bicameral legislature
A legislature divided into two houses; the U.S. Congress and the state legislatures are (part of answer) except in Nebraska, which is (opposite)
apportionment
The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to their proportion of the population.
redistricting
The redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state.
bill
A proposed law.
impeachment
The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or "civil officers," including federal judges, with "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." This is the first step in the c
majority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members.
minority party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members.
Speaker of the House
The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; elected at the beginning of each new Congress by the entire House; traditionally a member of the majority party.
party caucus (party conference)
A formal gathering of all party members.
majority leader
The elected leader of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as its most powerful member.
minority leader
The elected leader of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of representatives or the Senate.
whip
Key member who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party and takes nose counts on key votes, prepares summaries of bills, and in general acts as communications link within a party.
president pro tempore
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party.
standing committee
Committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next.
joint committee
Committee that includes members from both houses of Congress to conduct investigations or special studies.
conference committee
Special joint committee created to iron out differences between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation
select (or special) committee
Temporary committee appointed for specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation or study.
discharge petition
Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee action.
pork
Legislation that allows representatives to bring home the bacon to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other p
earmark
Funds in appropriations bill that provides dollars for particular purposes within a state or congressional district.
seniority
Time of continuous service on a committee.
incumbency
The fact that being in office helps a person stay in office because of a variety of benefits that go to that position.
trustee
Role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents' opinions and then use their best judgement to make finals decisions.
delegate
Role played by elected representatives who vote the way their constituents would want them to, regardless of their own opinions.
politico
Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue.
divided government
The political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress.
logrolling
Vote trading; voting to support a colleague's bill in return from future support.
markup
A process in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor in either house for a vote.
hold
A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor. This allows the senator to stop the bill from coming to the floor until the ______ is removed.
filibuster
A formal way of halting action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate in the Senate.
cloture
Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate.
veto
Formal constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of the legislative body, thus preventing the bill from becoming law without further congressional activity.
pocket veto
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, the bill is considered vetoed without the president's signature.
oversight
Congressional review of the activities of an agency, department, or office.
congressional review
A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval.
War Powers Act
Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer p
senatorial courtesy
A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senator in whose state the vacancy occurs.