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| The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts. |
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| The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population |
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| The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent. |
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| An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted |
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| The current holders of elected office |
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| The principle of a two-house legislature |
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| the powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution |
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| The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party |
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| The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keeps members of the party in line |
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| the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition |
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| Party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature |
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| A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. called a conference by the Republicans |
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| a procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments |
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| A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill |
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| Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president |
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| a procedural practice in the senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination |
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| a procedural practice in the senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue |
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| procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate |
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| Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work |
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| A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area |
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| Special or Select Committee |
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| A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation |
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| A committee composed of members of both the house of representatives and the senate; such committees oversee the library of congress and conduct investigations |
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| A legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee |
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| Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form |
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| An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of the legislator |
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| An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of legislator |
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| Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully |
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| Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators |
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| petition that, if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration |
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| A provision attached to a bill--to which it may or may not be related--in order to secure its passage |
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| A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for ten days, the bill does not become law and is not returned to Congress for a possible override |
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| An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber |
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