Gov Ch.11-12 Vocab

appropriations

funds allocated by a legislature for a stated purpose as part of a budget or spending bill

casework

personal services provided by members of Congress to their constituents, often to help their constituents with problems they are having with the federal bureaucracy

conference committee

a temporary committee of legislators from both the House and Senate created to work out differences in bills passed by both chambers

constituent

a person who lives in an electoral district

joint committee

a permanent committee with members from both chambers that deals with matters of common interest

joint resolution

an official statement issued by both chambers; once signed by the president, it has the force of law

pork

publicly funded projects that benefit home districts

select/special committee

a temporary committee formed by either the House or Senate to investigate a specific problem

standing committee

a permanent committee of legislators from either chamber responsible for specific policy areas

subcommittee

a small legislative committee within a larger standing committee which does most of the work of reviewing legislation

abstain

not voting on a bill

Christmas tree bill

a bill with many riders

closed rule

a condition placed by the House Rules Committee that limits floor debate and amendments, allowing bills to move through quickly with few changes

cloture

the process used to end a filibuster in the Senate (requires 60+ senators)

conferees

the members of a congressional conference committee

congressional page

a high school junior who works as a messenger and errand-runner

filibuster

the tactic of using endless speeches on the Senate floor to delay or prevent passage of legislation (not allowed in the House)

hold

a request by a Senator to delay action on a bill

legislative hearing

a meeting of lawmakers to hear testimony and gather information on a proposed piece of legislation

logrolling

the trading of votes among legislators to ensure the passage of various bills

markup session

a meeting of a legislative committee at which members amend a bill before putting it to vote

open rule

a condition placed by the House Rules Committee that permits floor debate and amendments, allowing bills to be crippled by opponents

power of recognition

the power to grant permission to speak on the floor, no member may address the chamber without being recognized (House Speaker or Senate Majority Leader)

rider

an amendment attached to a bill that has little or no relation to the subject of the bill (allowed in Senate)

roll-call vote

a method of voting in which members register their vote individually, either by voice (Senate) or electronically (House)

seniority rule

the tradition that the length of time a committee member has served determines the member's position on the committee

standing vote

a method of voting in which members stand up as a group (individual votes are not recorded)

supermajority

greater than a simple majority

up-or-down vote

a direct vote on a bill; the bill must be approved or rejected as is, with no further amendments or delays

voice vote

a method of voting in which the decision is based on volume (individual votes are not recorded)