Terms : Hide Images
| 12395656577 | advice and consent | The power of the Senate to consult and approve the presidents treaties and appointments. | 0 | |
| 12395660291 | bicameral legislature | A law making body made of two houses (bi means 2). Example: Congress (our legislature) is made of two house - The House of Representatives and The Senate. | 1 | |
| 12395664370 | caucus (congressional) | A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses. | 2 | |
| 12395667699 | cloture rule | a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate | 3 | |
| 12395675821 | Committee of the Whole | A device used in the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of legislation. The quorum is reduced from 218 members to 100, and the Speaker appoints a member of the majority party as chair. Time allotted for debating the bill in question is split equally between its proponents and opponents. The committee cannot itself pass legislation but may debate and propose amendments. | 4 | |
| 12395682073 | Committee on Committees | Republican group that recommends committee assignments | 5 | |
| 12395685362 | Conference Chair | works with the whip, the majority leader, and the pro tem. They put people on different committees. This is a powerful job | 6 | |
| 12395688238 | conference committee | Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form. | 7 | |
| 12396916491 | Congressional Oversight | The United States Congress has the authority to conduct hearings, investigations, and budget reviews of the actions by the executive branch. | 8 | |
| 12396919453 | deficit | An excess of federal expenditures over federal revenues. | 9 | |
| 12396922314 | Delegate Model | The view that an elected represent should represent the opinions of his or her constituents. | 10 | |
| 12396932467 | discharge petition | Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration. | 11 | |
| 12396935306 | discretionary spending | Federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process | 12 | |
| 12396937547 | earmark | Funds that an appropriations bill designates for a particular purpose within a state or congressional district | 13 | |
| 12396941062 | enumerated powers | Powers specifically given to Congress in the Constitution; including the power to collect taxes, coin money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, and declare war. | 14 | |
| 12396945035 | estate tax | A tax on the estate, or total value of the money and property, of a person who has died | 15 | |
| 12396948772 | Filibuster | A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue. | 16 | |
| 12396953416 | Floor Leaders | Members of the House and Senate picked by their parties to carry out party decisions and steer legislative action to meet party goals | 17 | |
| 12396973846 | Gerrymandering | Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power. | 18 | |
| 12396976785 | Gridlock | the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government | 19 | |
| 12396982660 | House Judiciary Committee | Considers legislation dealing with civil liberties, constitutional amendments, federal courts and judges, immigration, civil and criminal laws | 20 | |
| 12396982661 | Impeach | To formally charge a public official with misconduct in office | 21 | |
| 12396989442 | implied powers | Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions. | 22 | |
| 12396995136 | joint committee | A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations. | 23 | |
| 12396998702 | Logrolling | An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills | 24 | |
| 12396998703 | mandatory spending | Federal spending required by law that continues without the need for annual approvals by Congress. | 25 | |
| 12397012551 | marginal seat | A seat in the House of Representatives that is not considered to be safe for the incumbent in the next election (swing seat). | 26 | |
| 12397015642 | markup session | A meeting held by a congressional committee or subcommittee to approve, amend, or redraft a bill. | 27 | |
| 12397027845 | multiple referral | The process through which a bill is referred to several committees that simultaneously consider it in whole or in part | 28 | |
| 12397066286 | non-germane amendments | formal changes to a bill that do not have any direct relation to the subject of the bill itself. The Senate permits such amendments. | 29 | |
| 12397070317 | Omnibus Bill | A single document that is accepted in a single vote by a legislature but contains amendments to a number of other laws or even many entirely new laws. | 30 | |
| 12397074162 | Politico Model | Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue. | 31 | |
| 12397095974 | pork barrel spending | The appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents, such as those in marginal seats or campaign contributors. | 32 | |
| 12397099956 | President of the Senate | Vice President | 33 | |
| 12397108094 | President Pro Tempore | Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president | 34 | |
| 12397108095 | Reapportionment | the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census | 35 | |
| 12397111863 | Redistricting | The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population. | 36 | |
| 12397114895 | Rider | A provision attached to a bill - to which it may or may not be related - in order to secure its passage or defeat. | 37 | |
| 12397118152 | Rules Committee | the "traffic cop" of the House that sets the legislative calendar and issues rules for debate on a bill | 38 | |
| 12397124243 | safe seat | An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted. | 39 | |
| 12397127167 | select committees aka special committees | Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation. | 40 | |
| 12397131770 | Senate Majority Leader | The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy. | 41 | |
| 12397135855 | sequential referral | bill is sent to another committee once one has completed its work. Parts of the bill may also be referred to separate committees. | 42 | |
| 12397138994 | Seventeenth Amendment | 1913 constitutional amendment allowing American voters to directly elect US senators | 43 | |
| 12397141960 | Speaker of the House | An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant. | 44 | |
| 12397145263 | sponsor | The person who introduces a bill and usually takes ownership | 45 | |
| 12397153273 | standing committee | A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area | 46 | |
| 12397174294 | Steering and Policy Committee | committee used by Democrats to assign committee members | 47 | |
| 12397194823 | swing district | a district where no single candidate or party has overwhelming support | 48 | |
| 12397197176 | trustee model | a model of representation in which a member of the House or Senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions | 49 | |
| 12397199958 | unanimous consent | an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation | 50 | |
| 12397205363 | War Powers Act of 1973 | President can send troops immediately, but must report to Congress and power is limited to 60 days | 51 | |
| 12397213277 | Ways and Means Committee | a permanent committee of the United States House of Representatives that makes recommendations to the House on all bills that would raise revenue | 52 | |
| 12397213278 | Whips | Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party. | 53 |
