Unit 5 vocab

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