senate approval... serve only to the end of the congressional term TERM 55 Executive Orders DEFINITION 55 proclamations made by the president that change government policy without congressional approval TERM 56 Fast-track Authority DEFINITION 56 an expedited system for passing treaties under which support from a simple majority is needed instead of 2/3rds.. no amendments are allowed. TERM 57 First-Mover Advantage DEFINITION 57 the president's power to initiate treaty negotiations. Congress can not initiate treaties and can only consider them once they have been negotiated TERM 58 Executive Agreement DEFINITION 58 an agreement between the exec branch and a foreign govt which acts as a treaty but does not require Senate approval TERM 59 Two Presidencies DEFINITION 59 idea that presidents have more interest in and power over foreign policy issues compared to domestic policy issues. TERM 60 State of the Union DEFINITION 60 an annual speech in which the president addresses Congress to report on the condition of the country and recommend policies TERM 71 Bureaucracy DEFINITION 71 system of civil servants and political appointees who implement congressional or presidential decisions known as Administrative State TERM 72 Civil Servants DEFINITION 72 employees of bureaucratic agencies within the government TERM 73 Political Appointees DEFINITION 73 people selected by an elected leader, such as the president to hold a government position TERM 74 Regulation DEFINITION 74 a rule that allows the government to exercise control over individuals and corporations by restricting certain behaviors TERM 75 Notice and Comment Procedure DEFINITION 75 step in the rule-making process in which proposed rules are published in the Federal Register and made available for debate by the general public TERM 76 Street-Level Bureaucrats DEFINITION 76 agency employees who directly provide services to the public, such as those who provide job-training services TERM 77 State Capacity DEFINITION 77 the knowledge, personnel, and institutions that the government requires to effectively implement policies TERM 78 Red Tape DEFINITION 78 excessive or unnecessarily complex regulations imposed by the bureaucracy TERM 79 Standard Operating Procedures DEFINITION 79 rules that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies TERM 80 Problem of Control DEFINITION 80 difficulty faced by elected officials in ensuring that when bureaucrats implement policies they follow these officials' intentions but still have enough discretion to use their expertise TERM 81 Principal-Agent Game DEFINITION 81 interaction between a principal such as Congress or president who needs something done and an agent such as bureaucrat who is responsible for carrying out the principal's order TERM 82 Regulatory Capture DEFINITION 82 situation in which bureaucrats favor the interests of the groups or corporations they are supposed to regulate at the expense of the general public TERM 83 Neutral Competence DEFINITION 83 idea that suggests bureaucrats should provide expertise without the influence of elected officials interest groups, or their own political agendas TERM 84 Federal Civil Service DEFINITION 84 a system created by the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Act in which bureaucrats are hired on the basis of merit rather than political connections TERM 85 Office of Management and Budget DEFINITION 85 an office within the Exec Off of the President that is responsible for creating the president's annual budget proposal to Congress, reviewing proposed rules, and other budget-related tasks