Ch 5 - Legislative Branch Flashcards
Census
A counting of the number of people in a specific area
Apportionment
The proportional distribution of congressional seats among states
Number of members in the house
435
Gerrymandering
Drawing district boundaries so as to purposely favor the party in power
3 qualifications for Congress members
Age, citizenship, and state residency
Seniority system
The practice of giving committee chair to the member who has the most years of continuous service on that committee
Select committees
Used for investigations
Joint committees
Members from both houses meet in a single committee
Parliamentarian
Advises house officers in parliamentary rules and house rules
Sergeant at arms
Chief protocol and law enforcement officer for his house
Franking privilege
Congressmen are not charged postage on their office mail
Congressional immunity
Congress members exemption from most arrests and from liability for speeches on floor
Censure
Officially condemn
Resolution
A formal statement of opinion or determination adopted by a legislative assembly
Filibuster
An attempt to kill a bill by stalling the vote on it
Discharge petition
A petition to get a bill out of a committee before the committee votes on it.
Committee of the Whole
When the whole House sits as one committee
Cloture
Three fifths of senators vote to limit each senator to one hour of speaking
Pocket veto
When a president ignores a bill, and congress adjourns within the next ten days, the bill is dead
