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.

oversight

efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

constituency

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.

apportionment

the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.

redistricting

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.

gerrymandering

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

partisan gerrymandering

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

majority-minority district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.

malapportionment

the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

incumbency

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.

incumbency advantage

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

Speaker of the House

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

political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

House majority leader

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

whip

a member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

minority leader

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members.

Senate majority leader

the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.

committee chair

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

discharge petition

a motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.

House Rules Committee

a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.

Committee of the Whole

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

hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill.

unanimous consent agreement

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

filibuster

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right