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chapter 6
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bicameral | A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses |
| Census | A population count taken by the census bureau |
| Constituent | A person from a legislator's district |
| Gerrymander | An oddly shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group |
| Majority party | In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which more than half the members belong |
| Minority party | In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which fewer than half the members belong |
| Standing committe | Permanent committee that continues work from session to session in its Congress |
| Seniority | Years of service, which is used as a consideration for assigning committee members |
| Expressed powers | Powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution |
| Implied powers | Powers that congress has that are not stated explicitly in the Constitution |
| Elastic cause | Clause in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its expressed powers |
| Impeach | To accuse government officials of misconduct in office |
| Writ of Habeas corpus | A court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person |
| Bill of attainder | A law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court |
| Ex post facto law | A law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed |
| Franking privilege | The right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage |
| Lobbyist | Representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making |
| Casework | The work that lawmakers does to help constituents with a problem |
| Pork-barrel project | Government project grant that primarily benefits the home district or state |
| Joint resolution | A resolution that is passed by both houses of congress |
| Special- interest group | An organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions |
| Filibuster | A tactic for defeating a bill in the senate by talking unit the bills sponsor withdraws it |
| Cloture | A procedure used in the senate to limit debate on a bill |
| Voice vote | A voting method in which those in favor say "yea" and those against say "no" |
| Standing vote | In congress, when members stand to be counted for a vote on a bill |
| Roll- call vote | A voting method in the senate in which members voice their votes in turn |
| Veto | Refusal to sign a bill or resolution |
| Pocket veto | President's power to kill a bill, if congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days |