Apportionment
The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to the state's proportion of the population.
Bicameral Legislature
A legislature divided into two houses; the U.S. Congress and the state legislatures are bicameral except Nebraska, which is unicameral.
Bill
A proposed law
Cloture
Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off debate.
Conference Committee
Joint committee created to iron our differences between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation
Congressional Review
A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval
Delegate
Role played by elected representatives who vote the way constituents would want them to, regardless of their own opinions
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.
Divided Government
The political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress.
Earmark
Funds that an appropriations bill designates for a particular purpose within a state or congressional district
Filibuster
A formal way of halting action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate in the Senate
Hold
A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor. This stops the bill from coming to the floor until the hold is removed.
Impeachment
The power delegated to the a House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, Vice President, or other "civil officers," including federal judges, with "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors" This is the first step i
Incumbency
The holding of an office
Joint Committee
Includes members from both houses of Congress, conducts investigations or special studies.
Logrolling
Vote trading; voting yea to support a colleague's bill in return for a promise of future support
Majority Leader
The elected leader of the party controlling the most seats on 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.
Majority Party
The political party in each house of Congress with the most members.
Markup
A process in which legislative committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor in either house for a vote
Minority Leader
The elected leader of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate
Minority Party
The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members
Oversight
Congressional review of the activities of an agency, department, or office
Party Caucus or Conference
A formal gathering of all party members
Pocket Veto
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, without the president's signature, the bill is considered vetoed.
Politico
Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue
Pork
Legislation that allows representatives to brim home the bacon to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts directly
President Pro Tempore
The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority party
Redistricting
The redrawing of congressional districts to reflect population changes or for political advantage
Select (or special) Committee
Temporary committee appointed for specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation or study
Senatorial Courtesy
Process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to senators of their own party who represent the state where the vacancy occurs; also the process by which a governor, when selecting an appointee, defers to the state senator in who
Seniority
Time of continuous service on a committee
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.
Standing Committee
Committee to which proposed bills are referred
Trustee
Role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents' opinions and then use their best judgement to make final decisions
Veto
The formal, constitutional authority of the chief executive to reject bills passed by both houses of the legislative body, thus preventing their becoming law without further legislative action
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 it approval for a longer pe
Whip
One of several representatives who keep close contact with all members and take nose counts on key votes, prepare summaries of bills, and in general act as communication links within the party