vocab congress 1

Incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection.

pork barelling

The use of government funds to projects designed to please voters and win votes

House Rules Committee

An institution unique to the House of Representatives that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a House committee before they go to the full House.

Senate Finance Committee

The Senate committee that, along with the House Ways and Means Committee, writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole.

Filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

speaker of the house

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

Minority leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

standing committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

joint committees

Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses.

legislative oversight

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

casework

Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get

bicameral legislature

a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

house ways and means

The House of Representatives committee that, along with the Senate Finance Committee, writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole.

senate foreign relations

-oversees the foreign policy agencies of the US govnt
-funding of foreign aid programs as well as arms sales
-reviews and considers all diplomatic nominations and international treaties and legislation relating to US foreign policy

cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.

majority leader

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

Whips

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

select committees

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

conference committees

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

Seniority System in Congress

Member of the majority party who has served on the committee the longest becomes committee chair