Constituents
The residents of a congressional district or state.
Reapportionment
The process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census.
Redistricting
The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.
Gerrymandering
The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.
Safe Seat
An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted.
Incumbent
The current holder of an elected office.
Franking Privilege
Benefit that allows members of Congress to mail letters and other materials to constituents postage-free.
Earmarks
Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents. (Also called Pork Barreling)
Bicameralism
The principle of a two-house legislature.
Enumerated Powers
The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.
Unanimous Consent
Legislative action taken "without objection" as a way to expedite business; used to conduct much of the business of the Senate
Committee of the Whole
A committee that consists of an entire legislative body; used for a procedure in which a legislative body expedites its business by resolving itself into a committee of itself.
Quorum
The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action.
Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, chosen by and from the majority party in the House.
Party Caucus
A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the Republicans.
Party Conference
What Republicans call their party caucus.
Majority Leader
The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line.
Minority Leader
The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition.
Whips
Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.
Rule
A precise legal definition on how government will implement a policy.
Closed Rule
A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments.
Open Rule
A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.
Policy Committee
Composed of party leaders; theoretically responsible for the party's overall legislative program.
President Pro Tempore
Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president.
Hold
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination.
Filibuster
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.
Cloture
A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.
Standing Committee
A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area.
Special/Select Committee
A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation.
Joint Committee
A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.
Authorizing Committees
Pass laws that tell government what to do; make the most basic decisions about who gets what, when and how from government; also responsible for oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
Appropriations Committees
Committees of Congress that decide which of the programs passed by the authorization committees will actually be funded; deal with money.
Rules and Administration Committees
Determine the basic operations of their chamber; in the House, has the responsibility of issuing rules to bills.
Revenue and Budget Committees
Deal with raising the money that appropriating committees spend while setting the broad targets that shape the federal budget.
Seniority Rule
A legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee.
Conference Committee
Temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill.
Congressional Caucus
An association or members of Congress based on party, interest, or social group such as gender or race.
Delegate
An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.
Trustee
An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.
Mandate
A president's claim of broad public support.
Rally Points
A rise in public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans "rally 'round the flag" and the chief executive.
Logrolling
Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.
Attentive Public
Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully.
Reprimand
Disapproval by the house of a member's actions (less severe than Censure).
Censure
A formal vote made by the majority of the members in the House of Representatives on a resolution disapproving of a Member's conduct. This member may then have to receive a verbal rebuke and censure from the Speaker of the House.
Hopper
The box in the House in which proposed bills are placed.
Markup
Process in which a committee or subcommittee considers and revises a bill that has been introduced.
Discharge Petition
Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.
Rider
An amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own merits.
Pocket Veto
A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for ten days, the bill does not become law and is not returned to Congress for a possible override.
Override
An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
Parliamentary System
A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.
Presidential Ticket
The joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the Twelfth Amendment.
Vesting Clause
The president's constitutional authority to control most executive functions.
Treaty
A formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two-thirds of the Senate.
Executive Agreement
A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.
Congressional-Executive Agreement
A formal agreement between the U.S. President and the leaders of other nations that requires approval by both houses of Congress.
Appointment Power
The authority vested in the president to fill a government office or position. These positions may include those in the executive branch and the federal judiciary, commissioned officers in the armed forces, and members of the independent regulatory commis
Recess Appointments
The Constitutional power granted to the president to make nominations while Congress is out of session that do not require senate approval. These stand until the end of the congressional term.
Veto
A formal decision by the president to reject a bill passed by Congress.
Pardon Power
Power of the president to excuse an offense without penalty or grant release from a penalty already imposed.
Take Care Clause
The constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.
Inherent Powers
The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government.
State of the Union Address
The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation.
Impeachment
Formal accusation by the lower house of a legislature against a public official, the first step in removal from office.
Executive Privilege
The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security.
Executive Order
Directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law.
Impoundment
Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated.
Rescission
The practice of one party canceling or terminated a contract, which has the effect of returning the parties to their original positions before the contract was made.
Line Item Veto
Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Signing Statement
A presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced.
Inner Circle
The closest advisers to the president, including the First Lady.
Competitive Approach
A "survival of the fittest" situation in which the president allows aides to fight each other for access to the Oval Office.
Collegial Approach
Presidents encourage aides to work together toward a common position.
Hierarchical Approach
President establishes tight control over who does what in making decisions.
Chief of Staff
The head of the White House staff.
Executive Office of the President
The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.
Cabinet
Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.
Presidential Support Score
The percentage of the times a president wins on key votes in Congress.
Political Capital
The intangible goodwill or support for an elected official that can be used to influence the actions of other officials informally.