Gov- Chp 12 Vocab

Front 1

casework

Back 1

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 2

pork barrel

Back 2

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

Front 3

House Rules Committee

Back 3

an institution unique to the House of Representatives that reviews all bills coming from a House committee before they go to the full House

Front 4

filibuster

Back 4

a strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation try to talk it to death, based on the tradition of unlimited debate

Front 5

Speaker of the House

Back 5

the Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant

Front 6

majority leader

Back 6

the principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House or the party's wheel horse in the Senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the party's legislative positions

Front 7

whips

Back 7

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 8

minority leader

Back 8

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

Front 9

legislative oversight

Back 9

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

Front 10

committee chairs

Back 10

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