Glossary

Version anglaise (United States)

Act

Legislation that has passed both Houses of Congress and has been either approved by the President or passed over his veto, thus becoming law.

Also used technically for a bill that has been passed by one House of Congress.

Amend

To change the wording or meaning of a motion, bill, Constitution, etc. by formal procedure.

For example, Congress may amend the Constitution.

As of today, there are 27 amendments / changes to the Constitution.

Amendment

A proposal by a Member (in committee or floor session of the respective Chamber) to alter the language or provisions of a bill or act. It is voted on in the same manner as a bill.

The Constitution of the United States, as provided in Article 5, may be amended when 2/3 of each House of Congress approves a proposed amendment and 3/4 of the states thereafter ratify it.

Alien

A resident of another country who has not yet become a citizen of the country where he or she now lives.

Appropriation

A provision of funds for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes.

Congress annually considers several appropriations measures which provide discretionary funding for numerous activities - for example, national defense, education and homeland security - as well as general government operations. In recent years, these measures have provided approximately 35% to 39% of total federal spending.

American Revolutionary War

The war in which the United States won independence from Great Britain (1775-1783).

Anti-Federalists

Opponents to the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Leading Anti-Federalists included George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, patrick Henry and George Clinton.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the 13 American states. They were written in 1777, adopted in 1781 but then replaced in 1787 by the Constitution of the United States.

Bicameral

The quality of having two branches, chambers or houses, such as the United States Congress, which is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Bill

Formally introduced legislation.

Most legislative proposals are in the form of bills and are designated as HR (House of Representatives) or S. (Senate), depending on the House in which they are introduced. They are numbered in the order in which they are introduced during each Congress.

* Public Bills deal with general questions and become Public Laws, or Acts, if they are approved by Congress and signes by the President.
* Private Bills deal with individual matters such as claims against the Federal Government, immigration and naturalization cases, land titles, and so on, and become Private Laws if approved and signed.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution which solidify civil liberties into the US Constitution. They were passed in 1791.

Cabinet

A group of governmental officials who head various departments in the Executive Branch and advise the president.

Caucus

An informal organization of members of the Senate or House, or both, that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political, ideological and ethnic caucuses.

Census

An official count of the number of persons living in a geographical area, such as a city, county, state or nation.

Centralized government

A form of government in which the national government maintains the power.

Checks and balances

Limits placed on the branches of Government by giving each the right to amend acts of the other branches.

Class

A grouping of senators who are up for election in the same year.

→ Article I, section 3 of the Constitution divides senators into three classes: Class I, Class II and Class III. Each class is elected two years apart.

Committee

A group of Members of Congress appointed to investigate, debate and report on legislation.

Concurrent powers

Power that is shared by both a national government and state governments, such as collecting taxes, building roads and making and enforcing laws.

Concurrent resolutions

A legislative measure dealing with matters affecting both Chambers, such as a congratulatory message to another country, a concurrent budget resolution or the creation of a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the president and thus, do not have the force of law.

Conference Committee

An ad hoc panel composed of Senate and House conferees formed for the purpose of reconciling different versions of a measure after passage in each Chamber.

Confirmation

Action by the Senate approving Presidential nominees for the executive branch, regulatory commissions and certain other positions.

Congress

The collective name of the US legislature, seat of legislative power. There are 535 members of the US Congress: 435 in the House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate.

Congressional district

A division or part of a state based on population; each district elects one person to Congress.

Constitution (1787)

The document which establishes the basic principles of the American Government.

Constitutional sovereignty

A political system where a codified constitution is where all power flows from. This is the case in the USA.

Delegated power

Powers that are exclusively for the federal government and are “enumerated” in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

Elastic clause

A statement in the US Constitution granting Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the list of powers it was granted (Article I, Section 8).

Electoral College

The name for the “indirect” process by which the people elect the president. The “electors” are determined by the number of representatives each state (including Washington DC) has in the House of Representatives and Senate. In a presidential election year, the “electors” meet in their respective state capitals on the first Monday after the second Wednesday to “vote” for the President.

Enrolled bill

The final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both chambers in identical form. It is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate House and Senate officials, and submitted to the President for signature.

Entrenched Constitution

An entrenched constitution is one which is very difficult to change. The US Constitution, which has only been amended 27 times, is an example on an entrenched Constitution.

Express powers

Powers specifically granted to the federal government as enumerated in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

Federal

A union of groups or states in which each member agrees ti give up some of its governmental power in certain areas to a central authority; in the US it is used to describe the central Government.

Federalism

A federal principle or system union of states in which power is divided between a central authority and the member state authorities.

Federal system

A system of government in which power is divided between a central (federal) government and a number of state or provincial governments. The USA is the most prominent example of a federal system.

Federal supremacy clause

This refers to Article VI, Section 2 of the United States Constitution that states that the Constitution and all federal laws and treaties shall be the “supreme law of the land”.

Filibuster

An attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions.

General election

A regular election of candidates to office, as opposed to a primary election, which is held to decide who will be in the general election.

Gerrymandering

A way or practice of controlling the boundaries of district lines to favor the electoral advantage of a political party or faction. The term was first used in 1812, when Elbridge Gerry was Governor of Massachusetts, to characterize the state redistricting plan.

House of Representatives

Along with the Senate, it is one of the two Houses of the US Congress. Members are granted to each state based upon population and each representative serves a two-year term. There are currently 435 members in the House of Representatives.

Impeachment

A Constitutional “check” the Congress has on the President or other high federal officials. It involves an accusation against that official.

Joint Committee

A committee made up of members of both Houses of government in order to speed action on the legislation.

Judicial Review

The power of a court to judge the constitutionality of the laws of a government or the acts of a government official.

Jus sanguinis

Citizenship acquired by citizenship of the parents.

Jus soli

Citizenship acquired by place of birth.

Lame duck

An official who has been defeated in the election but his / her term of office has not expired.

“Lame duck” session

The time following the November general elections in an even-numbered year. So called because some of the lawmakers who take part will not be returning for the next Congress.

Line-item veto

The power of an executive (ogten a governor) to disapprove or reject parts of a bill without having to reject the entire bill.

Motion to table

A proposal to set aside any pending question. Used to dispose of a question the Chamber does not want to consider further. Agreement to the motion is equivalent to defeating the question tabled.

Necessary and proper clause

The “implied powers” clause located in Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the Constitution. It states that aside from the enumerated powers given to the federal government, it also has the power to pass any law that can be traced back to those powers “delegated” in the Constitution.

Party conference

An organization of all party members in a Chamber. Elects the party and committee leaders and assigns members to committees. Meets periodically to discuss political strategy and to review party positions on pending legislative business.

Pocket veto

The disapproval of a bill brought about by an indirect rejection by the President. According to the Constitution, the President is granted 10 days, Sundays excepted, to review a piece of legislation passed by Congress. If the President has not signed the bill after 10 days, it becomes law without his signature. But if Congress adjourns during the 10 day period, the bill does not become law.

President pro tempore

A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the Chamber in the absence of the vice president. Elected by the Senate and by custom the senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.

Presidential system

A system of government in which there is a clear separation of powers. In this system of government, the different branches of government are clearly separate from each other. The US and Germany are presidential systems.

Primary election

An election held to decide which candidates will be on the November general election ballot.

Private law

A bill applicable only to specific organizations or individuals that has passed both Chambers and is signed by the President.

Public law

A bill or joint resolution (other than for amendments to the Constitution) passed by both Houses of Congress and approved by the President. Bills and joint resolutions vetoed by the President, but then overridden by the Congress also become Public Law. Public Laws affect society as a whole and most laws passed by Congress are Public Laws. Public Laws citations include the abbreviation, Pub. L., the Congress number and the number of the law.

For example: Pub. L. 107-006.

Quorum

The number of senators that must be present for the Senate or House to do business. The Constitution requires a majority of senators (51) and representatives (218) for a quorum.

Reapportionment

The process by which seats in the House of Representatives are reassigned among the states to reflect population changes following the decennial census.

Redistricting

The process within the states of redrawing legislative district boundaries to reflect population changes following the decennial census. *See also gerrymandering.*

Representative

A person appointed, chosen, or elected to act on another’s behalf. In Congress, Representatives are granted to each state based upon population and each Representative serves a two-year term. There are currently 435 members in the House of Representatives.

Resolution

A proposal approved by either or both Houses of Congress which, except for joint resolutions signed by the President, does not have the force of law.

Revolutionary constitution

A constitution that has started and defined a new period of a country’s history, often coming after a time of national strife. The US Constitution agreed in 1787 was a revolutionary constitution.

Second Amendment

The controversial amendment of the US Constitution that still allows all Americans to own a gun.

Senate

Along with the House of Representatives, it is one of the two Houses of the US Congress. There are two Senators granted to each state and each Senator serves a six-year term. There are currently 100 members in the Senate.

Senator

The Constitution requires that a Senator be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least 9 years and an inhabitant of the state from which he / she is elected. A person elected or appointed to the Senate and duly sworn is a Senator. There are currently 100 members in the Senate.

Separation of powers

The system of dividing power and authority; in the United States, it is divided among the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the Constitution.

Shared sovereignty

When power is deliberately split up among different bodies. This is most common in a Federal System.

Simple Resolution

A measure used to express nonbinding positions of the Senate or House or to deal with either Chamber’s internal affairs, such as the creation of a spcial committee. Does not require action by the other Chamber and does not have the force of law.

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives who is selected by a caucus of his / her party and is formally elected by the entire House.

Standing Committee

A permanent Committee established under the rules of the Senate or House, specializing in the consideration of particular subject areas.

Tabling motion

A motion to stop action on a pending proposal and to lay it aside until further notice. When the Senate or House agrees to a tabling motion, the measure which has been tabled is effectively defeated.

Veto

The procedure, as allowed by the Constitution, by which the President refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President returns the legislation to the originating House without approval. It can be overriden only by a 2/3 vote in each House. A pocket veto occurs after Congress has adjourned and is unable to override the President’s action.

Whip

The party leader who is the “intermediary” between the leadership and the rank and file in the legislature.