Chapter 9 Pre-Test: The Legislative Process

1. Who can introduce a bill?

• A) Only members of Congress
• B) Only members of Congress and the President
• C) Only members of Congress and state legislators
• D) Any American citizen

2. What does the Origination Clause say?

• A) All laws that create taxes must be brought by the Senate, not the House of Representatives
• B) All laws that create taxes must be brought by the House of Representatives, not the Senate
• C) All laws that create taxes must first be approved by the President before being brought to the Congress
• D) All laws that create taxes must first consult the Office of Management and Budget

3. Which of the following best represents a rider to a bill?

• A) A cosponsor signs onto a popular bill to gain popularity for themselves
• B) The effect of a popular Presidential candidate increasing the electability of a Congressperson
• C) Preventing a bill from being sent up to the floor of a chamber from committee
• D) Additions to a bill that are unrelated to the rest of the bill

4. Which of the following scenarios best represents the inclusion of an earmark?

• A) A Senator opposes a bill, and so speaks on end to delay passage of the bill
• B) A representative includes a large contract to a company in their district within a big spending bill
• C) A representative urges that they will not vote to approve a resolution unless it considers the national debt and deficit
• D) Preventing a bill from being sent up to the floor of a chamber from committee

5. Representative Johnson, a member of the House of Representatives, is the Chairperson of the House Committee on Agriculture. He hates a new agriculture bill introduced by Representative Jones which has been assigned to his committee-- how might he try to stop the bill from advancing?

• A) Rep. Johnson may negotiate with Rep. Jones to urge him to withdraw the bill in return for a favor later on
• B) Rep Johnson may filibuster the bill when it comes to the floor, as long as he is confident that there are not enough votes to invoke cloture
• C) Rep. Johnson may veto Rep Jones' bill, preventing it from leaving the committee
• D) Rep Johnson may pigeonhole Rep Jones' bill, preventing it from being brought to the floor of the chamber and letting it die in committee

6. Short Response: 1. What is a filibuster? 2. What chamber of Congress can a filibuster happen within? 3. How do you stop a filibuster?

7. In order for a bill to pass Congress and be sent to the President, it must meet what criteria, and how are these criteria most commonly met?

• A) A bill must be approved by 2/3 of Congress as a whole, and this is met by deliberate committee work
• B) A bill must not engage in deficit spending, and this is met by careful consultation with the Office of Management and Budget
• C) A bill must have the same language in both versions passed by the House and the Senate, and this is met with Conference Committees
• D) A bill must give specific instructions for the bureaucracy to enforce it, and this is met through Congress' veto power

8. Short Response: 1. When Congress sends a bill to the President, the President has 3 options: name at least 2 of the actions the President can do when presented with a bill passed by Congress (extra credit if you can name all 3!) 2. If the President rejects a bill passed by Congress, what can Congress do about this? What majority do they need to complete this action?

9. Which of the following scenarios would most accurately represent the development of an "omnibus bill"?

• A) Due to political pressure from their constituents, all the Senators from one region of the country decide to do everything they can to prevent a bill from passing
• B) A big, important spending bill is up for passage, and so a number of representatives have snuck in numerous, unrelated amendments
• C) A bill has been assigned to the Agriculture committee, but the chairperson is extremely hostile towards its passage, so they refuse to let it be reported out to the floor of the chamber
• D) The government needs to raise revenue to avoid an untimely shutdown, and so the House and Senate conference together to make sure everyone is on the same page to approve the annual budget

11. Which of the following would be an example of an entitlement program and why?

• A) Social Security, because it is very popular among the general population
• B) Social Security, because the government is required to spend a certain amount of money on it
• C) Military, because the American people are entitled to protection
• D) Affordable Housing, because social safety nets are important