chapter 11 part 2

President pro tempore

A largely symbolic Senate position usually held by the most senior member of the majority party; formally presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent.

Roll call vote

A recorded vote on legislation in which members may vote yes, no, abstain, or present.

Party vote

A vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other party.

Party unity

The extent to which members of Congress in the same party vote together on party votes.

Standing committees

Permanent committees in the House or Senate that have ongoing responsibilities and more importance and authority than other committees.

Select committees

Committees created in the House or Senate to address a specific issue, usually for one or two terms.

Joint committees

Committees made up of members of both the House and Senate that generally have limited authority.

Conference committees

Temporary committees created to negotiate differences between House and Senate versions of legislation that has passed both chambers.

Distributive theory

The idea that members join committees that best serve their districts and that committee members support one another's legislation.

Informational theory

The idea that congressional committees made up of policy experts help produce better-informed policy decisions.

Markup

The process in which a committee determines the final wording of a bill by debating and amending it.

Veto

The president's rejection of a bill passed by Congress.

Pocket veto

The president's rejection of a bill by taking no action while Congress is out of session.

Omnibus legislation

Large bills covering several different topics and often containing extraneous or pork-barrel projects.

Cloture

A Senate procedure that limits debate and ends a filibuster when the required supermajority of senators agrees.

Filibuster

A Senate tactic used to block or delay a bill by continuing debate under the Senate's unlimited-debate rules.

Hold

An objection by a senator to considering a measure or nomination on the Senate floor.

Closed rules

House Rules Committee conditions that prohibit amendments to a bill during floor debate.

Open rules

House Rules Committee conditions that allow relevant amendments to a bill during floor debate.

Modified rules

House Rules Committee conditions that allow certain amendments to a bill while prohibiting others.

Bill

A legislative proposal that becomes law if it passes both the House and Senate in identical form and is approved by the president.

Private bill

A bill concerning a specific individual or organization, often involving immigration or naturalization.

Public bill

A bill that affects the general public if enacted into law.

H.R.

The designation used for bills that originate in the House of Representatives.

S.R.

The designation used for bills that originate in the Senate.

Sponsor

A member of Congress who introduces a bill.

Co-sponsor

A member of Congress who formally joins another member in sponsoring a bill.

Legislative history

The documentation of a bill's hearings and development that can be used to determine the purpose and meaning of a law.

Multiple referral

The practice of sending major legislation to more than one committee in the House.

Primary committee

The committee designated as the main committee responsible for reviewing a bill when multiple committees are involved.

Conference report

The final version of legislation produced by a conference committee to resolve differences between House and Senate bills.

Amendments between the chambers

A process in which one chamber modifies a bill passed by the other chamber and sends it back, potentially going back and forth until both agree.

Voice vote

A vote in which members indicate their position by saying "aye" or "no."

Division vote

A vote in which members on each side stand and are counted when the result of a voice vote is unclear.

Veto override

A congressional action that overturns a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

Unanimous consent

An agreement in the Senate in which all senators agree to limits on debate or amendments.

Unorthodox lawmaking

A legislative process in which major legislation deviates from the conventional textbook process.

Riders

Extraneous provisions attached to a bill, often to secure approval for projects or policies that might not pass on their own.

Fire alarm oversight

Congressional oversight in which members wait until a crisis or problem emerges before taking action.

Police patrol oversight

Congressional oversight involving constant monitoring of the bureaucracy.

Power of the purse

Congress's ability to control or cut funding for federal agencies as a way of influencing their actions.

Congressional oversight

Congress's monitoring of the bureaucracy to make sure laws are implemented as Congress intended.

Advice and consent

The Senate's constitutional role in approving presidential appointments and treaties.

Impeachment

The process through which the House brings formal charges against a president, vice president, other civil officers, or federal judges, followed by a Senate trial.

Articles of impeachment

The formal charges against an official issued by the House during the impeachment process.

Conventional legislative process

The standard process in which a bill is introduced, considered by committees, passed by both chambers in identical form, and sent to the president.

Identical form

The requirement that the House and Senate pass the exact same version of a bill before it can be sent to the president.

Two-thirds vote

The level of support required in both chambers to override a presidential veto.

House floor process

The more structured and majoritarian legislative process in the House, with strict rules governing debate and amendments.

Senate floor process

The more open and individualistic legislative process in the Senate, where debate and amendments are generally less restricted.

Rules Committee

The House committee that determines the rules governing floor debate, including debate time and which amendments may be considered.

Unlimited debate

A Senate practice allowing senators to speak for as long as they want unless debate is limited through procedures such as cloture or unanimous consent.

Committee jurisdiction

The subject-matter area over which a congressional committee has authority to consider legislation.