Congress Vocabulary - Chapter 5

Partisan Polarization

A vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators opposes a majority of Republican legislators.

Bicameral

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts.

Filibuster

An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill.

Legislature

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts.

Descriptive representation

When citizens are represented by elected officials from their same racial/ethnic background.

Majority-minority Districts

Congressional district where a majority of voters are racial/ethnic minorities.

Substantive Representation

Ability of citizens to elect officials who will enact into law policies that the citizens favor.

Marginal Districts

Districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections (typically, less than 55 percent of the vote).

Conservative Coalition

An alliance between Republicans and conservative Democrats.

Majority Leader

The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate.

Whip

A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking.

Minority Leader

The legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate.

Safe Districts

Districts in which incumbents win by a comfortable margin.

Speaker

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of his or her party in the House.

Party Vote

A vote where most Democrats are on one side of the bill, and most Republicans are on the other.

Caucus

An association of congressional members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest.

Standing Committees

Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area.

Select Committees

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.

Concurrent Resolution

An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president.

Conference Committee

Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill.

Joint Committees

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve.

Simple Resolution

An expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body.

Joint Resolution

A formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president.

Open Rule

An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor.

Quorum

The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress.

Restrictive

An order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made to a bill on the floor.

Discharge Petition

A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor.

Riders

Amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will “ride” to passage through the Congress. When a bill has many riders, it is called a Christmas-tree bill.

Closed Rule

An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor.

Cloture Rule

A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate.

Division Vote

A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted.

Roll-call Vote

A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering “yea” or “nay” to their names.

Voice Vote

A congressional voting procedure in which members shout “yea” in approval or “nay” in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills.

Double Tracking

A procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business.

Teller Vote

A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the “yeas” first and the “nays” second.

Divided Government

One political party controls the White House and another political party controls one or both chambers of Congress.

Veto

Literally, “I forbid”; it refers to the power of a president to disapprove a bill, and may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.

Unified Government

The same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.

Franking Privilege

The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage.