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Chapter Four Vocab
Vocabulary from chapter four AP Gov.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pork Barrel Spending | Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states |
| Logrolling | Trading of cotes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation |
| Oversight | Efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their offiicals, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals |
| Constituency | A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator |
| Apportionment | The process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data |
| Redistricting | States' redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census |
| Gerrymandering | The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest of group of voters |
| Partisan Gerrymandering | Drawing district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party |
| Majority-Minority District | A district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district |
| Apportionment | The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts |
| Incumbency | Being already in office as opposed to running for the first time |
| Incumbency Advantage | Institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election |
| Speaker Of The House | The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members |
| Political Action Committee (PAC) | An organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns |
| House Majority Leader | The person who is the second in command in the House of Representatives |
| Whip | A member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline |
| Minority Leader | The head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party's members |
| Senate Majority Leader | The person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats |
| Committee Chair | Leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee's agenda |
| Discharge Petition | A motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote |
| House Rule Committee | Powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether the amendments will be allowed on the floor |
| Committee Of The Whole | Consists of all members of the house and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation |
| Hold | A delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill |
| Unanimous Consent Agreement | Ann agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill |
| Filibuster | A tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation |
| Cloture | A procedure through which senators can end a filibuster and proceed to action, provided 60 senators to is |
| Veto | The power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections |
| Office Of Management And Budget (OMB) | The executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities |
| Entitlement Program | A program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income |
| Mandatory Spending | Spending required by existing laws that is "locked in" the budget |
| Discretionary Spending | Spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president |
| Budget Surplus | The amount of money remaining when the government takes in more than it spends |
| Budget Deficit | The annual shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends |
| National Debt | The total amount of money owed by the federal government |
| Delegate Role | The idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out the constituents' wishes |
| Trustee Role | The idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement |
| Politico Role | Representation where members of Congress Balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions |
| Bipartisanship | Agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation |
| Gridlock | A slowdown or halt in Congress' ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship |
| Divided Government | Control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress Split between the two major parties |
| Lame Duck Period | Period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees |