Unit VI: Review Baseball!

The Legislative Branch

List 3 or more benefits enjoyed by members of Congress

How many people serve in Congress? How many in the House & how many in the Senate? How many seats is each state guaranteed by the Constitution?

What are the age and citizenship requirements for the legislative and executive branches?

Explain the debate over substantive vs. descriptive representation.

List at least 3 activities members of Congress engage in to help themselves get reelected.

Reapportionment, redistricting, gerrymandering – what are they? Who cares?

List at least 3 advantages of being an incumbent in a reelection campaign.

If you were serving in the House, what powerful committee assignment would give you influence over every bill that makes it out of committee?

Explain the process of impeachment, conviction and removal.

List at least 2 differences between the House and the Senate that may make it more likely a piece of legislation may pass in one chamber and not the other.

Without the Elastic Clause, what would Congress’ scope of power be?

List and define 2 different types of committees.

What Supreme Court case helped clarify the supremacy of the federal government in the area of interstate commerce?

What Supreme Court case helped clarify that Congress had powers beyond those expressed specifically in the Constitution?

How does a bill become law? Explain at least 5 major steps.

What goes on in the Standing Committees of Congress?

Why is being a committee chairperson cooler than being a regular committee member?

Caucuses – why do we have to talk about this ugly word again when we are studying Congress?

If you had the power to erase the budget deficit or the national debt, which would you wipe out and why?

How much of our budget is going to pay interest on money that’s already long gone?

Which portion of the Constitution gives Uncle Sam the right to take a big chunk of your $$ on April 15th?

Which portion of the Constitution gives you the right to vote Cantwell and Murray out of their offices or back into their offices, one of these years?

Which would you rather be in – House or Senate? Why?

Would you rather have a proportional, progressive or regressive income tax structure? Explain.

The sources of federal revenue include: social insurance taxes, corporate income taxes, individual income taxes, borrowing. Put these in order from largest to smallest.

What is the Balanced Budget Amendment? How does it impact the way we prepare the federal budget?

What is a tax expenditure? Give an example.

Major federal expenditures include: interest on the national debt, national defense, direct payment to individuals, state and local grants. Put these in order from largest to smallest.

How does incrementalism affect the budgeting process?

How do uncontrollable expenditures affect the budgeting process? What’s another term for uncontrollable expenditure?

How writes the budget, who reviews the budget and who is ultimately responsible for the budget?

Authorization v. appropriation – explain

Continuing resolutions v. budget resolutions – when do you need them?

Compare and contrast Baker v. Carr & Shaw v. Reno.

Whips, Senate Majority Leader, House Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, House Minority Leader, President Pro Tempore – which is the most important? Which is the least? Explain.

Legislative Oversight – what should I be asking you about this?

How does a bill end up a Christmas Tree Bill?

When / why would Congress write Sunset Legislation?

When, where and why would you use a discharge petition?

When a bill makes it to the president he has four options. When would he choose to use each of them?