Deck 8: Congressional Rules and Procedures

Question 1

Which of the following steps comes first in the lawmaking process?

A) floor debate
B) report from committee
C) introduction into the House or Senate
D) conference committee

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In the House, bills that raise or spend money are assigned to the ______.

A) Union Calendar
B) House Calendar
C) Senate Calendar
D) Private Calendar

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What does a waiver from the Rules Committee accomplish?

A) requires an up-or-down vote after three hours of debate on the floor of the House
B) sets aside technical violations of the rules to allow bills to reach the floor
C) waives the requirement of tax bills originating in the House
D) forces a committee to report a bill favorably

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of these procedures is the most common way to pass bills in the House?

A) structured rules
B) suspension of the rules
C) cloture
D) unanimous consent

Question 5

Which of the following types of bills are considered "privileged" in the House and granted privileged access to the floor?

A) judicial appointments
B) labor and workforce
C) commemorative holidays
D) appropriations

Question 6

Which House committee is considered the "traffic cop" of the House floor?

A) Rules
B) Ways and Means
C) Ethics
D) Appropriations

Question 7

Which of the following is true of a structured or restricted rule?

A) No amendments may be considered on the House floor.
B) Amendments must be approved in advance by the Rules Committee.
C) Debate is strictly limited to two hours for each party.
D) Only party leadership may offer amendments on the House floor.

Question 8

All of the following are types of rules granted by the Rules Committee EXCEPT ______.

A) open
B) amended
C) closed
D) modified

Question 9

During general debate on the House floor, which of the following is true?

A) Members engage in extensive back-and-forth exchanges.
B) The majority party receives twice as much time to present its case.
C) Most legislators read prepared speech.
D) Amendments are voted on.

Question 10

Which of these is the most common or important way for bills to reach the floor of the Senate?

A) scheduling by the chair
B) special rule from the Rules Committee
C) discharge petition
D) unanimous consent

Question 11

Minority party members are more likely than majority party members to sign a discharge petition.

Question 12

Most House business is conducted Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to accommodate members traveling home to their districts.

Question 13

Only members of Congress can introduce legislation.

Question 14

The House is required to debate legislation once it is placed on an official calendar.

Question 15

Only members of Congress can draft legislation.

Question 16

Members of the minority party typically prefer restrictive rules when bringing legislation to the floor.

Question 17

Everything in politics is timing.

Question 18

Members try to draft bill language so their bills will be referred to a friendly committee.

Question 19

Lawmaking is a simple, yet, time insensitive process.

Question 20

The rise of partisan acrimony triggered an increase in traditional rules.

Question 21

Only House members are permitted to offer nongermane amendments on the floor; this practice is prohibited in the Senate.

Question 22

The Senate's rules emphasize individual prerogatives and minority rights.

Question 23

In the modern Senate, even the threat of a filibuster is sufficient to block action on many bills or nominations.

Question 24

Filibusters are most effective late in the legislative session because there may not be sufficient time to break it.

Question 25

The amending process is the heart of decision-making on the floor of the House.

Question 26

What is a hold, and how does it fit with the norm of individualism in the Senate?

Question 27

How does the cluster voting rule relate to the idea of the "two Congresses?"

Question 28

Congress has been described as a "procedural obstacle course." What does this description mean?

Question 29

How can the Senate obtain floor action when a bill is blocked in committee?

Question 30

How does an open rule differ from a closed rule?

Question 31

Why do members of Congress introduce legislation? Outline the three broad categories and give an example of each.

Question 32

How do elections influence the timing of legislation?

Question 33

How might the amendment process in the House have electoral consequences?

Question 34

Why has the creative use of complex rules expanded in recent years?

Question 35

Why has the number of bills passed by Congress declined in recent years?

Question 36

How has the role of the Rules Committee changed over Congress's history?

Question 37

What recourse do House members have if a committee refuses to report a bill? Are these methods effective?

Question 38

What are the six steps observed for passing a major bill in the House?

Question 39

Why are rules from the Rules Committee rarely defeated on the House floor?

Question 40

Identify a recent bill passed by Congress. Use Thomas.gov to track how the bill progressed through both chambers. Which committees was it referred to? What rules was it considered under? How did procedural concerns shape the progress of the bill through the chambers?