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| a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts |
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| an attempt to defeat a bill in the senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the senate from taking action on the bill |
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| political districts in which candidates elected to the house of representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote |
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| districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more |
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| an alliance between republican & conservative democrats |
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| the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or the senate |
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| the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house or the senate |
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| a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking |
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| a vote in which a majority of democratic legislators oppose a majority of republican legislators |
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| an association of congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest |
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| permanently established legislative committees that consider & are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area |
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| congressional committees appointed for a limited time & purpose |
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| committees on which both senators & representatives serve |
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| a join committee appointed to resolve differences in the senate & house versions of the same bill |
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| a legislative that deals with matters of general concern |
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| a legislative bill that deals with only specific, private, personal, or local matters |
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| an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the house & the senate, but not the president |
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| an expression or opinion either in the house or senate to settle procedural matter in either body |
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| a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of congress & by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president |
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| a congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several important committees |
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| a congressional process by which a speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting |
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| a device by which any member of the house, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor |
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| an order from the house rules committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbirs a bill from being amended on the floor |
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| an order from the house rules committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor |
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| 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 |
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| the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in congress |
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| a roll of call in either house of congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present |
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| a rule used by the senate to end or limit debate |
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| 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 |
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| a congressional voting procedure in which members shout "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills |
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| a congressional voting procedure in which members stand & are counted |
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| a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second |
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| a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names |
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| legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return |
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Definition
| the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage |
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