Logic Chapter 6: Congress

POLS-001: American Political Systems

“pork barrel” legislation

Legislation that provides members of Congress with federal projects and programs for their individual districts.

casework

The activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs to solve constituents’ problems with government agencies.

closed rule

An order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment.

cloture

A parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Used in the Senate to cut off filibusters. Under the current Senate rules, three-fifths of senators, or sixty, must vote for this to halt a filibuster except on presidential nominations to offices other than Supreme Court justice.

conditional party government

The degree of authority delegated to and exercised by congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of election-driven ideological consensus among members.

conference committee

A temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a particular piece of legislation.

discharge petition

A petition that removes a measure from a committee to which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor consideration. In the House a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of House members (218).

earmarks

Money set aside by Congress in the federal budget to pay for projects in the home district of a member of Congress.

entitlement

A benefit every eligible person has a legal right to receive that cannot be taken away without a change in legislation or due process in court.

filibuster

A tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holding the floor, have unlimited time to speak unless a cloture vote is passed by three-fifths (sixty) of the members.

gerrymandering

Drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidates win.

joint comittees

Permanent congressional committees made up of members of both the House and the Senate. They do not have any legislative authority; they monitor specific activities and compile reports.

majority leader

The formal leader of the party controlling a majority of the seats in the House or the Senate. In the Senate the majority leader is the head of the majority party. In the House the majority leader ranks second in the party hierarchy behind the Speaker.

majority whip

Majority party official in Congress charged with managing communications between party leaders and members. This serves the same purpose.

multiple referral

The act of sending a proposed piece of legislation to more than one committee in the same chamber.

open rule

A provision governing debate of a pending bill and permitting any germane amendment to be offered on the floor of the House.

pocket veto

A method by which the president vetoes a bill passed by both houses of Congress by failing to act on it within ten days of Congress’s adjournment.

president pro tempore

In the absence of the vice president, the formal presiding officer of the Senate. The honor is usually conferred on the senior member of the majority party, but the post is sometimes rotated among senators of the majority party.

proportional representation

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes received.

quorom

The minimum number of congressional members who must be present for the transaction of business. Under the Constitution, this in each house is a majority of its members: 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate when there are no vacancies.

restricted rule

A provision that governs consideration of a bill and specifies and limits the kinds of amendments that may be made on the floor of the House of Representatives.

rider

An amendment to a bill that is not germane to the legislation.

roll-call vote

Vote taken by a call of the roll to determine whether a quorum is present, to establish a quorum, or to vote on a question. Usually the House uses its electronic voting system, but when the system is malfunctioning the Speaker directs the clerk to read the names. The Senate does not have an electronic voting system; it is always called by a clerk.

rule

A provision that governs consideration of a bill by the House of Representatives by specifying how the bill is to be debated and amended.

select committee

A temporary legislative committee created for a specific purpose and dissolved after its tasks are completed.

seniority rule

The congressional practice of appointing as committee or subcommittee chairs the members of the majority with the most years of committee service.

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected at the beginning of each congressional session on a party-line vote. As head of the majority party, the Speaker has substantial control over the legislative agenda of the House.

special committee

A temporary legislative committee, usually lacking legislative authority.

standing committee

A permanent legislative committee specializing in a particular legislative area. Standing committees have stable memberships and stable jurisdictions.

status quo bias

Institutional bias that fundamentally favors continuation of current public policy.

term limits

A movement begun during the 1980s to limit the number of terms both state legislators and members of Congress can serve.

unanimous consent agreement

A unanimous resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to bills on the floor.