3: Congress Flashcards
Impeachment
A formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as criminal or civil punishment.
Incumbency Effect +
The candidate already in office nearly always wins.
Reapportionment +
The reallocation of seats. http://aceproject.org/main/english/bd/bdy_us.htm
Gerrymandering
A practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged districts.
Casework
social work directly concerned with individuals, especially that involving a study of a person’s family history and personal circumstances.
Pocket veto
A pocket veto is a legislative maneuver that allows a president or other official with veto power to exercise that power over a bill by taking no action versus affirmatively vetoing it.
Standing committee +
Permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for consideration by their respective chambers.
Joint committee
A term that is used to refer to a committee made up of members of both chambers of a bicameral legislature.
Select Committe
A committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues.
Conference committee
In a bicameral legislature, it is responsible for creating a compromise version of a particular bill when each house has passed a different version.
Speaker of the House +
Is the presiding officer (or chairman) of the chamber.
majority leader
The chief spokesperson for the majority party.
Filibuster
A parliamentary procedure where debate is extended, allowing one or more members to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal. It is sometimes referred to as talking out a bill or talking a bill to death[1] and characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature.
Constituent
A member of an area which elects a representative to a legislative body.
