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ch 4 vocab
american govt. ch 4 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Delegates | representatives; members of Congress who cast votes based on the wishes of their constituents |
| trustees | lawmakers who votes based on his or her conscience and judgment, not the views of his or her constituents |
| partisans | lawmakers who owe his/her first allegiance to his/her political party and votes according to the party time |
| 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 |
| term | two-year period of time during which Congress meets |
| session | period of time during which, each year, Congress assembles and conducts business |
| convene | to begin a new session of Congress |
| adjourn | suspend, as in a session of Congress |
| recess | a time when both houses of Congress temporarily suspend business |
| prorogue | adjourn, as in a legislative session |
| special session | an extraordinary session of a legislative body, called to deal with an emergency situation |
| franking privilege | benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free |
| Luther Patrick | U.S. Representative from Alabama during 1937-1943; was also a lawyer and entertainer of poetry and radio |
| Nancy pelosi | The first woman do be elected Minority Whip, and the first woman elected Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| harry truman | President who called the most recent special session in 1948 to consider anti-inflation and welfare measures in the aftermath of World War II. |
| federalism | system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central government and several regional governments |
| division of powers | assigning some powers to the federal government and others to the States |
| delegated powers | powers granted by the Constitution |
| expressed powers | powers specified clearly in the Constitution |
| inherent powers | powers that belong to all independent national governments |
| reserved powers | powers not given to the national government or denied to the States |
| exclusive powers | powers that can only be used by the national government |
| concurrent powers | powers shared by the national and State governments |
| Supremacy Clause | the provision declaring the Constitution to be the supreme law of the land |