Congress Chapter 12 Vocabulary

Flashcards covering important vocabulary from Chapter 12 on Congress.

Bicameral

Refers to a legislature with two houses or chambers.

Incumbency Advantage

The electoral edge afforded to those already in office.

Franking privilege

The right of members of Congress to send mail without payment.

Seventeenth Amendment

Established the direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote.

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives after each census.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries.

Baker v. Carr

Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of legislative reapportionment.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political advantage.

Majority-Minority District

A district where a majority of the constituents are from a minority group.

Shaw v. Reno

Supreme Court case that invalidated a racially gerrymandered district.

Trustee Model

A model of representation where elected officials use their own judgment to make decisions.

Instructed delegate model

A model of representation where elected officials act according to the wishes of their constituents.

Pork Barrel

The allocation of government funds for localized projects secured solely to bring money to a representative's district.

Earmark

A provision in legislation that directs funds to be spent on specific projects.

Casework

The work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with problems.

Oversight

Congress's monitoring of the executive branch and its administration of policy.

Ombudsperson

An official who is appointed to investigate complaints against public agencies.

Agenda Setting

The process of prioritizing issues for discussion and decision-making.

Hopper

A container used in the House of Representatives to submit proposed legislation.

Joint Referral

The practice of assigning a bill to more than one committee.

Lead Committee

The committee responsible for the initial review of a bill.

Seniority System

A system which grants privileges and advantages to the members of Congress with the most years of service.

Standing Committee

A permanent committee that meets regularly.

Select Committee

A temporary committee formed for a specific purpose.

Joint Committee

A committee made up of members from both the House and the Senate.

Agency Review

The process by which Congress examines the actions of federal agencies.

Discharge Petition

A tool used to bring a bill out of committee without a report.

Rules Committee

The committee that determines the rules for debate on a bill.

Filibuster

A tactic used in the Senate to delay or prevent a vote on a bill.

Cloture

A procedure for ending a filibuster and bringing a bill to a vote.

Nuclear option

A controversial Senate procedure to change the rules and reduce the number of votes needed for cloture.

Conference Committee

A temporary committee formed to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.

Pocket Veto

The President's power to indirectly veto a bill by leaving it unsigned for ten days.

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives.

House Majority Leader

The head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.

Majority Whip

An official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline.

House Minority Leader

The head of the minority party in the House of Representatives.

Minority Whip

An official of the minority party who assists the minority leader.

President pro tempore

A senior member of the Senate chosen to preside in the absence of the Vice President.

Senate Majority Leader

The head of the majority party in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader

The head of the minority party in the Senate.

Logrolling

The practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting.