Congress Flashcards
Constituency
a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body
Pork-barrel Project
legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted at a particular legislator’s constituency
Earmarks
special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of congress for their constituents
Riders
a provision attached to a bill in order to secure its passage or defeat
Christmas tree bill
a bill that has lots of riders
Reapportionment
the reallocation of House seats among states after each census as a result of popular changes
Redistricting
the process of altering election districts in order to make them nearly as equal in population as possible
Gerrymandering
the process by which the party in power draws election district boundaries in a way that is to the advantage of its candidates
Incumbency
the current holder of the elected office is an incumbent
Party Caucus
a mtg of members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and develop party policy
Majority leader
the legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line
Minority leader
the legislative leader selected by the minority party as a spokesperson for the opposition
Whip
party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank and file legislature
Speaker
the presiding officer in the House of Reps, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party
President of the Senate
Vice President
President pro tempore
officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president
standing committee
a permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focused on a policy area
joint committee
a committee composed of members of both the House of Reps and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations
ad hoc committee
committee formed for a specific task or objective and usually dissolved after the completion of the task
conference committee
committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form
Cloture
a procedure for terminating debate; especially filibusters in the Senate
Filibuster
a procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue
Veto
a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body
Override
an action taken by Congress to reverse presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber
Oversight
a supervisory activity of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive branch carries out the laws faithfully and spends appropriations properly
Logrolling
mutual aid and vote trading among legislators
Quorum
the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
Apportionment
the assigning of Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.
Appropriation
money granted by Congress to a state legislature for a specific purpose
Mark up
the process by which a US congressional committee or state legislature session debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation
Ways and Means Committee
makes recommendations to the House on all bills for raising revenue. The committee is the principal source of legislation concerning issues such as taxation, custom duties, and international trade agreements.
Rules committee
a special committee of a legislature, as of the US House of Representatives, having the authority to establish rules or methods for expediting legislative action, and usually determining the date a bill is presented for consideration
Congressional Budget Office
staff agency that advises Congress on the likely economic effects of different spending programs and provides info on the costs of proposed policies
Franking privilege
benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free
Bicameral legislature
2 House Legislature; House of Reps and the Senate
