Congress key terms

Bicameral Legislation

Two house legislature

Earmarks

an addition to a piece of legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states

Pork Barrel spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states

Logrolling

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Legislation oversight

confess review/monitors actions of the executive branch + executive agencies

constituents

the people that vote for politicians to help run the government in their specific state

Incumbency

political official who is currently in office

Incumbency advantage

institutional advantage held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election

Casework

legislative work on behalf of individual constituents to solve their problems with government agencies + programs

Speaker of the house

leader of the House of Representatives chosen by an election of its members

House Majority leader

person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives

Whips

member of congress chosen by their party members, whose job is to ensure party unity + discipline

Minority leader

head of the party with the second highest number of seats in congress chosen by the party members

Senate Majority Leader

person who has the most power in the senate + is the head of the part with the most seats

Standing Committees

special committee that resolves differences in legislation between House and Senate; usually includes committee chairs/ chamber leadership

committee Chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee's agenda

seniority system

The system gives committee chairs to members who have served the longest without interruption on the committee.

Bill

proposed law that needs the approval of both houses of congress and president to become a law.

Conference committee

temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill

Discharge Petition

motion filed by a member of congress to move a bill out of committee + onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote

House rules committee

powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate + vote on the house floor how long the debate will last + weather amendments will be allowed on the floor

Committee of the Whole

consists of all members of the House + meets in the house chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex + controversial legislation

Hold

delay placed on legislation by senator who objects to bill

Unanimous Consent Agreement

an agreement in the senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill

Filibuster

tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation

Colture

procedure through which senators can end a filibuster + proceed to action provided three fifths of senators agree to it

Delegate role

the idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carryout constituent wishes

Trustee role

the idea that members of congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge + judgement

Politico Role

representation where members of congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents + parties in making decisions

Bipartisanship

agreement between the parties to work together in congress to pass legislation

Gridlocked

a slowdown or halt in congress's ability to legislate + overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship

Divided government

situation that occurs when control of the presidency + one or both chambers of congress is spilt between two major parties

Lame duck Period

an elected official or group of officials, as a legislator, continuing in office during the period between an election defeat and a successor's assumption of office.

Veto

formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of congress

Power of the purse

The constitutional power of Congress to raise + spend money. Congress can use this as a negative or checking power over the other branches by freezing or cutting their funding.

President of the senate

the Senate's presiding officer (Vice president)

President Pro Tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president.

Treaty Ratification

Senate ratifies a treaty with 2/3 majority

Senatorial Courtesy

a tacit agreement among senators not to vote for any presidential nominee who is opposed by the senators from the nominee's home state.

Omnibus Bill

a proposed law/bill that covers a number of diverse or unrelated topics