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Definition
| "a legislature divided into two houses; the US Congress and the state legislatures are bicameral except Nebraska, which is unicameral" |
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Term
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| the redrawing of congressional districts to reflect changes in seats allocated to the states from population shifts |
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Term
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Definition
| the proportional process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census |
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Term
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Term
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| Senators are elected for 6 year terms and one-third are up for election every 2 years and Members of the House are elected to 2 year terms by a vote of the electorate in their district |
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Term
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Definition
| the fact that being in office helps a person stay in office because of a variety of benefits that go with the position |
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Term
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Definition
| "is a perk which grants an elected official the right to send mail through the postal system for free, often simply by signing his or her name where the postage stamp would normally be placed" |
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Term
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| role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents’ opinions and then use their best judgment to make final decisions |
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| "role played by elected representatives who vote the way their constituents would want them to, regardless of their own opinions" |
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Term
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Definition
| "role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue" |
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Term
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Definition
| the only officer of the House specifically mentioned in the Constitution; elected at the beginning of each new Congress by the entire House; traditionally a member of the majority part |
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Definition
| the political part in each house of Congress with the most members |
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Definition
| the party in each house with the 2nd most members |
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Term
| party conference or caucus |
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Definition
| a formal gathering of all party members |
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Term
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Definition
| vote trading; voting yea to support a colleague’s bill in return for a promise of future support |
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Term
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Definition
| the elected leader of the party controlling the most seats in the House or Senate; a 2nd authority to the speaker of the house and in the Senate is regarded as its most powerful member |
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Term
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Definition
| the elected leader of the party with the 2nd highest number of elected representatives in the House or Senate |
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Term
| Majority and minority whips |
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Definition
| "The whip [majority or minority] is a Member elected by his/her political party to count potential votes for the party leaders, and promote party unity in upcoming votes" |
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Term
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Definition
| "The presiding officer of the Senate - under the U.S. Constitution, the Vice President of the United States is designated to perform this role." |
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Term
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Definition
| "A Latin phrase meaning ""President for the time being."" In the absence of the President of the Senate, the Constitution provides for the appointment of a President Pro Tempore, or substitute presiding officer" |
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Term
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Definition
| is regarded as the most powerful member of the Senate |
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Term
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Definition
| "Committees are panels of the House or Senate, created to do the initial review of proposed legislation, and decide which measures are worthy of further consideration by the full House or Senate. The committees are each assigned various policy categories to handle, known as jurisdiction" |
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Term
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Definition
| Committee to which proposed bills are referred |
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Term
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Definition
| includes members from both houses; conducts investigations or special studies |
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Term
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Definition
| joint committee created to iron out differences between the House and Senate versions of a specific piece of legislation |
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Term
| Select (or special) Committees |
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Definition
| "temporary committee appointed for specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation or study" |
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Term
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Definition
| "A smaller panel created by a full committee to specialize in specific aspects of the full committee""s jurisdiction. Most committees of the House and Senate have an average of 4 subcommittees to divide up their workload" |
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Term
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Definition
| "The House and Senate each have about 20 permanent standing committees. The House and Senate also have select committees, and joint committees" |
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Term
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Definition
| "Starts a process in the House of Representatives to force a bill out of committee. A successful petition requires the signatures of 218 members, which is a majority of the House" |
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Term
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Definition
| "When used to describe a bill, it implies the legislation is loaded with special projects for Members of Congress to distribute to their constituents back home, courtesy of the federal taxpayer" |
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Term
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Definition
| "gives each bill what is called a rule, which contains the date the bill will come up for debate and the time that will be allotted for discussion, and often specifies what kind of amendments can be offered" |
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Term
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Definition
| "committee meeting when the original bill is ""marked up"" by amendments [changes to the original text]. Members debate and vote on the amendments before any changes are made." |
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Term
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Definition
| "A Senate practice: when a private objection from one or more senators prevents a matter from being scheduled for debate. Holds are meant as a sign of serious opposition to the majority leader, but they are not binding on him. He may schedule the matter anyway and risk a filibuster, or he may choose to honor the hold for a period of time." |
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Term
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Definition
| The term used for an extended debate in the Senate which has the effect of preventing a vote. It works to prevent a vote because the Senate's rules contain no motion to force a vote. A vote occurs only when debate ends naturally |
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Term
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Definition
| "The Senate motion to end a filibuster is called ""cloture,"" meaning to cut off, or choke off, debate. Cloture takes 60 votes or more to take effect. If successful, cloture assures a vote on final passage can occur on the matter being filibustered." |
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Term
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Definition
| "if congress adjourns during the 10 days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses, without the president’s signature, the bill is considered vetoed" |
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Term
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Definition
| "the power of an executive to nullify or ""cancel"" specific provisions of a bill, usually budget appropriations, without vetoing the entire legislative package. The line-item vetoes are usually subject to the possibility of legislative override as are traditional vetoes" |
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Term
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Definition
| the political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress |
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Term
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Definition
| "Individuals who represent the cause of a group, organization, association, or industry "" or just themselves - and express those views to Members of Congress and/or congressional committees considering legislation in their areas of interest. Lobbyists must formally register with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate and reveal how much money they spent in lobbying" |
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Term
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Definition
| The responsibility of Congress to supervise the way the funds it appropriated are spent and the programs it authorized are implemented |
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Term
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Definition
| "the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. For example, in the United States, the party of a victorious presidential candidate will often win many seats in Congress as well; these congressmen are voted into office “on the coattails” of the president" |
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Term
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Definition
| "elections in the United States in which members of Congress are elected, but not the President. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year, elections are held for all 435 members of the United States House of Representatives and 33 or 34 of the 100 members of the United States Senate" |
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Term
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Definition
| "An election in which no incumbent, a person who is holding office, is running " |
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Term
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Definition
| a process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval |
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Term
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Definition
| separate executive and legislative functions if actions by the executive can be rejected by the legislative. |
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Term
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Definition
| the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a 60 day period in peacetime unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period |
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Term
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Definition
| "a process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senator in whose state the vacancy occurs" |
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Term
| constitutional powers of congress |
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Definition
1) Taxation
2) Spend money
3) Regulate Commerce
4) Create Courts
5) Declare Wr
6) Lawmaking
7) Make all laws “necessary and proper” to carrying out the enumerated powers |
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Term
| key differences between House and Senate |
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Definition
House Initiate revenue bills Senate offers “advise and consent” on major pres. appts.
House Two-year term Senate six year term
House 435 members Senate 100 members
House more centralized Senate less centralized
House more formal Senate more personal
House members are specialized Senate members are generalists
House emphasizes tax policy Senate emphasizes foreign policy |
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Term
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Definition
• Name recognition
• Credit Claiming
• Constituency Service
• Franking Privilege
• Access to Media
• Fund-Raising
• Experience
• Knowledge of Job
• Established Record |
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