Congress & Legislative Process

Casework

Work that a member of Congress does to help constituents with problems they have with the federal government or bureaucracy.

Standing Committees

Permanent committees in Congress that handle bills related to a specific area (e.g., education, defense).

Select Committees

Temporary committees formed for a specific purpose, often to investigate a particular issue.

Conference Committees

Joint committees formed to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate versions of the same bill.

Joint Committees

Committees that include members from both the House and Senate to address broad issues or conduct investigations.

Pork Barrel Spending

Government funds used for local projects designed to please voters or legislators and win votes.

Logrolling

When lawmakers agree to support each other’s bills or projects to ensure mutual political benefit.

Oversight

The power of Congress to review, monitor, and supervise government agencies and their implementation of laws.

Constituency

The people who live in a legislator’s district and whom they represent.

Apportionment

The process of dividing up seats in the House of Representatives based on population after each census.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional district boundaries to reflect population changes or shifts.

Gerrymandering

Manipulating district boundaries to favor one political party or group.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Redistricting specifically intended to benefit one political party over another.

Majority-Minority Districts

Electoral districts in which the majority of constituents belong to racial or ethnic minorities.

Malapportionment

When voting districts have significantly unequal populations, giving some voters more influence than others.

Incumbency

The current holding of a political office.

Incumbency Advantage

The electoral edge enjoyed by incumbents due to name recognition, access to campaign finance, and government resources.

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer and most powerful leader in the House of Representatives; sets the agenda and oversees proceedings.

Whip(s)

Party leaders who work to count votes, persuade members, and ensure party discipline during votes.

Senate Majority Leader

The most powerful member in the Senate who sets the legislative agenda and coordinates party strategy.

Committee Chairperson(s)

Leaders of congressional committees who control the committee’s agenda, hearings, and legislation process.

Filibuster

A tactic used in the Senate where a senator delays or blocks legislative action by speaking for an extended time.

Cloture

A procedure for ending a filibuster; requires 60 votes in the Senate to bring debate to a close.

Veto

The president’s constitutional power to reject a bill passed by Congress, preventing it from becoming law unless overridden by two-thirds of both chambers.