Social Studies Study Guide

The main parts of the Legislative Branch.

Legislature

a lawmaking body of government

Bicameral

consisting of two houses, as in a lawmaking body

Congressional District

an electoral division of a state, entitled to send one member to the US House of Representatives 

Apportioned

to be distributed, as in the seats in the House of Representatives

Gerrymandering

the process of drawing congressional district lines to favor a political party

Franking Privilege

the right of members of congress to mail official letters free of charge

Censure

the formal disapproval of the actions of a member of Congress by the other members

Expulsion

the removal of a person from an institution, such as Congress, for serious misconduct

Session

meetings in congress

Joint Session

a gathering of Congress in which both the House and the Senate meet

Floor Leader

a political party leader in Congress who works for the passage of bills the party favors

Majority Party

the political party that has more members in Congress or in a state leg.

Minority Party

the political party that has fewer members in Congress or in a state leg.

Party Whip

the assistant to the floor leader in each house of Congress who tries to persuade party members to vote for bills the party supports

President Pro Tempore

the official who presides over the Senate in the Vice President’s absence

Standing Committees

permanent House or Senate committees that consider bills in a certain area

Subcommittees

divisions of standing congressional committees that deal with specific issues in the area handled by their primary committee.

Select Committees

temporary House or senate committees appointed to deal with issues not handled by standing committees

Joint Committees

committees made up of members of both houses of Congress to deal with matters of mutual concern

Conference Committee

temporary congressional committees made up of senators and representatives who try to reach an agreement on different versions of a bill

Seniority System

the custom of giving leadership of committees to members of Congress with the most years of service

Impeachment

a formal charge brought against a government official

Appropriation Bill

a bill approving the spending of extra public money

Implied Powers

powers not specifically granted to Congress by the Constitution that are suggested to be necessary to carry out the powers delegated to Congress under the Constitution

Elastic Clause

Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution; known also as the “necessary and proper clause” that allows Congress to extend its delegated powers

Constituents

people represented by members of a lawmaking body

Quorum

the minimum number of members who must be present before a legislative body can conduct business

Roll-Call Vote

A vote in Congress in which a record is made of how each member votes

Pocket Veto

a means by which the president can reject a bill, when Congress is not in session, by not signing it

Ex Post Facto Law

A law that applies to an action that took place before the law was passed

Bill of Attainder

A law sentencing a person to jail without a trial

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A court order requiring a person or agency holding someone in custody to deliver the imprisoned individual to the court issuing the order to determine if the prisoner was imprisoned lawfully.

Filibuster

A method of delaying action on a bill in the Senate by making long speeches

Cloture

a limit on the debate of a bill in the Senate (to end a filibuster)

Logrolling

trading votes

Rider

attachment added to a bill that has nothing to do with a bill

Pork Barrel Spending

giving a lot of money to a congressman’s home district

Qualifications for Senate

• 30+ years old

• US citizen for 9+ years

• Must be a resident of the state that you are running in.

Qualifications for the House of Representatives

• 25+ years old

• US citizen for 7+ years

• Must be a resident of the state that they want to run for.

Term limit for the House

2 years, but can serve an infinite amount of times

Term limit for the Senate

6 years, but may serve an infinite amount of times.

How many Representatives and Senator are there in Congress.

435

Who is the Speaker of the House

Mike Johnson

Who is the President Pro Tempore

Patty Muarry

Senate Minority Leader

Mitch Mconnel

Senate Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer

US Representative 8th District

Matt Cartwright

PA Senior Senator

Bob Casey

PA Junior Senator

John Federman