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PSCI 1101
Vocab Ch. 6
33
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
09/30/2009

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Proportional Representation
Definition
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes received.
Term
Gerrymandering
Definition
Drawing Legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidate wins.
Term
Political Actions Committee (PAC)
Definition
A federally registered fund-raising group that pools money from individuals to give to political candidates and parties.
Term
Ticket-Splitting
Definition
The act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices - for example, voting for a republican for president and a democrat for senator.
Term
Casework
Definition
The activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs to solve constituents' problems with government agencies.
Term
Presidential Coattails
Definition
Common metaphor for the capacity of a successful presidential candidate to generate votes for other candidates further down the ticket and pull fellow partisans into office.
Term
Pork Barrel Legislation
Definition
Legislation that provides members of Congress with federal projects and programs for their individual districts.
Term
Seniority Rule
Definition
The congressional practice of appointing as committee or subcommittee chairs the members of the majority with the most years of committee service.
Term
Speaker of the House
Definition
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The speaker is elected at the beginning of each congressional session on a party-line vote. As head of the majority party the Speaker has substantial control over the legislative agenda of the House.
Term
Conditional Party Government
Definition
The degree of authority delegated to and exercised by congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of election-driven ideological consensus among members.
Term
Majority Leader
Definition
The formal leader of the party controlling a majority of the seats in the House or Senate. In the Senate the majority leader is head of the Majority party. In the House the majority leader ranks second in the party hierarchy behind the Speaker.
Term
Minority Leader
Definition
The formal leader of the party controlling a minority of the seats in the House or Senate.
Term
Whip
Definition
A member of a legislative party who acts as the communicator between the party leadership and the rank and file. The whip polls members on their voting intentions, prepares bill summaries, and assists the leadership in various other tasks.
Term
President Pro Tempore
Definition
In the absence of the Vice President, the formal presiding officer of the Senate. The honor is usually conferred on the senior member of the majority party, but the post is sometimes rotated among senators of the majority party.
Term
Unanimous Consent Agreement
Definition
A unanimous resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to bills on the floor.
Term
Standing Committee
Definition
A permanent legislative committee specializing in a particular legislative area. Standing committees have stable memberships and stable jurisdictions.
Term
Special Committee
Definition
A temporary legislative committee, usually lacking legislative authority.
Term
Select Committee
Definition
A temporary legislative committee created for a specific purpose and dissolved after its tasks are completed.
Term
Ad Hoc Committee
Definition
A congressional committee appointed for a limited time to design and report a specific piece of legislation.
Term
Conference Committee
Definition
A temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a specific piece of legislation.
Term
Multiple Referral
Definition
The act of sending a proposed piece of legislation to more than one committee in the same chamber.
Term
Entitlement
Definition
A benefit that every eligible person has a legal right to receive that cannot be taken away without a change in legislation or due process in court.
Term
Rule
Definition
A provision that governs consideration of a bill bu the House bu specifying how the bill is to be debated and amended.
Term
Open Rule
Definition
A provision governing debate of a pending bill and permitting any germane amendment to be offered on the floor of the House.
Term
Restricted Rule
Definition
A provision that governs consideration of a bill and that specifies and limits the kinds of amendments that may be made on the floor of the House.
Term
Closed Rule
Definition
An order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment.
Term
Discharge Petition
Definition
A petition that removes a measure from a committee to which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor consideration. In the House a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of House members.
Term
Filibuster
Definition
A tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holding the floor, have unlimited time to speak unless a cloture vote is passed by 3/5's or 60 members.
Term
Cloture
Definition
A parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in the Senate to cut off filibusters.
Term
Rider
Definition
An amendment to a bill that is not germane to the legislation
Term
Quorum
Definition
The minimum number of congressional members who must be present for the transaction of business. Under the Constitution, a quorum in each house is a majority of its members: 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate.
Term
Roll Call Vote
Definition
Vote taken by a call of the roll to determine whether a quorum is present, to establish a quorum, or to vote on a question.
Term
Pocket Veto
Definition
A method by which the president vetoes a bill passed by both houses of Congress by failing to act on it within ten days of Congress's adjournment.
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