Civic Literacy-Unit 3 Vocuabulary Part II

Implied Powers of the Constitution

Powers not specifically granted by the U.S. Constitution, but that are suggested to be necessary to carry out the powers that are specifically granted (ex: The power to create cabinets, the power to establish executive departments like ATF or the Border Patrol.)

Incumbent

a politician who has already been elected to an office

Joint Committees

temporary or permanent Congressional committees formed from members of both houses whose purpose is to consider specific issues (ex: economics, taxation, library)

Majority Leader (House/Senate)

role of leadership in the majority party of the House/Senate; responsible for passage of the majority party's programs, informing and pressuring party members to vote for those programs, determining the order in which bills are to be debated, and assigning members to committees.

Majority Party

the political party that has the most members in each house

Minority Leader (House/Senate)

role of leadership in the minority party of the House/Senate; responsible for resisting programs submitted by the majority party

Minority Party

the political party that has fewer members in each house

NC General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly; the bicameral legislature of NC consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives

override

An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.

Pocket Veto

when the president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session, preventing it from becoming law

Pork Barrel Spending

when members of Congress spend government money on specific projects intended to benefit their home districts

President Pro Tempore

president "for the time being" who presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent; always a member of the majority party

Select Committee

temporary Congressional committees created to deal with special issues; these meet for a limited time until they complete their assigned task (ex: intelligence, security, ethics)

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

the person who presides over the House of Representatives; always a member of the majority party and is the most powerful officer in the House

Standing Committee

permanent Congressional committees specific to each house in Congress (ex: agriculture, commerce, veterans' affairs)

term

fixed or limited time in office for a politician

Veto

when the president refuses to sign a bill, sending it back to Congress with a message giving the president's reasons for rejecting it

whip

officer who persuades party members to vote for party-sponsored legislation