AP Government Congress Vocabulary Flashcards

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