Legislative Branch

Question 1

President Pro Tempore

Answer 1

serves as the temporary president of the senate when the president of the senate is absent.

Question 2

speaker of the house

Answer 2

the presiding officer in the house of representatives is always from the majority house

Question 3

reapportionment

Answer 3

periodic redrawing of a states electoral districts so that all districts will be reasonably equal in population

Question 4

voice vote

Answer 4

a method of voting in leg bodies in which the presiding officer listens to the ayes and nays and decided which side has the majority.

Question 5

Resolution

Answer 5

a statement passed by a leg. body that expresses the majority’s virw on a current issue.

Question 6

Whip

Answer 6

a legislator who tries to line up support from other members of their party for or against a particular bill

Question 7

Override

Answer 7

the passage of a law by a legislative body over the veto of the chief executive; congress can enact a law over the president’s veto

Question 8

minority leader

Answer 8

The floor manager of a minority party in a legislature; their job is to oversee the party’s leg. business.

Question 8

minority leader

Answer 8

The floor manager of a minority party in a legislature; their job is to oversee the party’s leg. business.

Question 9

majority leader

Answer 9

the floor manager of the majority political party in a lawmaking body such as the senate or house of rep.; this person supervises the party’s handling of the legislative matters.

Question 10

quorum

Answer 10

the minimum # of members who must be present for a leg. body to conduct business.

Question 11

code of ethics

Answer 11

rules and guidelines for proper behavior by a public official

Question 12

cloture

Answer 12

a procedure that may be used to limit or end floor debate in a legislative body by limiting the time a member is allowed to speak about one bill.

Question 13

pork barrel legislation

Answer 13

the money that congress appropriates for a federal project in a member’s home district; the project may or may not be worthwhile and or necessary

Question 14

referendum

Answer 14

voters approve or disapprove a proposed amendment to a state constitution or a low already passed by the state legislature.

Question 15

lobbying

Answer 15

contacting lawmakers or other gov leaders to influence gov. policy on behalf of organizations or businesses.

Question 16

select committee

Answer 16

a temporary group of congressman formed for investigations or other special purposes

Question 17

appropriations bill

Answer 17

a proposed law to authorize spending money for a particular reason/purpose

Question 18

logrolling

Answer 18

a practice wherein two or more members of a legislature agree in advance to vote for each other’s bills

Question 19

joint session

Answer 19

senate and house meet together on a special occasion, such as when the president delivers the annual state of the union address or when the electoral college votes are accounted

Question 20

Gerrymandering

Answer 20

the practice of drawing legislative district boundaries in such a way that it creates a political advantage for a particular party; in order to gain this advantage the party that controls the state legislature tries to manipulate the shape of a district.

Question 21

incumbant

Answer 21

An individual who holds a political office; such a person often has the advantage when running for reelection because of name recognition,correspondance with constituents experience and political success.

Question 22

apportionment

Answer 22

the distribution of representatives among the states based on population; the larger a state’s population, the more Representative it has in the house of representatives.

Question 23

Bill

Answer 23

a proposed law that will be debated and voted on by the legislature

Question 24

bipartisan

Answer 24

consisting of or supported by members of both major political parties

Question 25

censure

Answer 25

the vote by a legislative party to disapprove of a member's actions.

Question 26

filibuster

Answer 26

during a senate debate, a senator or a small group of senators talk in length to block the passage of a bill.

Question 27

standing committee

Answer 27

deals with bills concerning a specific legislative subject; the most powerful of these committees include appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Judiciary

Question 28

bicameral

Answer 28

legislative body with two houses or chambers. (Senate and house of Representatives)

Question 29

Special Session

Answer 29

at a time when congress has adjourned or is in recess, the president can call for an emergency meeting of the senators and representatives.

Question 30

constituency

Answer 30

the people who choose government officials and to whom these officials are directly accountable

Question 31

Seniority Rule

Answer 31

the members of congress with the most years of service are generally given preferences in office space, major committee assignments, and leadership positions.

Question 32

Pigeonhole

Answer 32

a congressional committee kills a bill by refusing to take action on it or pass it on to the full senate or house; most bills are killed by the committee chairperson

Question 33

impeachment

Answer 33

an accusation of misconduct in office against a public official. If convicted, results in removal of office.

Question 34

conference Committee

Answer 34

members of both houses of congress sit together on this temporary committee; they work out the difference between the senate version and house version of the same bill in order to write one identical bill.