CONGRESS

U.S. House of Representatives

435 voting members; minimum age to serve is 25.

U.S. Senate

100 voting members; minimum age to serve is 30.

Redistricting

Redrawing of House district lines following the census, which occurs every 10 years.

Standing committees

Permanent committees with jurisdiction over specific policy areas; they do most of the detailed legislative work.

Conference committee

Resolves differences when the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill.

Joint committees

Committees that coordinate work between the House and Senate.

Select committees

Temporary committees created for special issues.

Rules Committee

A House committee that determines procedures for considering legislation on the House floor.

Mark-up

The committee stage in which a bill is revised and amended line by line.

Filibuster

A Senate tactic used to prevent a bill from coming to a vote.

Cloture

A Senate vote that can end a filibuster.

Pork legislation

Legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted solely at a particular legislator's constituency.

Party-line voting

Voting in which members of Congress vote primarily according to their political party.

Speaker of the House

Often described as the second-most powerful elected national official after the president.

Veto override

Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber.

Impeachment and conviction

Forced removal of a president requiring action by the House and Senate in separate proceedings.