Congress Vocab Flashcards
Apportionment
The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the
decennial census according to their proportion of the population.
Bicameral
Legislature
A two-house legislature .
Bill
A proposed law.
Cloture
Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate.
Conference
Committee
Special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by
the House and Senate.
Congressional
Budget Act of 1974
Act that established the congressional budget process by laying out a
plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution,
appropriations, reconciliation, and any other revenue bills.
Congressional
Review
A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by joint
resolution of legislative disapproval.
Delegate
Role played by an elected representative who votes the way his or her
constituents would want him or her to, regardless of personal opinion.
Discharge Petition
Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the
authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction.
Divided
Government
The political condition in which different political parties control the
presidency and Congress.
Earmark
Funds that an appropriation bill designates for specific projects within a
state or congressional district.
Filibuster
A formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches
or unlimited debate.
Gerrymandering
The drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral
outcome without regard to the shape of the district.
Hold
A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or
nomination is brought to the floor. This request signals leadership that a
member may have objections to the bill (or nomination) and should be
consulted before further action is taken.
Impeachment
The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution
to charge the president, vice president, or other “civil officers,” including
federal judges, with “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and
Misdemeanors.” This is the first step in the constitutional process of
removing government officials from office.
Incumbency
Already holding an office.
Joint Committee
Standing committee that includes members from both houses of
Congress setup to conduct investigations or special studies.
Logrolling
Vote trading; voting to support a colleague’s bill in return to promise
future support.
Majority Leader
The head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of
Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of
the House and in the Senate is regarded as the most powerful member.
Majority Party
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members.
Markup
A session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it
goes to the floor.
Minority Leader
The head of the party with the second highest member of elected
representatives in the House of Representatives in the Senate.
Minority Party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most
members.
Party Caucus or
Conference
A formal gathering of all party members.
Pocket Veto
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a
bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed
without the president’s signature.
Politico
Role played by an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a
delegate, depending on the issue.
Pork
Legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their
districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other
programs.
President Pro
Tempore
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the
majority party.
Reconciliation
A procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the
budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending the threat of a
filibuster.
Redistricting
The process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or
decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a
state.
Select (Special)
Committee
Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose.
Senatorial
Courtesy
A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to
the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs.
Seniority
Time of continuous service on a committee.
Speaker of the
House
The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in
the Constitution; the chamber’s most powerful position; traditionally a
member of the majority party.
Standing
Committee
Committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one
Congress to the next.
Trustee
Role played by an elected representative who listens to constituents’
opinions and then uses his or her best judgment to make a final decision.
Unified
Government
The political condition in which the same political party controls the
presidency and Congress.
Veto
The formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by
both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without
further congressional action.
War Powers Act
Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of
troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended
by 30 days to allow withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval
for a longer period of time.
Whip
Party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his/her party,
takes vote counts on key legislations, prepares summaries of bills, and acts
as a communications link within a party.
