Vocab Legislative Branch Flashcards
Bicameral Legislature
A legislature that is made of two houses
Quorum
The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
Franking Privilege
The ability of Congress members to send mail without paying postage, they can use their signature rather than a stamp
Majority Leader
Leader in Congress for the majority party that was elected by it’s members
Minority Leader
Leader in Congress for the minority party that was elected by its members
Whip
Assistant floor leaders for each party
Party Polerization
The growing gap between the stands of party’s policy issues
Congressional Caucus
Meetings of a political party to decide on policies
Standing Committees
A permanent legislative committee within Congress that focuses on specific policy areas
Select Committees
A temporary congressional committee created to investigate a specific issue
Joint Committees
A congressional committee that has members of the Senate and the House
Conference Committees
A temporary joint committee formed by both the House and the Senate to reconcile differences in legislation
Discharge petition
A means of bringing a bill out of committee and onto the floor for discussion
Unanimous Consent
An agreement in the Senate where every senator must agree to an action
Political/Policy Agenda
A set of issues that policymakers prioritize for discussion and action
Logrolling
A practice where politicians agree to support each other’s legislation in order to further their own agenda
Divided Government
When one party controls the executive branch while the other party controls at least one chamber of the Senate
Unified Government
When one party controls both the executive branch and both chambers of the Senate
Hold
An informal practice in the Senate where a senator can temporarily block consideration of a bill by telling Senate leadership of the objection
Earmarks
Provisions in legislation that direct funds to specific programs
Pork Barrel Legislation
The practice in which lawmakers allocate government funds to local projects
Trustee
Elected officials should act in the best interests of their constituents
Delegate
Elected officials make decisions based on their own expertise and knowledge
Politico
Elected officials adopt both trustee and delegate models based on the situation
Cloture Rule
A legislative procedure used in the Senate to end a filibuster
Filibuster
A tactic in the Senate for delaying legislation by making long speeches
Gerrymandering
Manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to favor one political party over another
Reapportionment
The process of redistributing the number of seats each state has in the House based on population changes
Malapportionment
Unequal representation among electoral districts based on population
Redistricting
The process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts to reflect changes in population and ensure fair representation
Constituency
A specific geographic area that is represented by an elected official
