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Unit 3 vocab
Mr. Crossman's Civics Class
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Constituents | People in Congressional districts |
| Redistricting | The process of redrawing the boundaries of districts |
| Joint Sessions | When senators and representatives meet together . Usually for the President's State of the Union Address. |
| Standing Committee | Permanent committee that specializes in a particular topic |
| Bill | a proposed law |
| President pro-tempore | President of the senate for the time being. This happens when the Vice President is absent. |
| Speaker of the House | Leader of the House of Representatives |
| Conference Committee | A joint committee that helps members in the Senate and the House of Representatives work together. |
| Vice President | Leader of the Senate. Votes for the Senate in case of a tie |
| Majority Party | Party with the most members in Congress |
| Minority Party | Party with the most members in Congress |
| Interest Groups | Groups of people who work together for similar interests or goals |
| bicameral | a 2-house legislature |
| Expressed Powers | Powers listed in Article 1 of the Constitution |
| Expulsion | to force a member of Congress to leave because of wrongdoing or dishonesty |
| Appropriations | Funds for specific use |
| Reapportionment | The redistribution of legislative seats (HR) according to population. (Occurs after the census) |
| Lobbyist | People who represent interest groups |
| Checks and Balances | A system in which each branch of government is able to limit the powers of the other two branches |
| Filibuster | Freedom by Senators to kill a bill by continuously talking until the bill is withdrawn. |
| Cloture | This limits a Senator to debate for no more than on hour. For it to be used, 60 Senators must vote for it. It stops a filibuster. |
| Census | A process for counting a nation’s population. US census is completed every 10 years. |
| Implied Power | A power not expressly named in the Constitution |
| Legislative Branch | The Branch of government that makes laws |