13 Congress Flashcards

1
Q

bicameral legislature

A

a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

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2
Q

filibuster

A

an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill

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3
Q

marginal districts

A

political district in which candidates elected to the House of Rep win in close elections typically by less than 55 percent

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4
Q

safe districts

A

districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more

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5
Q

conservative coalition

A

an alliance between Rep and conservative Dem

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6
Q

majority leader

A

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate

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7
Q

minority leader

A

the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house or the senate

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8
Q

whip

A

a senator or rep who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking

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9
Q

speaker

A

the presiding officer of the House of Rep and the leader of his or her party in the house

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10
Q

party vote

A

there are two measures of such voting. by the stricter measure, a party vote occurs when 90 percent or more of the Dem in either house of Congress vote together against 90 percent or more of the Rep, A looser measure counts as a party vote any case where at least 50 percent of the Dem vote together against at least 50 percent of the Rep

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11
Q

Caucus

A

an association of congressional members created to advance a political ideology or a regional ethnic or economic interest

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12
Q

standing committees

A

permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsibly for legislation within a certain subject area

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13
Q

select committees

A

congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

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14
Q

joint committees

A

committees on which both senators and rep serve

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15
Q

conference committee

A

joint committees appointed to resolve difference in the senate and house versions of the same bill

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16
Q

simple resolution

A

an expression of opinion either in the house or senate to settle procedural matters in either body

17
Q

concurrent resolution

A

an expression of opinion without force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president

18
Q

joint resolution

A

a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both house of congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president

19
Q

discharge petition

A

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

20
Q

restrictive

A

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

21
Q

closed rule

A

an order from the house rules committee that sets a time limits on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

22
Q

open rule

A

an order from the house rules committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor

23
Q

quorum

A

the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in congress

24
Q

riders

A

amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will ride to passage through the congress, when a bill had many riders it is called a Christmas-tree bill

25
Q

cloture rule

A

a rule used by senate to end or limit debate

26
Q

double tracking

A

a procedure to keep senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the senate can get on with other business

27
Q

voice vote

A

a congressional voting procedure in which members shout yea in approval or nay in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills

28
Q

division vote

A

a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

29
Q

roll-call vote

A

a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering year or nay to their names

30
Q

teller vote

A

a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the yeas first and the nays second

31
Q

veto

A

literally i forbid it refers to the power of a president to veto a bill; it may be overridden by 2/3 vote of each house of congress

32
Q

divided government

A

one party controls the white house and another party controls one or both houses of congress

33
Q

unified government

A

the same party controls the white house and both houses of congress

34
Q

earmarks

A

hidden congressional provisions that direct the fed gov to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups form paying specific fed taxes or fees

35
Q

pork-barrel legislation

A

legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

36
Q

franking privilege

A

the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage

37
Q

Partisan polarization

A

a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators