Studied by 3 people
amendment
a minor change or addition designed to improve a text, piece of legislation, etc.
bicameralism
two chambers
case work
constituency services
christmas tree bill
has many aspects that come with it (like presents)
closed rule
limits floor debates and amendments
conference committee
work out differences between the 2 versions of a bill
congressional research service (crs)
responds to congressional requests for information
constituency services
helping constituents with difficulties relating to the government
constituents
being part of a whole; you are a ____ of the governor
discharge petition
bringing a bill out of committee and onto the floor for discussion
divided government
when the executive and legislative branches are occupied by different parties
enumerated powers
powers granted exclusively to the federal government; specifically congress
filibuster
prevents senate from from voting on a bill; talking a bill to death; not a power
general accounting office (gao)
audits money spent by executive departments
gerrymandering
redrawing districts in bizarre shapes
gridlock
political traffic jam
hold
an informal practice by which a senator informs Senate leadership that he or she does not wish a particular measure or nomination to reach the floor for consideration
incumbent
someone who currently holds office
joint committee
draw membership from both representatives and senators
legislative oversight
monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy through committee hearings
logrolling
trading votes; “vote for me, i vote for you”
mark-up session
process by which a U.S congressional committe or state legislative session debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation
open rule
a procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill
organizational view
the theory of congressional voting behavior which assumes that members make voting decisions to please fellow members and obtain their goodwill
party majority/minority leader
head of political party that leads discussions; 1st in command
party whip
2nd in command; underneath majority/minority leader
pocket veto
formal powers that enable the president to check congress
pork barrel
credit claiming opportunity
reapportionment
designates the number of seats in the House assigned to each state
redistricting
redraw a district for better representation
representational view
the theory of congressional voting behavior that assumes that members make voting decisions based on their perception of constituents' wishes to ensure their own reelection
rider
additions to legislation which generally have no connection to the legislation
rules committee
final hurdle for house legislation
select committee
investigates a scandal or special problem
speaker of the house
institutional leader; always from majority party
standing committee
legislative oversight after passage
subcommittee
smaller units of committee created from committee membership
unanimous consent ways
senator may also request to set aside a specific rule of procedure in order to quicken proceedings
means committee
drafts tax legislation
Note 
Flashcard (45)