Studied by 17 people
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
