hai

hai

Appropriation

money that Congress has allocated to be spent.

Appropriations Committee

congressional committee that deals with federal spending.

Casework

personal work done by a member of Congress for his constituents.

Closed rule

Rules Committee rule that bans amendments to a bill.

Cloture

Senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote.

Conference committee

works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill.

Constituents

the people who are represented by elected officials.

Discharge petition

a motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in committee.

Filibuster

nonstop Senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote.

Finance Committee

Senate committee that handles tax bills.

Franking privilege

allows members of Congress to send mail postage free.

Gerrymandering

redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other.

Hold

Senate maneuver that allows a Senator to stop or delay consideration of a bill or presidential appointment.

Impeachment

House action that formally charges an official with wrongdoing. Conviction requires 2/3 vote from the Senate.

Legislative oversight

ongoing process of congressional monitoring of the executive branch to ensure that the latter complies with the law.

Line item veto

power of most governors (and President Clinton for only a few years) to delete or reduce funding in a bill on a line by line basis.

Logrolling

when two members of Congress agree to vote for each other's bill.

Mark up

committee action to amend a proposed bill.

Open rule

House Rules Committee rule that allows amendments to a bill.

Pocket veto

presidential killing of a bill by inaction after Congress adjourns.

Pork barrel

wasteful congressional spending, e.g. funding for a Lawrence Welk museum in North Dakota.

Quorum

minimum number of members needed for the House or Senate to meet.

Reapportionment

reallocation of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census.

Redistricting

redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature.

Rider

amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill. Also known as a nongermane amendment.

Rules Committee

the "traffic cop" of the House that sets the legislative calendar and issues rules for debate on a bill.

Seniority system

tradition in which the Senator from the majority party with the most years of service on a committee becomes the chairman of that committee.

Standing committees

the permanent congressional committees that handle legislation.

Sunset laws

laws that automatically expire after a given time.

Ways and Means Committee

House committee that handles tax bills.