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expertise model
argues that Congress is designed to obtain the best information possible and thereby make more informed policy decisions.
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pork-barrel model
argues that the internal institutions of Congress are designed to help members secure economic benefits for their constituents.
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partisan model
maintains that majority party leaders dominate the workings of Congress and secure the most legislative benefits for majority party members.
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elitist model
of Congress holds that the workings of Congress are biased toward serving the interests of wealthy and privileged people in society.
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logrolling
agreeing to vote in favor of one another’s bills.
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bicameral legislature
Congress consists of two chambers. These are the House of Representatives and the Senate.
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How does a bill become a law?
For a bill to become law, both chambers of Congress must approve it and the president must sign it. If the president vetoes a bill, Congress canoverride the veto by a vote of two-thirds of the members of each chamber.
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proportional representation
seats are allocated to parties based on their proportion of the public’s vote.
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single-member district
An electoral district in which a single person is elected to a given office.
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plurality rule
A method for determining an election's winner in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins.
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gerrymandering
Drawing boundaries specifically for political advantage
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Trustee
using their judgment to decide what is best
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delegate
using constituent preferences to make decisions
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incumbency advantage
The advantage current officeholders have in an election, in particular as it relates to the high rates at which congressional legislators win re-election.
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5 Factors that contribute to Incumbency Advantage?
gerrymandering, pork, television access, campaign finance, and national party efforts
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Speaker of the House
the leader of the House of Representatives and of the majority party in the House
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majority leader
The head of the party holding a majority of seats and, in the Senate, the leader of the Senate. In the House, the majority leader is second to the Speaker of the House.
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party discipline
The tendency for legislators that belong to the same party to vote the same way on a given bill.
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whip
A member of the House or Senate who is elected by his or her party to help party leaders coordinate party members' actions, including enforcing party discipline
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Standing committees
have permanent jurisdiction over their policy areas
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special committees
are temporarily formed to consider a special issue
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joint committee
A committee made up of members of both the House and Senate.
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conference committees
have the specific task of trying to reconcile conflicting House and Senate versions of the same bill.
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