Terms : Hide Images
| 122239242 | bicameral legislature | a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts | |
| 122239243 | filibuster | an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill | |
| 122239244 | marginal districts | political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote | |
| 122239245 | safe districts | districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more | |
| 122239246 | conservative coalition | an alliance between Republican and conservative Democrats | |
| 122239247 | majority leader | the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate | |
| 122239248 | minority leader | the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate | |
| 122239249 | whip | a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking | |
| 122239250 | party polarization | a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators | |
| 122239251 | caucus | an association of Congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest | |
| 122239252 | standing committees | permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area | |
| 122239253 | select committees | congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose | |
| 122239254 | joint committees | committees on which both senators and representatives serve | |
| 122239255 | conference committees | a joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill | |
| 122239256 | public bill | a legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern | |
| 122239257 | private bill | a legislative bill that deals only with specific, private, personal, or local matters | |
| 122239258 | simple resolution | an expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body | |
| 122239259 | concurrent resolution | an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president | |
| 122239260 | joint resolution | a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president | |
| 122239261 | multiple referral | a congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several important committees | |
| 122239262 | sequential referral | a congressional process by which a Speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting | |
| 122239263 | discharge petition | a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor | |
| 122239264 | closed rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor | |
| 122239265 | open rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor | |
| 122239266 | restrictive rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor | |
| 122239267 | quorum | the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress | |
| 122239268 | quorum call | a roll call in either house of Congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present | |
| 122239269 | cloture rule | a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate | |
| 122239270 | double-tracking | a procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business | |
| 122239271 | voice vote | a congressional voting procedure in which members shout 'yea' in approval or 'nay' in disapproval, permitting members the vote quickly or anonymously on bills | |
| 122239272 | division vote | a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted | |
| 122239273 | teller vote | a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the 'yeas' first and the 'nays' second | |
| 122239274 | roll-call vote | a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering 'yea' or 'nay' to their names | |
| 122239275 | pork-barrel legislation | legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return | |
| 122239276 | franking privilege | the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage | |
| 122239277 | seniority | system under which committee chairs are awarded to members who have the longest continuous service on the committee | |
| 122239278 | Parliament | an assembly of party representatives that chooses a government and discusses major national issues | |
| 122239279 | organizational view | explanation of congressional voting which suggests members of Congress respond primarily to cues provided by their colleagues | |
| 122239280 | attitudinal view | explanation of congressional voting which emphasizes the impact of personal ideology and party identification as a voting cue | |
| 122239281 | mark-up | committee revisions of a bill; adding, amending, or changing something in a bill that you don't like | |
| 122239282 | Committee on Committees | assigns Republicans to standing committees in the Senate | |
| 122239283 | representational view | explanation of congressional voting that is based on the assumption that members want to get reelected and vote to please their constituents | |
| 122239284 | House Rules Committee | group that decides what business comes up for a vote and what the limitations on debate should be | |
| 122239285 | Steering Committee | assigns Democrats to standing committees in the Senate | |
| 122239286 | party caucus | meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy | |
| 122239287 | party vote | the extent to which members of a party vote together in the House or the Senate | |
| 122239288 | Christmas tree bill | a bill that has many riders | |
| 122239289 | riders | unrelated amendments added to a bill | |
| 122239290 | Union Calendar | schedules bills involving money issues (in the House) | |
| 122239291 | House Calendar | schedules major bills which don't involve money | |
| 122239292 | Private Calendar | called on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month, specific bills pertaining to a representative's private matters with constituents (in the House) | |
| 122239293 | Consent Calendar | schedules bills (in the House) | |
| 122239294 | Executive Calendar | presidential nominations, treaties, presidential appointments, etc. (in the Senate) | |
| 122239295 | Calendar of Business | general everyday stuff they will handle in the Senate | |
| 122239296 | Discharge Calendar | discharge petitions (in the House) |
