Guided Reading & Analysis: The Legislative Branch- Chapter 3, pp 77-118 Purpose: This guide is not only a place to record notes as you read, but also to provide a place and structure for reflections and analysis using your noggin (thinking skills) with new knowledge gained from the reading. Mastery of the course and AP exam await all who choose to process the information as they read/receive. Directions: 1. Pre-Read: Read the prompts/questions within this guide before you read the chapter. 2. Skim: Flip through the chapter and note titles and subtitles. Look at images and read captions. Get a feel for the content you are about to read. 3. Read/Analyze: Read the chapter. Remember, the goal is not to fish for a specific answer(s) to reading guide questions, but to consider questions in order to critically understand what you read! 4. Write: Write your notes and analysis in the spaces. Enduring Understandings (EU s): Foundations of American Democracy: CON-3: The republican ideal in the U.S. is manifested in the structure and operation of the legislative branch. CON-4: The presidency has been enhanced beyond its expressed constitutional powers. CON-5:: The design of the judicial branch protests the court s independence as a branch of government, and the emergence and use of judicial review remains a powerful judicial practice. PMI-2: The federal bureaucracy is a powerful institution implementing federal policies with sometimes questionable accountability. Essential Question: How do the structure and operation of the legislative branch reflect the United States republican ideal? Describe the socio-economic, education background, gender, and religious makeup of the 535 voting members of the 115th Congress. Is it a accurate reflection of the United States, why or why not? Structure of Congress: Define bicameral: What different characters and responsibilities did the framers design for each house? Define: 17th amendment:
Copy the Big Idea: Define reapportionment: What occurs every 10 years that can change the proportional number of seats? How many members of the Senate are up for reelection at one time? Why is this and what is our source for this information? What bills can ONLY originate in the house? Why do you think that is? Page 84 can help answer this question as well. Powers of Congress: Define enumerated powers also known as : Where can we find enumerated powers in the Constitution? Define implied powers:
What is the power of the purse? How has Congress tried to regulate commerce of the years? What programs were not successful? Copy the chart on page 82: Congress Foreign and Military Powers The President
Which EU is this referring to? Define War Powers Act of 1973: Why did Congress feel the need to implement the Wars Powers Act of 1973? What has Congress created or been involved in due to implied powers granted to them by the elastic clause? Define impeach and which chamber has the power to bring impeach charges? Define advice and consent and which chamber has the power to advice and consent: How does the Senate participate if an official is has been convicted of impeachment charges by the House? Policymaking Structures and Processes: How is Congress organized?
What do the party caucuses do at the start of each congressional term? Define Speaker of the House: Who is the current Speaker of the House? Which party do they belong to? Define floor leaders: Who are the current floor leaders for the democratic and republican parties? Define Whip: Who are current majority and minority whips? Define conference chair: Who are the current conference chairs?
Who is the President of the Senate? Are they a voting member? Define president pro tempore: Define Senate majority leader: Who is the current Senate majority leader and which party do they hail from? How are committees used in both chambers? Recreate the chart on page 86:
Copy the chart on page 89 Committee Type Standing: Joint: Select or Special: Conference: What are some examples of standing committees mentioned in AMSCO and what do they do? Define markup session: Besides creating bills and confirming appointments, committees serve an important oversight role; describe that role. Also define congressional oversight. Define caucuses:
What roles do support staff take on? Summarize the key rules that are unique in the House during the policymaking process. Define Ways and Means Committee: Define Rules Committee: Define Committee of the Whole: Define discharge petition:
Summarize the key rules that are unique in the Senate during the policymaking process. Define filibuster: Define unanimous consent Define hold: What is the nuclear option? (outside research) Define cloture rule: Why is the Senate more involved in Foreign policy? What evidence do you have to support your conclusion?
Copy chart on page 92 (you must know these committees) Selected Congressional Committees and Key Policy Focus in the 115th Congress House Senate The Legislative Process Define sponsor: Who actually ends up writing the bill? How many bills are typically introduced and how many actually become law? Define germane:
Define riders: Define omnibus bill: Define pork-barrel spending: Define earmark: What are the problems with pork barrel politics? See Bridge to Nowhere. What did President Obama do to help end the practice of earmarks? Is it still in place? Define multiple referral: Define sequential referral: What are the three stages a bill goes through in committee? Explain them.
How do legislators determine what people want when voting on a bill? Define logrolling: Define delegate model: Define trustee model: Define political model: What model do you feel elected officials should be using? Explain your reasoning.
Recreate the chart on page 97. It s important or I wouldn t make you do it. In 1970s, Congress created what office? The OMB is in charge of considering what? What is the CBO?
What is the U.S. government s sources of revenue? Describe each of them. The highest percentage of revenue comes from where? Why do you think the percentage of total revenue from Individual Income Tax dropped in 2010? What are the three categories of government spending? Summarize each of them.
Define deficit: What is the largest category of discretionary spending? Think as a political scientist; use the charts on page 99 and 100. 1. Study the table of revenue over time on page 99 and identify one downward trend and one upward trend. 2. Use your knowledge of governmental budgeting to explain the cause for each of those trends. 3. Study the table of government spending over time on page 100 and identify the only spending category that has consistently risen. 4. Explain why the other categories of spending decreased.
5. Explain the significance of the changes over time in federal spending and their effect on possible directions the federal budget might take in the future. Influences on Congress: Look at the chart on page 102. How are the powers different between the House and the Senate? Look at the chart on page 102. How are the structures and processes different between the House and the Senate. Define gridlock: What has caused some of the partisanship in Congress? Define redistricting:
The Baker v. Carr (1962) is a Must Know Supreme Court Case for AP GOPO. What is the Constitutional question before the court? What is the decision? What occured before Baker? What are the facts of the case? What is the reasoning to answer the first question? What is the majority opinion?
What is the dissenting opinion? What has occured since Baker? Explain the difference between the opinion in Colegrove v. Green and the opinion in Baker v. Carr. Define gerrymandering: Watch this CP Grey Video on Gerrymandering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mky11ujb9ay Which solution do you think is best and why? Define safe seats:
Define swing districts or marginal seats: What is racial gerrymandering? Political Cartoon Analysis: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:the_gerry-mander_edit.png 1. List the key objects in the cartoon and describe what each represents. Object Symbolizes 2. What issue or event does the cartoon deal with? 3. Describe the action taking place in the cartoon. 4. What is the cartoon s message?
The Shaw v. Reno (1993) is a Must Know Supreme Court Case for AP GOPO. What is the Constitutional question before the court? What was the decision? What occured before Shaw?
What are the facts of the case? What is the reasoning of the case? What was the court s majority opinion? What was the dissenting opinion? Identify two potentially conflicting constitutional principles at issue in this case?
Describe the similarity and difference between Baker v. Carr and Shaw v. Reno. Why is Congress appear to have such a bad image? Jon Stewart Shames Congress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l11bxolo44 Is his criticism fair? Why or why not? Reflection of Essential Question How do the structure and operation of the legislative branch reflect the United States republican ideal? Republican Ideals House of Representatives Senate