apportionment
the process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to their proportion of the population
bill
a proposed law
impeachment
the power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, Vice President, or other "civil officers," with "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
redistricting
the process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state
gerrymandering
the drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district
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
party caucus or conference
a formal gathering of all party members
Speaker of the House
the only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber's most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority party
majority leader
the head 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 regarded as its most powerful member
minority leader
party leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote counts on key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts a a 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
standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress setup to conduct investigations or special studies
conference committee
special joint committees created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
select (or special) committee
temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose
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 inaction
seniority
time of continuous service on a committee
markup
a session which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor
hold
a tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill or nomination is brought to the floor
filibuster
a formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate
cloture
mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate
veto
the formal, constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law without further congressional action
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
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
act that established the congressional budget process by laying out a plan for congressional action on the annual budget resolution, appropriations, reconciliations, and any other revenue bills
reconciliation
a procedure that allows consideration of controversial issues affecting the budget by limiting debate to twenty hours, thereby ending threat of a filibuster
pork
legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their district in the form of public works programs
earmark
funds that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects within a state or congressional district
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 unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period
congressional review
a process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval
senatorial courtesy
a process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senators in whose state the vacancy occurs
trustee
roles played by an elected representative who listens to constituents' opinions and then uses his or her best judgment to make a final decision
delegate
role played by an elected representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want him or her to, regardless of his or her own opinions
politico
role played by an elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue
divided government
the political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and Congress
unified government
the political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress