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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is Appropriation?
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The passage, by Congress, of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that actually will be allocated for an agency's use.
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What is Bicameralism?
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The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies.
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What is Casework?
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Personal work for constituents by members of Congress.
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What is Conference Committee?
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A special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two chambers of Congress in different forms.
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What is Constituent?
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One of the persons represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official.
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What is Continuing Resolution?
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A temporary funding law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has not been decided by the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1.
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What is Discharge Petition?
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A procedure by which a bill in the House of Representatives may be forced out of a committee that has refused to report it for consideration by the House. The petition must be signed by an absolute majority of representatives and is used only on rare occasions.
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What are Earmarks?
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Funding appropriations that are specifically designated for a named project in a member's state or district.
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What is Enumerated Power?
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A power significantly granted to the national government by the Constitution. The first 17 clauses of Article 1, Section 8, specify most of the enumerated powers of Congress.
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What is Filibuster?
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The use of the Senate's tradition of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.
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What is Fiscal Year?
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A 12-month period that is used for bookkeeping or accounting purposes. Usually, the fiscal year does not coincide with the calendar year. For example, the federal government's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
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What is Franking?
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A policy that enables members of Congress to send material through the mail by substituting their facsimile signature (frank) for postage.
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What is Gerrymandering?
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The drawing of legislative district boundary lines to obtain partisan or factional advantage. A district is said to be gerrymandered when its shape is manipulated by the dominant party in the state legislature to maximize electoral strength at the expense of the minority party.
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What is Instructed Delegate?
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A legislator who is an agent of the voters who elected him or her and who votes according to the views of constituents regardless of personal beliefs.
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What is Joint Committee?
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A legislative committee composed of members from both chambers of Congress.
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What is Majority Leader of The House?
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A legislative position held by an important party member in the House of Representatives. The majority leader is selected by the majority party in caucus or conference to foster cohesion among party members and to act a spokesperson for the majority party in the House.
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What is Minority Leader of The House?
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The party leader elected by the minority party in the House.
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What is Oversight?
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The process by which Congress follows up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered in the way Congress intended.
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What is Pork?
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Special projects or appropriations that are intended to benefit a member's district or state, slang term for earmarks.
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What is President Pro Tempore?
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The temporary presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.
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What is Reapportionment?
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The allocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state after each census.
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What is Redistricting?
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The redrawing of the boundaries of the congressional districts within each state.
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What is Rules Committee?
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A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the House.
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What is Safe Seat?
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A district that returns a legislature with 55 percent of the vote or more.
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What is Senate Majority Leader?
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The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy.
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What is Senate Minority Leader?
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The party officer in the Senate who commands the minority party's opposition to the policies of the majority party and directs the legislative program and strategy of his or her party.
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What is the Speaker of the House?
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The presiding officer in the House of Representatives. The Speaker is always a member of the majority party and is the most powerful and influential member of the House.
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What is the Standing Committee?
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A permanent committee in the House or Senate that considers bills within a certain subject area.
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What is Trustee?
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A legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.
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What is Whip?
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A member of Congress who aids the majority or minority leader of the House or the Senate.
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