FRQ Review!
UNIT VI:
THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
1999
Check your Ch. 14 Notes
A. Using your knowledge of United States
government and politics, identify two budgetary
barriers that hinder the creation of new policy
initiatives.
B. Explain why each of the barriers you identified
persists.
C. Using your knowledge of United States politics,
identify one nonbudgetary barrier AND explain
how this barrier hinders the creation of new
policy initiatives.
Why the Federal Budget is so Hard to Control?
 Reason #1: Incrementalism
 Last year’s budget is the best predictor of this year’s
budget, plus some (an increment)

The Budget is too big to review every year

Agencies can safely assume they will get at least
what they got last year

Focus & debate on the increase over last year, not
the original amount

Groups support spending programs that benefit
them, so it’s difficult to pare the budget
Why the Federal Budget is so Hard to Control?
 Reason #2: “Uncontrollable” Expenditures
Programs in which spending is determined by the
number of recipients, not a fixed dollar figure
 Mandated by law a.k.a. mandatory spending
 Mainly entitlement programs where the
government pays known benefits to an unknown
number of recipients. Social Security => biggest
 The way to control the expenditures is to change the
rules of who can receive them
 2/3 of federal budget = “uncontrollable
expenditures”
 The antonym of “uncontrollable expenditures”
is discretionary spending

1999
Check your Ch. 15 & Ch. 12 Notes
 Is Congress effective in exercising legislative
oversight of the federal bureaucracy? Support your
answer by doing ONE of the following.
A.
Explain two specific methods Congress uses to exercise
effective oversight of the federal bureaucracy.

B.
OR
Give two specific explanations for the failure of Congress to
exercise effective oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
Ch. 15: Bureaucracy & Democracy

Congress Tries to Control the Bureaucracy
Influence presidential appointments (Senate confirms)
 Tinker with the agency’s budget
 Hold hearings
 Rewrite the legislation or make it more detailed
 BUT Big government provides services to constituents
and it’s hard to control once created

So why does Congress give federal agencies so
much policymaking discretion in executing
federal laws?
 Congress lacks expertise & the agencies have specialized




units / expertise
Congress doesn’t want to be blamed for bad policy
It’s time-consuming = delegated authority
It’s more efficient = discretionary authority (Congress
writes broad legislation and bureaucracy fills in the gaps)
Structure of the bureaucracy



Large
Specialized
Tenure protections (difficult to fire)
2003
Check your Ch. 12 Notes
 Both party leadership and committees in Congress
play key roles in the legislative process.
A.
Define two of the following elements of the congressional
committee system and explain how each influences the
legislative process.
Specialization
 Reciprocity / logrolling
 Party representation on committees

B.
Identify two ways party leadership in Congress can
influence the legislative process, and explain how each way
influences the process.
Specialization
 Note: The committee system
leads to specialization b/c
members of Congress serve
on the same committee for
years and become experts on
that topic. This is a bonus
b/c the legislation coming
out of committees is voted on
by experts first
Reciprocity a.k.a. Logrolling
 You respect my
committee
jurisdiction….and I
will respect yours….
 You support my piece
of pork and I’ll
support yours
Party Representation on Committees


1. After election, new members
write their party’s leaders
indicating their preferences.
2. Goals for Committee
Assignment: help reelection, gain
influence in Congress, work with
“their” policy areas
Committee Makeup- every
committee includes members from
BOTH parties, but a majority of
each committee’s members – as
well as its chairperson – come from
the majority party
2006
Check your Ch. 15 & Ch. 12 Notes
 The United States Congress and the President together
have the power to enact federal law. Federal bureaucratic
agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law.
However, in the carrying out of these laws, federal agencies
have policy-making discretion.
A.
B.
Explain two reasons why Congress gives federal agencies policymaking discretion in executing federal laws.
Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the
policy area over which it exercise policy-making discretion AND
give one specific example of how it exercises that discretion.



C.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Reserve Board
Describe two ways Congress ensures that federal agencies follow
legislative intent.
2006
See “What You Need to Know About Differences
Between the House & the Senate
 The framers of the United States Constitution
created a legislative system that is bicameral.
However, it is not just bicameral; the framers also
established two houses of distinctly different
character and authority.
A.
B.
C.
Discuss two reasons why the framers created a bicameral
legislature.
Identify one power unique to the House of Representatives
and explain why the framers gave the House that power.
Identify one power unique to the Senate and explain why the
framers gave the Senate that power.
2007
Check your Ch. 13 & Ch. 12 Notes
 Conflicts between Congress and the President over war
powers have their origin in the United States
Constitution. In 1973 Congress passed the War Powers
Resolution in an attempt to clarify the balance of
powers between the two branches of government.
A.
B.
C.
Describe the primary constitutional conflict between Congress
and the President over the decision to go to war.
Describe two provisions of the War Powers resolution that were
designed to limit the President’s power over war making.
The War Powers Resolution has received mixed reviews, but
Congress has other powers over war making. Other than the
constitutional power you described in A, identify and explain
two other formal powers Congress has over war making.
2008
Check your Ch. 12 Notes
 Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are
conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted
politicians often engage in gerrymandering.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is
important to states.
Define congressional redistricting.
Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during
redistricting.
Describe two limits that the United States Supreme court has placed on
congressional redistricting.
House of Representatives
 Apportionment: seats
distributed on the basis of
population. Each state
guaranteed at least 1 seat.
Each member represents
an average of 710,000
people.
 Districts: drawn by state
legislatures after each
census – as needed
 Gerrymandering:
districts drawn to the
advantage of the party
controlling the state
legislature.
House of Representatives & Gerrymandering
“Cracking”: spreading out
voters of a particular type
among many districts to
deny them a large block in
any district.
“Packing”: concentrating
as many voters of one type
into a single electoral
district to reduce their
influence in other
districts.
Goals of Gerrymandering...
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create Safe Seats (not likely
to elect a representative from
the opposite party)
To enhance the strength of the
party controlling the state
legislature
To minimize the strength of
the opposition party
To protect incumbents
To discourage quality
challengers
To punish foes or reward
friends
 To try to increase minority
representation
The Supreme Court has
limited
gerrymandering, but
it’s impossible to ban it
completely …
Gerrymandering & The Supreme Court
 Baker v. Carr
(1962): districts
should be equal in
population - “one
man, one vote” =
shifted power
towards urban
areas
 Shaw v. Reno
(1993): no racial
gerrymandering
2009
See “What You Need to Know About Differences
Between the House & the Senate
 In the United States Congress, the majority party exerts a
substantial influence over lawmaking. However, even when one
party has a numerical majority in each chamber of the United States
Congress, there is no guarantee that legislation supported by that
majority party will be passed by both chambers. Rules of each
chamber independently influence the likelihood that legislation will
pass in that chamber; legislation passed by one chamber is not
always passed by the other.
A.
B.
C.
Describe two advantages the majority party in the United States House of
Representatives has in lawmaking above and beyond the numerical advantage
that that majority party enjoys in floor voting.
Describe two differences between House and Senate rules that may make it
likely that legislation may pass in one chamber but not in the other.
Explain how the differences identified in B can lead to the passage of a bill in
one chamber but not in the other.
2011
Check your Ch. 13 & Ch. 12 Notes
 The Constitution of the United States creates a government
of separate institutions that share power rather than a
government that delegates power exclusively to a single
branch. Frequently, this means that presidents and
Congress struggle with each other.
A.
For each of the presidential powers below, explain one way that
congressional decision making is affected by that power.



B.
Veto power
Power to issue executive orders
Power as commander in chief
For each of the congressional powers below, explain one way that
presidential decision making is affect by that power.



Legislative oversight power
Senate advice and consent power
Budgetary power
2012
 Members of Congress are charged with three primary
duties – writing laws, overseeing the implementation of
laws, and serving the needs of their constituents.

A. Describe the role of each of the following in lawmaking.
Senate filibuster
 House Rules Committee
 Conference Committee



B. Describe one method by which Congress exercises oversight
of the federal bureaucracy.
C. Explain how casework affects members’ attention to
legislation.
2012
 Minority Representation In Congress
 Compare minority representation in 1960 and 2010.
 Explain how each of the following assisted in the removal
of barriers to minority voting.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
 Twenty-fourth Amendment


Identify one barrier that currently impedes minority
representation in Congress. Explain why the barrier you
identified inhibits minority representation in Congress.