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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Executive order
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An order to personnel or agencies in the executive branch, issued by the president, that has the force of law, based either on the constitutional powers of the presidency or on congressional statutes.
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Pocket Veto
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Rejection of a bill if the president takes no action on it for 10 days and Congress has adjourned during that period.
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Mark up
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The process of revising a bill in committee.
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Joint Committees
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Congressional committees with members from both the House and the Senate.
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Hopper
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The box in the House of Representatives in which proposed bills are placed.
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Electoral College
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Elected representatives of the states whose votes formally elect the President of the US; the number of electors in each state is equal to the total number of its senators and representatives in the House and are almost always cast in a block for the candidate who wins a plurality of the vote in a state in the quadrennial presidential election.
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Select Committees
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Temporary committees in Congress created to conduct studies or investigations; they have no power to report bills.
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Advocacy Group
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An interest group organized to support a cause or ideology.
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Lobbyist
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A person who attempts to influence the behavior of public officials on behalf of an interest group.
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Filibuster
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A parliamentary device used in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote by "talking it to death," made possible by the norm of unlimited debate.
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Cloture
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A vote to end a filibuster; requires the votes of three-fifths of the membership of the Senate.
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Partisan
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A commited supporter of a political party; seeing issues from the point of view of a single party.
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Gridlock
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A situation in which things cannot get done in Washington, usually because of divided government.
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Enumerated powers
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Powers of the federal govenment specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
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Constituency
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The district of a legislator.
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Redistricting
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The redrawing of congressional district lines within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district.
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Gerrymandering
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Redrawing electoral district lines to give an advantage to a particular party or candidate.
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Whip
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A political party member in Congress charged with keeping members informed of the plans of the party leadership, counting votes before action on important issues, and rounding up party members for votes on bills.
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Elastic Clause
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Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, also called the necessary and proper clause; gives Congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated responsibilites.
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Proportional Representation
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The awarding of legislative seats to political parties to reflect the proportion of the popular vote each party receives.
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Franchise
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The legal right to vote.
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Primary election
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Statewide elections in which voters choose delegates to the national party conventions; normally, all delegates are pledged to a specific candidate for the party's nomination.
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Standing Committees
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Relatively permanent congressional committees that adress specific areas of legislation.
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Incumbent
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A person who is currently in office.
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Pork barrel
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Projects designed to bring to the constituency jobs and public money for which the members of Congress can claim credit.
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