Congress Vocab Pt1

Bicameral Legislature

a lawmaking body made up to two chambers or parts

Caucus

An association of congressional members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest

Closed rule

an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

Cloture rule

A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate

Concurrent Resolution 

an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and Senate, but not the president

Conference Committee

Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill

Conservative coalition

An alliance between Republican and conservative Democrats

Delegate

A representative that votes the way their constituents would like them to vote

Discharge Petition

a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor

Divided government

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

Division Vote

A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

Double tracking

a procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business

Earmarks

“hidden“ congressional provisions that direct the federal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific federal taxes or fees

Filibuster

an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill

Franking privilege

the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage

Gerrymandering

drawing congressional district boundaries in such a way that it favors one particular group or party over another. Usually refers to when this is done to an extreme extent.

Gridlock

this occurs when ideological and partisan divisions in Congress are so strong that compromise becomes difficult and policymaking slows to a halt

Joint Committees

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve

Joint Resolution

A formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president

Lame duck

when an officeholder has lost reelection or in term-limited, but remains in office until her or his replacement is sworn in.

Majority leader

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate

Marginal districts

Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote