AP Gov Unit 2 Vocab

Bicameral Legislature

a legislature with two chambers; Congress has the House and Senate

Pork barrel legislation

government spending aimed at benefiting a specific reps district or state

Logrolling

Legislators trading votes to help each other pass bills

Earmarks

Money in a bill specifically designated for a certain project or area

Congressional caucus

A group of members of Congress who share a common interest, goal, or characteristic

Constituency

The people an elected official represents

Apportionment

Distribution of House seats among the states based on population

Redistricting

Redrawing the boundaries of congressional districts

Reapportionment

Redistributing House seats among states after the census

Malapportionment

Legislative districts having unequal populations, creating unequal representation

Gerrymandering

Drawing district boundaries to benefit a political party or group

Majority-minority district

A district where a racial or ethnic minority group makes up a majority of the population

Incumbency

The condition of currently holding an elected office; incumbents often have an advantage in reelection

Speaker of the House

The leader of the House of Representatives and the majority party in the House

Majority leader

A leader who helps direct the legislative goals and strategy of the majority party

Whip

A party leader who gathers votes and encourages members to vote with their party

Minority leader

The leader of the minority party in a chamber of Congress

Party polarization

When political parties become increasingly divided and ideologically different from each other

Conference Committee

A temporary committee of House and Senate members that resolves differences between versions of a bill

Standing Committee

A permanent congressional committee that handles legislation in a specific policy area

Select Committee

A temporary committee created for a specific investigation or issue

Joint Committee

A committee made up of members from both the House and Senate

Discharge petition

A House procedure that can force a bill out of committee and onto the floor if 218 members sign it

House Rules Committee

The House Committee that determines how and when a bill will we debated and amended

Committee of the Whole

A procedure where the entire House acts as one committee to debate and amend legislation more efficiently

Unified Government

When the same political party controls the presidency and both Houses of Congress

Hold

An informal Senate practice where a Senator asks to delay or block consideration of a bill or nomination

Unanimous consent agreement

A Senate agreement that sets rules for debate or action as long as no senator objects

Filibuster

A Senate tactic used to delay or prevent a vote on legislation

Cloture

A senate procedure for ending a filibuster, usually requiring 60 votes

Delegate role

A representative votes according to the wishes of their constituents

Trustee role

A representative uses their own judgement when deciding how to vote

Politico role

A representative switches between delegate and trustee roles depending on the issue

Bipartisanship

Cooperation between Democrats and Republicans

Gridlock

When disagreement prevents the government from passing laws or taking action

Divided government

When the presidency is controlled by one party and at least one chamber of Congress is controlled by the other party