APG U5 - Terms and Definitions

bicameral legislature

lawmaking body made up of 2 chambers or parts

filibuster

a prolonged speech or series of speeches made to delay action in a legislative assembly; can be cut off by a 60-senator vote

marginal district

political district in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, usually with less than 55% of the vote

safe district

Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more

conservative coalition

an alliance between Republicans and conservative Democrats

malapportionment

drawing the bounds of political districts so that districts are very unequal in population

gerrymandering

drawing a district boundary in some unusual or bizzarre shape to make it easy for a candidate from one party to win an election

majority-minority district

congressional district designed to make it easier for minority citizens to elect minority represeentatives

Shaw v. Reno

Supreme Court case in which it was declared that race can be a factor in drawing Congressional district lines only if there is a "compelling governmental interest" to do so

descriptive representation

the statistical correspondence of the demographic characteristics (such as race) of representatives with those of their constituents; also known as "categorical representation"

substantive representation

the correspondence between representatives' opinions and those of their constituents

sophomore surge

an increase in the votes that congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection

president pro tempore

the presiding officer of the House in the Vice President's absence; largely an honorific position, selected by the majority party

president of the Senate

the Vice President's job, though a junior senator usually ends up filling in

majority leader

legislative leader elected by the majority party of the House or Senate whose duties include leading their party and scheduling Senate business (usually in consultation with the minority leader); has the right to be recognized first in any floor debate

minority leader

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

whip

a senator who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking, rounds up party members when important votes are to be taken, and attempts to keep a nose count on how the voting on a controversial issue will likely go; there are several senators who assist him in these tasks

Speaker of the House

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives whose jobs include: deciding who will speak on the floor, ruling whether or not a motion is germane and relavant to the business at hand, deciding (subject to certain rules) the committees to which bills will be assigned, influencing which bills will be voted on, appointing members of special and select committees, and nominating majority party members of the Rules Committee

party polarization

when a majority of Democrat legislators opposes a majority of Republican legislators

congressional caucus

an asociation of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest; there are 6 types: intraparty, personal-interest, constituency concerns: national, constituency concerns: regional, constituency concerns: state/district, and constituancy concerns: industry

standing committees

more or less permanent bodies with specified legislative responsibilities

select committees

groups appointed for a limited purpose and usually lasting for only a few congresses

joint committees

committees on which both representatives and senators serve

conference committee

a special kind of joint committee made up of representatives and senators appointed to resolve differences in the senate and House versions of the same piece of legislation before passage

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

a congressional staff agency that is politically neutral; it looks up facts for and against a proposed policy and keeps track of major bills before Congress; it does not recommend policy

General Accounting Office (GAO)

a congressional staff agency that performs financial audits of money spent by executive branch departments and makes recommendations on almost every aspect of government

Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)

a congressional staff agency that studied and evaluated policies and programs with a significant use of or impact on technology; abolished in 1995

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

a congressional staff agency that advises Congress on the likely economic effects of different spending programs and analyzes the president's budget and economic projections

public bill

a bill that pertains to general public affairs

private bill

a bill that pertains to a particular individual

simple resolution

a resolution passed by either house that is used for matters such as establishing the rules under which each body will operate; it is not signed by the president and does not have the force of a law

concurrent resolution

a resolution that settles housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses; it is not sighned by the president and does not have the force of a law

joint resolution

a resolution that requires approval of bothhouses and the president's signature; it is essentially the same as a law; also used to propose a Constitutional amendment

multiple referral

the process whereby a bill could be referred to several committees that simultaneously consider it in whole or in part; abolished in 1995

sequential referrral

the process whereby the Speaker of the House sends a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting, or when he refers parts of a bill to seperate committees

discharge petition

a device by which a 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 the members agree, the bill is discharged from the committee

cloture rule

a rule used by the Senate to prevent filibuster; for a bill to pass in the Senate, 3/5 of the Senate must vote for it; if it passes, each senator is thereafter limited to one hour of debate on the bill; total debate, including roll calls and introduction, can't exceed 100 hours

double-tracking

a way 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

voice vote

voting method that consists of Congress members shouting "yea" or "nay"; the names of members are recorded as voting a certain way

division vote

voting method that involves members standing and being counted; the names of members are recorded as voting a certain way; also known as a "standing vote"

teller vote

voting method in which congressmen pass between tellers, the yeas first and thenthe nays; at the request of 20 members, clerks record the names of those favoring or opposing the bill as they pass the tellers

roll-call vote

consists of congressmen saying "yea" or "nay"; can be done at the request of 1/5 of representation in the House; now done electronically

legislative veto

the rejection of a presidential or administrative agency action by a vote of 1 or more houses of Congress without the consent of the president