Terms : Hide Images
| 12614337176 | Bicameral Legislature | A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts. | 0 | |
| 12614337177 | Filibuster | An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action to the bill | 1 | |
| 12614337178 | Marginal District | Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55% of the vote. | 2 | |
| 12614337179 | Franking Privilege | The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage. | 3 | |
| 12614337180 | Conservative Coaliton | Alliance between Republicans and conservative Democrats | 4 | |
| 12614337181 | Majority Leader | The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate. Senate Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell (aka Turtle Man) (R) KY. House Majority Leader: Kevin McCarthy (R) CA. |  | 5 |
| 12614337182 | Minority Leader | Legislative leader elected by minority party members. Representative of lesser party | 6 | |
| 12614337183 | Party Whip | A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking. A party leader who makes certain that party members are present for a vote and vote the way the party wishes. | 7 | |
| 12614337185 | Congressional Caucus | A group of Congress members that meet to pursue common legislative objectives. | 8 | |
| 12614337186 | Standing Committee | Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area. | 9 | |
| 12614337187 | Select Committee | Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose. | 10 | |
| 12614337188 | Joint Committee | Committees on which both senators and representatives serve. | 11 | |
| 12614337189 | Conference Committee | A joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill. | 12 | |
| 12614337190 | Safe District | Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55% or more. | 13 | |
| 12614337191 | Joint Resolution | Formal expression of congressional opinion. Must be approved by both houses and president. A law | 14 | |
| 12614337192 | Simple Resolution | An expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body. | 15 | |
| 12614337193 | 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. | 16 | |
| 12614337194 | Discharge Petition | A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have brought to the floor. | 17 | |
| 12614337195 | 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. | 18 | |
| 12614337196 | Open Rule | An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor. | 19 | |
| 12614337197 | Quorum | The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress. | 20 | |
| 12614337198 | Rider | A provision added to a piece of legislation that is not germane to the bill's purpose. | 21 | |
| 12614337199 | Cloture Rule | A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate. Can break filibuster by 3/5 of the vote. Nuclear option | 22 | |
| 12614337200 | Pork Barrel Legislation | Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return. | 23 | |
| 12614337204 | Speaker | Presiding officer of the H.O.R. and the leader of his party in the house | 24 | |
| 12614337205 | Divided Government | One party controls the White House and another controls one or both houses | 25 | |
| 12614337206 | Unified Government | Same party controls the White House and both houses | 26 | |
| 12614341568 | majority-minority districts | Congressional district where a majority of voters are racial/ethnic minorities | 27 | |
| 12614346406 | descriptive representation | when citizens are represented by elected officials from their same racial/ethnic background | 28 | |
| 12614350457 | substantive representation | ability of citizens to elect officials who will have policies that they favor enacted into law | 29 | |
| 12614363462 | party vote | A vote where most Democrats are on one side of the bill, and most Republicans are on the other. | 30 | |
| 12614375198 | 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 | 31 | |
| 12614377070 | 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. | 32 | |
| 12614378405 | voice vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members shout "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills | 33 | |
| 12614380083 | division vote | a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted | 34 | |
| 12614381430 | roll-call vote | A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names. | 35 | |
| 12614390364 | teller vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second. | 36 |
