Glossary of Congressional Terms Flashcards

48241379	Absolute majority	the vote requiring the majority of all the house rather than the majority of all the members present.
48241380	Act	a bill passed and signed as a law by the president or rejected by his veto. A bill can also act as a law if the president does not act over it within 10 days, and the Congress has not adjourn at that time. A bill can also act as a law if it is passed by at least by one house and engrossed.
48241381	Adjourn for more than Three Days	Neither house can adjourn without the approval of the other house.
48241382	Adjournment Sine Die	Final adjournment of an annual session. The sine die precludes the Congress from meeting again until the next session.
48241383	Adjournment to Day and Time certain	It is an adjournment that fixes the time and date for the meeting of a house . That does not end the session of Congress.
48241384	Advice and Consent	It is the Senate constitutional role in consenting or rejecting the president's nominations of executive/judicial offices and treaties.
48241385	Amendment	a formal proposal to change a measure (bill, resolution..etc) to insert a text, strike out everything and replace it.
48241386	Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute	It is an amendment which would replace a whole amendment.
48241387	Annual authorization	legislation that authorize appropriation for a single fiscal year (for specific amount)
48241388	Appeal	When a house or a committee overturn the ruling by majority vote.
48241389	Apportionment	It is the allocations of members in each state, after the decennial census.
48241390	Appropriation	a legislative language that permits a federal agency to incur payments and obligations from the Treasury (for specific purpose and a specific amount) /it is also the amount of money made available by such language.
48241391	Authorization	a provision that begins or continues the activity and programs of a federal agency . It also sets the policies and restrictions, deals with organizational and administrative matters.
48241392	Back door Spending authority	Authority to incur obligations that does not go through the normal appropriations process because it is provided in legislation other than appropriation acts
48241393	Baseline	projection of the levels of the federal spending, revenues, budgetary surpluses, deficit considering the new laws and policies decisions
48241394	Bills	Enacting laws.
48241395	Bills and Resolutions introduced	Members present a measure by delivering it to a clerk in the chamber when their house is in session
48241396	Bill and Resolutions referred	After a bill is introduced it is sent to one or more committees which have jurisdictions over the subject.
48241397	Borrowing authority	Statutory authority that permits a federal agency to borrow money from public/ treasury to finance its operations
48241398	Budget	Detailed statement of actual (or anticipated) revenue spending, expenditures during and accounting period. It also refers to the president's budget submissions to Congress)
48241399	Budget Act	Common name for the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act of 1974 which : set the basic procedures for the current budget process, created Houses and and Senate budget committees and enacted procedures for reconciliations, deferrals and rescissions
48241400	Budget and accounting Act of 1921	The law that for the first time permits the president to submit to congress each year a budget for the entire federal government.
48241401	Budget process	In congress (It is the setting of goals to make a budget then the implement of those goals in the revenues and spending), in the executive (formulation of the submission, submission in the Congress, defense before the committees and implementing sequestring,auditing to compile finally the budget data)
48241402	Budget resolution	A concurrent resolution in which congress considers the federal budget financial features for the upcoming and several fiscal years.
48241403	By Request	The designation indicating that a member introduced a measure on behalf of an executive agency, a private individual or an organization, he does not necessarily endorse it)
48241404	Calendar	A list of measures or other matters that are eligible for a consideration on the floor (the house has 5 calendars, the Senate has 2 calendars)
48241405	Calendar Wednesday	Is a House procedure that on Wednesdays committees can bring for floor consideration non priviledged measures they have reported
48241406	Call of the calendar	Senate bills that are not brought for debate (by a motion, unanimous consent or unanimous consent agreement) are brought before the Senate for action when the calendar listing them is "called".
48241407	Caucus	Common name for the official organization of each party in each house. It also refers to the organization of House of Democrats.
48241408	Censure	It is the strongest condemnation of a member for misconduct short of expulsion.
48241409	Chamber	The Capitol Room in which a house of Congress holds its session
48241410	Christmas Bill	Bill adorned with amendments that do not relate with the subject of the bill. it benefits, inetrest groups, specific states or districts and individuals
48241411	Classes of Senator	33/34 senators elected (six years term) in the same general section
48241412	Clean Bill	The revised version of a bill after a House committee amends it and assemble the amendments and was is left of the bill to create a new bill.
48241413	Clerk of the House	an officer of the House of Representatives in charge of the administrative support of the legislative process
48241414	Cloture	A Senate procedure that limits the consideration of a pending proposal for 30 hours to end a filibuster
48241415	Code of Official Conduct	a House rule that ban certain action by House members, officers and employees. It requires them to adopt a behavior that "reflects the credibility" of the House and it aks them to adhere to th espirit of the House rules and its committees.
48241416	College of Cardinals	Popular terms for the subcommittee chairmen of the appropriations committee; reflecting their influence over the appropriation measures
48241417	Committee	a panel of members elected or appointed to perform some services or functions for its parents body. Four types of committees: standing, select, joint and the Committee of the Whole
48241418	Committee of the Whole	Common name for the committee of the whole House on the State of the Union consisting of all members of the House.
48241419	Committee veto	Procedure that requires an executive department or agency to submit proposed policies, programs or actions to designated committees for review before implementing them
48241420	Concurrent resolution	resolution that requires approval of both houses is not sent to the president for a signaturw= it is not a law. It concerns only internal affairs in Congress
48241421	Conference	Formal meeting between members representing each house to reconcile (find a compromise) Senate and House differences over a measure. It also refers to the organization of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and the Republicans in the House.
48241422	Confirmation	It is the approval before appointment
48241423	Congressional Records	Daily, printed and substantially verbatim account of proceedings in both houses chambers
48241424	Congressional Terms of office	The term starts on January 3rd following the general election (2years for representatives and 6years for senators)
48241425	Continuing resolution	a joint resolution that permits a federal agency to continue its program by giving it funds at the beginning of a new fiscal year, if the appropriation has not been enacted yet.
48241426	Contract authority	Permits a federal agency to obligate money prior to actually having the funds in hand
48241427	Controllable expenditures	Federal spending that is permitted but not mandated by existing legislation authorization law (so it might be adjusted by congressional action)
48241428	Correcting recorded votes	Members are prohibited to change their votes after the announcement of the vote result is made but they are allowed to change their vote by unanimous consent immediately after the announcement of the results
48241429	Corrections calendars	they are corrections in the calendar that members make when they place a bill reported favorably by a committee that repeals regulations that are judged excessive or unecessary
48241430	Current services Estimates	Executive branch estimates of the anticipated costs of federal programs and operations in the future fiscal years and assuming no change in existing law
48241431	Custody of papers	possession of engrossed measures and certain basic documents that the two houses produce as they try to resolve their differences over the measure