Details Title: American Government Description: last set of chapters Total Flash Cards: 33 Created: 04/03/2009 20:16:28		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Political Studies Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term bicameral legislature Definition a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts Term filibuster Definition an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from takng action on the bill Term marginal districts   Definition political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote Term safe districts Definition districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more Term conservative coalition Definition an alliance between Republican and conservative Democracts Term majority leader Definition the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate Term minority leader Definition the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House of the Senate Term whip Definition a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking Term party polarization Definition a vote in which a majority of Democratc legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators Term caucus Definition an association of congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest Term standing committees Definition permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subjects area Term select committees Definition congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose Term joint committees Definition committees on which both senators and representatives serve Term conference committees Definition a joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the senate and house versions of the same bill Term public bill Definition a legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern Term private bill Definition a legislative bill that deals only with specific, private, personal, or local matters Term simple resolution Definition an expression of opinion either in the house or senate to settle procedural matters in either body Term concurrent resolution Definition an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the house and the senate but not the president Term joint resolution Definition a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both house of congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president Term multiple referral Definition a congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several important committees Term sequential referral Definition a congressional process by which a speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting Term discharge petition Definition a device by which any member of the house after a committee has had the bill for the thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor Term closed rule Definition an order from the house rules committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor Term open rule Definition an order from the ouse rules committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor Term restrictive rule Definition an order from the house rules committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor Term quorum Definition the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in congress Term quorum call Definition a roll call in either house of congress to see whether the minimum number of reps required to conduct business is present Term double-tracking Definition a procedure to keep the senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the senate can get on with other business Term voice vote Definition a congressional voting procedure in which members shout "yea" in approval or "nay"  in disapproval permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills Term division vote Definition a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted Term teller vote Definition a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers the "yeas" first and the "nays" second Term roll-call vote Definition a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names Term franking privilege Definition the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage