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Poli Sci - Congress
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| partisan polarization | a vote in which the majority of one political party opposes the majority of another |
| bicameral legislature | 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 |
| marginal districts | political districts in which candidates win in close elections, usually by <55% of votes |
| safe districts | districts where incumbents win by large margins, >55% |
| conservative coalition | an alliance between Republicans and conservative Democrats (generally from the South) |
| president pro tempore of the Senate | a leader from majority party, generally has the greatest seniority; stands as presiding officer when Vice President is absent |
| majority leader | leader from the majority party, schedules the Senate's agenda |
| minority leader | leader from the minority party, assists in scheduling the agenda |
| whip | a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking |
| Policy Committee | committee for each party that decides the order of importance of various bills |
| Speaker (of the House) | presiding officer of the House and leader of the majority party |
| party vote | Stricter measure: when 90% or more of one party in either house of Congress vote together against 90% of the opposing party; looser measure: 50% |
| 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 |
| joint committees | committees on which both senators and representatives serve |
| conference committee | joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill |
| 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 |
| restrictive | an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor |
| 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 |
| open rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor |
| simple resolution | an expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| quorum | the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress |
| 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 |
| cloture rule | a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| teller vote | a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second |
| veto | literally, "I forbid"; it refers to the power of a president to disapprove a bill; it may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress |
| divided government | one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress |
| unified government | the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress |
| earmarks | "hidden" congressional provisions that direct the federal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific federal taxes or fees |
| pork-barrel legislation | legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return |
| franking privilege | the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting the facsimile signature for postage |
Created by:
gray39770
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