AP Government- Unit 2: Vocabulary

Bicameral Legislature

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

Caucus

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

Cloture rule

a rule used by the Senate. Providing 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 the Senate, but not the president

Conference committee

a joint committee of Congress made up of Senators and House of Representatives that meets to resolve differences between bills from their respective legislatures

Conservative coalition

an alliance between conservative Democrats and Republicans

Constituents

the people who are able to vote on the position

Discharge petition

a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had a bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor. If a majority of members agree, the bill is discharged for the committee

Divided government

the political condition in which different political parties control the White House & Congress

Division vote

a congressional voting procedure in which members stand are counted

Double-tracking

a procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster, whereby a disputed bill is temporarily shelved so that the senate can go on with other business

earmark

funds that an appropriation bill designates for particular purpose within a state or congressional district

Filibuster

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

franking privileges

the ability for a Congress person to use free postage in campaigns for re-election

gerrymandering- drawing district lines to favor a particular party

House

gerrymandering

drawing district lines to favor a particular party

House Rules committee

one of the most power committees. Determines which bills make it to the floor and how those bills can be debated

impeachment

House brining charges against President- not removing from office

incumbent

the person currently in the position

Joint committee

committee on which both representatives and senators serve

Joint resolution

a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; however, joint resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment need not be signed by the president

legislative oversight

Congress's monitory of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings

logrolling

vote trading; voting yea to support a colleague's bill in return for a promise of future support

Majority leader

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

Marginal districts

political districts in which candidates elected to the House win in close elections, typically by less than 35% of the vote

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

Multiple referral

a congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several committees that consider it simultaneously in whole or in party

Open rule

an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill be to amended on the floor

Party polarization

a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators

Pork-barrel legislation

legislation gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hopes of winning their votes in return

Presidential pro tempore

leader of the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. Usually a symbolic position for the longest serving Senator

Presidential veto

the ability for the President to deny passage of a bill from Congress, preventing it from becoming a law.

Private bill

a legislative bill that deals with specific, private, personal, or local matters, like a bill pertaining to an individual becoming a naturalized citizen

Public bill

a legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern, like defense expenditures

Quorum call

a calling of roll in either house of Congress to see whether the number of representatives in attendance meets the minimum number required to conduct business

Quorum

the minimum number of members required to be in attendance for Congress to conduct official business

Restrictive rule

an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendment but not others to be made to a bill on the floor

Roll-call vote

a congressional procedure that consists of members answering yea or nay when their names are called

Safe district

a House district in which the winner of the general election carries more than 55% of the vote

Select committees

permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area

Senatorial courtesy

process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to senators of their own party who represents the state where the vacancy occurs; also the process by which a governor when selecting an appointee, defers to the state senator in whose district the nominee resides

Sequential referral

a congressional process by which a Speaker may send a bill to the second committee after the first is finished acting

Simple resolution

an expression of opinion, without the force of law, either in the House or in the Senate, to settle housekeeping or procedural matters in either body

Speaker of the House

majority party leader of the House of Representatives. Has power to decide which bills are addressed, and works with the President on legislation

Standing committee

permanently established legislative committees that consider an are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area

Subcomittees

a smaller group of Representatives that meets within a larger committee to address specific legislation

Teller vote

a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, firs the yeas and then the nays. Since 1971, teller voters are recorded at the request of twenty members

Term limits

concept that a person can only run for a certain amount of terms in office, preventing a career politician. Currently there are no term limits in Congress

Voice vote

a congressional voting procedure used in both house in which members vote by shouting yea or nay

Whip

a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking