Chapter 5 Vocab Flashcards
Incumbent
The individual that currently holds the elected office
Pork-barrel spending
spending that benefits a legislator’s constituency
Constituency
the people residing within the geographical area represented by an elected official
Open-seat election
an election in which there is no incumbent in the race
Redistricting
the process of altering districts to make them as equal in population as possible, occurs every 10 year after each census and only affects the U.S. House
Reapportionment
the reallocation of U.S. House seats among states after each census as a result of population changes
Gerrymandering
the process by which the political party in power draws legislative districts to make it easier for its candidates to win elections
Midterm election
congressional elections that occur in non-presidential election years
Party caucus
members of a political party in Congress that elect its party’s leadership, set policy goals and plan strategy
Party leaders
members of the U.S. House and Senate elected by their respective party caucuses to represent their caucuses (e.g. Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, etc.)
Standing committees
permanent congressional committees with responsibility for a particular public policy area
Conference committees
temporary committees formed to bargain over the differences in the U.S. House and Senate versions of a bill before the bill can go to the president
Seniority
a member of Congress’ consecutive years of service on a particular committee
Bill
a proposed law (legislation) within Congress
Filibuster
a procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate whereby a minority of legislators prevent a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration
Rider
an amendment to a bill that deals with an issue unrelated to the content of the bill
Cloture
a parliamentary maneuver in the U.S. Senate that requires 60 votes to end a filibuster
Law
legislation passed by the U.S. House and Senate that is signed (or not vetoed) by the president
Veto
the president’s rejection of a bill, which stops it from becoming law unless Congress overrides the veto by 2/3 vote in both chambers
Lawmaking function
the authority of Congress to write the laws necessary to carry out the government’s powers
Representation function
the responsibility of members of Congress to represent various groups in society including their constituents and interest groups
Logrolling
the trading of votes between legislators so that each gets what he or she most wants
Oversight function
a supervisory power of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive branch carries out the laws faithfully and spends appropriations properly
