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| A law making body made up of two chambers or parts. The U.S. Congress is this kind of legislature, composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. |
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| An association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional, enthnic, or economic interest. |
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| Amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will "ride" to passage through Congree. When a bill has lots of riders it is called this. |
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| An order from the House Rules Committee in the House of Representatives that sets a time limit on debate, forbids a particular bill from being amended on the legislative floor. |
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| A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate. Designed to prevent "talking a bill to death" by filibuster. To pass in the Senate, 3/5 of the entire Senate membership (60 senators) must vote for it. |
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| An expression of congressional opinion without the force of las that requires the approval of both the House and Senate, but not of the president. Used to settle housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses. |
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| A committee consisting of senators and representatives that meets to resolve differences in legislation. |
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| Power used by Congress to gather information useful to the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy. |
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| An alliance between Republican and conservative Democrats. |
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| Descriptive Representation |
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| A correspondence between the demographic characteristics or representatives and those of the constituents. |
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| A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had a bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor. If the majority of the members agree, the bill is discharged from the committee. This was designed to prevent a committee from killing a bill by holding it for too long. |
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| Results in the government giving benefits directly to people, groups, farmers, and businesses. Typical Policies include subsidies, research and development funds for corporations, and direct government aid for highway construction and education. |
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| A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted. |
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| A procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bil is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business. |
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| An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on it. From the identical Spanish work meaning "freebooter" |
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| The ability of members of Congress to meal letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage. |
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| Statelegislaters, based on political affiliation, create congressional districts, many of which are oddly shaped and favor the political party in power in the state making the changes. |
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| Describes people's perception that Congress and the president are in a state of disagreement that results in little legislation passing. |
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| Describes a Congress that succeeds in establishing itself as a dominant in legislative and foreign policy. |
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| Those elected officials who are running for new terms in office. |
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