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Legislative Branch
Chapter 6
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bicameral | A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses |
| Census | A population count taken by the Census Bureau |
| Constituent | A detailed, written plan for government |
| Gerrymander | An oddly shaped election district 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 Committee | 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 int he constitution |
| Implied powers | Powers that congress has that are not stated explicitly in the constitution |
| Elastic clause | 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 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 trail 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 | representatives of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making |
| casework | the work that a lawmaker 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 until bill's 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 |