Unit 6 Vocabulary Flashcards
bicameral
a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses
census
a population count taken by the Census Bureau
constituent
a person from a legislator’s district
gerrymander
an oddly-shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group
majority party
in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which more than half the members belong to
minority party
in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which fewer than half the members belong
standing committee
permanent committee that continues its work from session to session in Congress
seniority
years of service, which is used as a consideration for assigning committee members
occur
to happen or take place
adjust
to change or alter in order to fit or conform
expressed powers
powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution
implied powers
powers that Congress has that are not stated explicitly in the Constitution
elastic clause
clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its expressed powers
impeach
to accuse government officials of misconduct in office
writ of habeas corpus
a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person
bill of attainder
a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court
ex post facto law
a law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed
regulate
to control or govern
franking privilege
the right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage
lobbyist
representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making
pork-barrel project
government project grant that primarily benefits the home district of state
draft
to call up
complex
complicated or intricate
estimate
to judge the approximate nature, value, quality, or amount of a thing
joint resolution
a resolution that is passed by both houses of Congress
special-interest group
an organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions
filibuster
a tactic for defeating a bill in the Senate by talking until the bill’s sponsor withdraws it
cloture
a procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill
voice vote
a voting method in which those in favor say “Yea” and those against say “No”
standing vote
in Congress, when members stand to be counted for a vote on a bill
roll-call vote
a voting method in the Senate in which members voice their votes in tnr
veto
refusal to sign a bill or resolution
pocket veto
president’s power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days
element
a component of a whole
category
a division or grouping used to classify something
casework
the work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with a problem
