Chapter 13 Congress

Front 1

Appropriations

Back 1

congress's power in budget making that states the actual amount available in a fiscal year for each program that it has authorized

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Authorization

Back 2

Legislative permission that states the maximum amount of money available for setting up a government program

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Bi-cameral Legislature

Back 3

a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

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Caucuses

Back 4

groupings of members of Congress sharing the same interests or points of view

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"Christmas-tree-bill"

Back 5

a bill with many riders that individual senators try to attach their favorite ideas or benefits to their states.

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Closed rules

Back 6

sets strict time limits on debates and forbids amendments from the floor, except those from the presenting committee

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Open rules

Back 7

permits amendments and often has less strict time limits, allowing for input from other members

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cloture rule

Back 8

rule used by Senate to end or limit debate in which three-fifths of the entire Senate membership must vote to stop debate

Front 9

Conference committees

Back 9

a joint committee appointed to selove differences when the House and the Senate cannot resolve similar bills through informal agreements; members are selected from both the House and the Senate

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Conservative coaltion

Back 10

an alliance between Republican and conservative Democrats

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discharge petition

Back 11

a device used by House, which any committe can use after 30 days to bring a bill to the floor

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"elastic clause"

Back 12

allowed the government to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by the Constitution

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filibuster

Back 13

the practice of talking a bill to death Senators may speak for as long as they wish,

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franking privilege

Back 14

ability of memeber to mail letters to constituents free of charge

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gerrymandering

Back 15

District boundaries are drawn in strange ways in order to make it easy for the candidate of one party to win election in that district

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incumbency

Back 16

the person currently holding office that has certain advantages

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joint committees

Back 17

similar purposes to select committees, but they consist of members from both the House and Senate. They are set up to conduct business between the houses and to help focus public attention on major issues

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logrolling

Back 18

a legislator supporting a proposal favored by another in return for support of theirs.

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majority leader of House

Back 19

Speaker of the House is the most important leadership position in the House
•recognizing members who wish to speak
•ruling on questions of parliamentary procedure
•appointing members to select and conference committees
•directs business on the floor
•exercising political and behind-the-scenes influence
•appointing members of the committees who appoint members to standing committees
•exercising substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees appointing the party's legislative leaders

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majority leader of Senate

Back 20

is often the most influential person in the Senate, and has the right to be the first senator heard on the floor; determines the Senate's agenda and usually has much to say about committee assignments; may consult with the minority leader in setting the agenda.

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malapportionment

Back 21

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so they are unequal in population

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"marking up"

Back 22

bill that is changed or rewritten

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minority leader of House

Back 23

legislative elected by party members holding minority seats in House

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minority leader of Senate

Back 24

legislative elected by party members holding minority seats in Senate

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pigeonholding

Back 25

a system for classifying things into groups; bills who are forgottened and never make it out of committee

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pork barrel legislation

Back 26

bills may be passed for frivolous reasons.

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president pro tempore

Back 27

usually the most senior member in the party in Senate; is the official chair, but since the job has no real powers,

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quorum

Back 28

minumum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress.

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revenue bills

Back 29

bills that must originate in the House of Representatives.

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select committees

Back 30

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and certain purpose

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seniority system

Back 31

in which the member with the longest continuous service on the committee was placed automatically in the chairmanship

Front 32

speaker of the house

Back 32

most important leadership position in the House; has held other leadership positions and is a senior member of the party.

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standing committees

Back 33

permanetly established committees that consider legislation witin a certain subject area.

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term limits

Back 34

believe that popular control of the idea that Congress has weakened and that members may become dictatorial or unresponsive to their constituents due to these

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whip

Back 35

Assisting each floor leader; serve as go-betweens for the members and the leadership. They inform members when important bills will come up for a vote, do nose-counts for the leadership, and pressure members to support the leadership.