Terms : Hide Images
| 5948042341 | Bicameral Legislature | A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts. | 0 | |
| 5948045364 | Filibuster | An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill. | 1 | |
| 5948056686 | 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. | 2 | |
| 5948065209 | Safe Districts | Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more. | 3 | |
| 5948073555 | Majority Leader | The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate. | 4 | |
| 5948078837 | Minority Leader | The legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate. | 5 | |
| 5948085054 | Whip | A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking. | 6 | |
| 5948089753 | Party Polarization | A vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators. | 7 | |
| 5948097157 | Caucus | An association of Congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest. | 8 | |
| 5948104126 | Standing Committees | Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area. | 9 | |
| 5948112002 | Select Committees | Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose. | 10 | |
| 5948117262 | Joint Committees | Committees on which both senators and representatives serve. | 11 | |
| 5948124660 | Conference Committees | A joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill. | 12 | |
| 5948132769 | Public Bill | A legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern. | 13 | |
| 5948137465 | Private Bill | A legislative bill that deals only with specific, private, personal or local matters. | 14 | |
| 5948147745 | Simple Resolution | An expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body. | 15 | |
| 5948154375 | Concurrent Resolution | An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and Senate, but not the president | 16 | |
| 5948258084 | 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 | 17 | |
| 5948348460 | Divided Government | One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress | 18 | |
| 5948354736 | Unified Government | The same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress | 19 | |
| 5948366565 | Earmarks | "Hidden" congressional provisions that direct the federal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific federal taxes or fees | 20 | |
| 5948387353 | Multiple Referral | A congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several important committees. | 21 | |
| 5948391151 | Sequential Referral | A congressional process by which a Speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting. | 22 | |
| 5948399515 | 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. | 23 | |
| 5948418716 | 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. | 24 | |
| 5948428209 | Open Rule | An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a hill to be amended on the floor. | 25 | |
| 5948449670 | 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. | 26 | |
| 5948467484 | Quorum | The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress. | 27 | |
| 5948473325 | Quorum Call | A roll call in either house of Congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present. | 28 | |
| 5948482644 | Cloture Rule | A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate. | 29 | |
| 5948488361 | 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. | 30 | |
| 5948500138 | 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. | 31 | |
| 5948509769 | Division Vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members stand are counted. | 32 | |
| 5948517738 | Teller Vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second. | 33 | |
| 5948524857 | Roll Call | A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names. | 34 | |
| 5948544984 | Pork-Barrel Legislation | Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return. | 35 | |
| 5948555342 | Franking Privilege | The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage. | 36 | |
| 5948592748 | Rider | A provision added to a piece of legislation not germane to the bill's purpose. | 37 | |
| 5948596622 | Christmas Tree Bill | When a bill has lots of riders. | 38 |
