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16 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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116th Congress |
The congress elected in November 2018, meeting in 2019-2020. The first congress met in 1789-1790. Each congress is elected for two years and numbered consecutively. |
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Floor |
The full chamber, either in the House or the Senate. A bill “goes to the floor” for the final debate and vote, usually after approval by one or more committees. |
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Legislative Hold |
An informal way for a senator to object to a bill or other measure. The action effectively halts senate proceedings on that issue, sometimes for weeks or longer. |
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Filibuster |
Rule unique to the U.S. Senate that allows any senator to hold the floor indefinitely and thereby delay a vote on a bill ended only when 60 senators vote for cloture. |
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Congressional caucus |
A Group of House or Senate members who convene regularly to discuss common interests; they may share political outlook, race, gender, or geography. |
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Reapportionment |
Reorganization of the boundaries of House districts, a process that follows the results of the U.S. census, taken every ten years. District lines are redrawn to ensure rough equality in the number of constituents represented by each House member. |
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Speaker of the House |
The chief administrative officer in the House of Representatives |
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President pro tempore |
Majority party senator with the longest Senate service |
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Earmark |
A legislative item usually included in spending (“appropriations”) bills that directs congress to fund a particular item in a district or state. |
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Committee hearing |
A way for committees to gather information and gauge members’ support for legislation. Hearings usually feature witnesses who submit testimony, make an oral presentation, and answer questions from members of Congress. |
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Committee markup session |
A gathering of a full committee to draft the final version of a bill before the committee votes on it |
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Unanimous consent |
A senate requirement, applied to most of that body’s business, that all senators agree before an action can proceed. |
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Cloture vote |
The Senate’s only approved method for halting a filibuster or lifting a legislative hold. If 60 senators - 3/5ths of the body, changed in 1975 from the original 2/3rds - vote for cloture, the measure can proceed to a vote. |
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Voice Vote |
A congressional vote in which the presiding officer asks those for and against to say “yea” or “nay”, respectively, and announces the result. No record is kept of House or Senate members voting on each side |
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Roll call vote |
A congressional vote in which each member’s vote is recorded, either by roll call in the Senate or electronically in the House |
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Veto |
The constitutional procedure by which a president can prevent enactment of legislation passed by congress |
