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Government - Topic 4
Topic 4 Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| delegates | people with authority to represent others at a conference or convention |
| trustees | lawmakers who vote based on their conscience and judgment, not the views of their constituents |
| partisans | lawmakers who owe their first allegiance to their political party and vote according to the party line |
| politicos | lawmakers who attempt to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles |
| bills | proposed laws presented to a legislative body for consideration |
| floor consideration | the process by which proposed laws are considered and acted upon by the full membership of the House or Senate |
| oversight function | review by legislative committees of the policies and programs of the executive branch |
| session | period of time each year during which Congress assembles and conducts business |
| special session | an extraordinary session of a legislative body, called to deal with an emergency situation |
| apportion | distribute, as in seats in a legislative body |
| reapportion | redistribute, as in seats in a legislative body |
| single-member district | electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office |
| at-large | election of an officeholder by the voters of an entire governmental unit (e.g. a State or country) rather than by the voters of a district or subdivision |
| gerrymandering | the drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group |
| off-year election | congressional election that occurs between presidential election years |
| continuous body | governing unit (e.g. the United States Senate) whose seats are never all up for election at the same time |
| constituencies | the people and interests that an elected official represents |
| commerce power | exclusive power of Congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade |
| tax | a charge levied by government on persons or property to raise money to meet public needs |
| deficit financing | the practice of funding government by borrowing to make up the difference between government spending and revenue |
| bankruptcy | the legal proceeding by which a bankrupt person's assets are distributed among those to whom he or she owes debts |
| copyright | the exclusive, legal right of a person to reproduce, publish, and sell his or her own literary, musical, or artistic creations |
| patent | a license issued to an inventor granting the exclusive right to manufacture, use, or sell his or her invention for a limited period of time |
| eminent domain | the power of a government to take private property for public use |
| consensus | general agreement among various groups on fundamental matters; broad agreement on public questions |
| appropriates | assigns to a particular use |
| subpoena | an order for a person to appear and to produce documents or other requested materials |
| successor | a person who inherits a title or office |
| Speaker of the House | the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, chosen by and from the majority party in the House |
| president of the Senate | the presiding officer of a senate; in Congress, the Vice President of the United States; in a State's legislature, either the lieutenant governor or a Senator |
| president pro tempore | the member of the United States Senate, or of the upper house of a State's legislature, chosen to preside in the absence of the president of the Senate |
| floor leaders | members of the House and Senate picked by their parties to carry out party decisions and steer legislative action to meet party goals |
| party caucuses | closed meetings of a party's house or senate members; also called a party conference |
| majority leader | the floor leader of the party that holds the majority of seats in each house of Congress |
| minority leader | the floor leader of the party that holds the minority of seats in each house of Congress |
| whips | assistants to the floor leaders in the House and Senate, responsible for monitoring and marshaling votes |
| committee chairman | member who heads a standing committee in a legislative body |
| seniority rule | unwritten rule in both houses of Congress reserving the top posts in each chamber, particularly committee chairmanships, for members with the longest records of service |
| joint resolution | a proposal for action that has the force of law when passed; usually deals with special circumstances or temporary matters |
| concurrent resolution | a statement of position on an issue used by the House and Senate acting jointly; does not have the force of law and does not require the President's signature |
| resolution | a measure relating to the business of either house of Congress or expressing an opinion; does not have the force of law and does not require the President's signature |
| rider | unpopular provision added to an important bill certain to pass so it will "ride" through the legislative process |
| pigeonholed | expression describing how most bills introduced in each session of Congress are buried, put away, or never acted upon |
| discharge petition | enables members to force a bill that has remained in committee 30 days (7 for the Rules Committee) onto the floor for consideration |
| pocket veto | a type of veto a chief executive may use after a legislature has adjourned when the chief executive does not sign or reject a bill within the time allowed to do so |
Created by:
brittlloyd
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