Legislative Branch Flashcards
Appropriations Bills
A proposed law to authorise spending money
17th Amendment
Gives right to elect senators given to states
Conference Committees
A temporary joint committee set up when the house and the senate have passed different versions of the same bill
Congressional Budget Office
Coordinates the budget-making work of congress, studies the budget proposals put forward by the president each year
Constituents
A person whom a member of congress has been elected to represent
Filibuster
A method of defeating a bill in the senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote
Gerrymandering
To draw a district’s boundaries to gain an advantage in elections
House Rules Commitee
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Impeachment
A formal accusation of misconduct in office against a public offical
Incumbent
Elected official that is already in office
Interest Group
A group of people with common goals who organise to influence government
Joint Commitees
A committee of the house and the senate that usually acts as a study group and reports its findings back to the House and the senate
Lobbyist
Interest group representative
Majority Leader
The speaker’s top assistant whose job is to help plan the majority party’s legislative program and to steer important bills through the house
Minority Leader
The leader of the minority in congress
PAC
Political action committee
President Pro-Tempore
The senate member, elected by the senate, who stands in as president of the senate in the absence of the vice president
Reapportionment
The process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census
Redistricting
To set up new district lines after reapportionment is complete
Select Committees
A temporary committee formed to study one specific issue and report it’s findings to the senate or house
Seniority System
A system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee
Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the house and its most powerful leader
Standing Committee
A permanent committee in congress that oversees bills that deal with certain kinds of issues
Subcommittee
A group within a standing committee that specialises in a subcategory of its standing committee’s responsability
