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Legislative Branch
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Caucus | a meeting of party members who select the candidates to run for election |
| Incumbent | the person who is currently holding the office |
| Conference Committee | hammer out differences on a bill between the House and Senate |
| Joint Committee | special group formed from members of the House and Senate to address broad issues that affect both chambers |
| Filibuster | tactic used when opponents of a measure seek to prevent a vote from coming up in the Senate; talk a bill to death |
| Cloture | the vote to end debate of a bill in the Senate; need sixty votes |
| Gerrymandering | the drawing of district boundaries for political advantage |
| Reapportionment | the redistribution of seats in the house among the states based on the results of the census every 10 years |
| Seniority Rule | a rule in the U.S. Congress by which the member of the majority party who has served longest on a committee |
| Constituents | people of a particular geographic area who are represented by a lawmaking body |
| Appropriation | congressional act or bill that sets aside funds for a specific purpose |
| Impeachment | process of charging officials in the executive and judicial branches with wrongdoing and bringing them to trial |
| Partisan | people in Congress who vote according to party lines, what their party says |
| Bi-Partisan | agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies |
| Standing Committee | a permanent legislative committee that establishes various policies and provides legislative oversight. |
| Oversight | watchful and responsible care; regulatory supervision |