Chapter 12 Key Terms

Front 1

Incumbents

Back 1

those already holding office. In congressional elections, incumbents usually win.

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Casework

Back 2

the activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.

Front 3

porkbarrel

Back 3

mighty list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges, and institutions available in a congressional district.

Front 4

bicameral legislature

Back 4

a legislature divided into two houses. The U.S. Congress and every American state legislature except Nebraska’s are bicameral

Front 5

House Rules Committee

Back 5

an institution unique to the House of Representatives that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a House committee before they go to the full House.

Front 6

Filibuster

Back 6

a strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation tried to talk it to death, based on the tradition of unlimited debate. Today, 60 members present and voting can halt one of these.

Front 7

Speaker of the House

Back 7

an office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal parties, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.

Front 8

majority leader

Back 8

the principal partisan ally of the speaker of the house or the parties manager in the Senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the parties legislative positions.

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Whips

Back 9

party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

Front 10

minority leader

Back 10

the principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

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standing committees

Back 11

separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

Front 12

joint committees

Back 12

congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses

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conference committees

Back 13

congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House passed a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

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select committees

Back 14

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

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legislative oversight

Back 15

Congress’s monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.

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committee chairs

Back 16

the most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full House.

Front 17

seniority system

Back 17

a simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. The members who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled Congress became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence.

Front 18

Caucus

Back 18

a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Most are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.

Front 19

Bill

Back 19

a proposed law, drafted imprecise, legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit the bill for consideration.