Congress Flashcards
Constituency
The people residing within the geographical area represented by an elected official.
Incumbent
The current holder of a particular public office.
Pork or pork-barrel spending
Spending whose tangible benefits are targeted at a particular legislature’s constituency.
Service strategy
Use of personal staff by members of Congress to perform services for constituents in order to gain their support in future elections
Open-seat election
An election in which there is no incumbent in the race
Reapportionment
The reallocation of House seats among states after each census as a result of population changes
Redistricting
The process of altering election districts to make them as nearly equal in population as possible. Redistricting takes place every 10 years after each population census.
Gerrymandering
The process by which the party in power draws election district boundaries in a way that enhances the reelection prospects of its candidates.
Midterm election
The Congressional election that occurs midway through the president’s term of office.
Party leaders
Members of the House and Senate who are chosen by the Democratic or Republican caucus in each chamber to represent the party’s interests in that chamber and who give some central direction to the chamber’s work.
Party caucus
A group that consists of a party’s members in the house or senate and that serves to elect the party’s leadership, set policy goals, and plan party strategy.
Party unity
The degree to which a party’s house or senate members act as a unified group to exert collective control over legislative action
Standing committees
Permanent congressional committees with responsibility for a particular area of public policy. An example is the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Jurisdiction (of a congressional committee)
The policy area in which a particular congressional committee is authorized to act
Seniority
A member of Congress’s consecutive years of service on a particular committee
Bill
A proposed law (legislative act) within Congress or another legislature.
Cloture
A parliamentary maneuver that, if a 3/5 majority votes for it, limits Senate debate to 30 hours and has the effect of defeating a filibuster.
Filibuster
A procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate whereby a minority of legislatures prevent a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration.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. Riders are permitted in the Senate but not in the house.
Conference committee
A temporary committee form to bargain over the differences in House and Senate versions of a bill. A conference committee’s members are usually appointed from the house and senate standing committees that originally worked on the bill.
Law (as enacted by Congress)
A legislative proposal Or bill that is passed by both the House and the Senate and is not vetoed by the president.
Veto
The presidents rejection of a bill thereby keeping it from becoming law unless Congress overrides The veto.
Lawmaking function
The authority of the legislature to make the laws necessary to carry out the government powers.
Representation function
The responsibility of the legislature to represent various interests in society.
Logrolling
The trading of votes between legislators so that each gets what he or she most wants
Oversight function
A supervisory activity of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive branch carries out the laws faithfully
