Ap Gov Flash Cards From Chapter 11 Of American Government Institutions And Policies

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bicameral legislature

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A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts. The US congress is a _____ _______ composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives

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congressional caucus

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an association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional, ethnic or economic interest

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christmas tree bill

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a bill with a lot of riders

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cloture rule

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a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate. Designed to prevent "talking a bil to death" by filibuster.

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concurrent resolution

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an expression of congressional opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of bothe the House and Senate but not the president. Used to settle housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses.

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conference committee

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a committee made up of representatives and senators appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same piece of legislation before final passage

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conservative coalition

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and alliance between republicans and conservative democrats

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descriptive representation

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a correspondence between the demographic and characteristics of representative and those of their constituents

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discharge petition

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a device by which any member of he House, after a committee has had a bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor. If a majority of the members agree, the bill is discharged from the committee. the discharge petition was designed to prevent a committee from killing a bill by holding it for too long

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division vote

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a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

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double-tracking

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a procedure to keep the senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business

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filibuster

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an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action of the bill

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franking privilege

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the ability of members on congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature (frank) for postage

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joint committees

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committees on which both representatives and senators serve.

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joint resolution

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a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president. Joint resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment need not be signed byt he president

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majority leader

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the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate

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majority-minority districts

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congressional districts designed to make it easier for citizens of a racial or ethnic minority to elect representatives

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marginal districts

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political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically with less that 55% of the vote

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minority leader

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the legislative leader elected by part members holding a minority of seat in the House of Representatives ore the Senate

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multiple referrals

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a congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several committees that consider it simultaneously in whole or in part. For instance, the 1988 trade bill was considered by fourteen committees in the House and nine in the Senate simultaneously

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open rule

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an order from the House Rules committee that permits a bill to be amended on the legislative floor

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party polarization

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a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators

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pork-barrel legislation

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legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

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private bill

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a legislative bill that deals only with specific, private, personal, or local matters rather than with general legislative affairs. The main kinds include immigration and naturalization bills and personal claim bills

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public bill

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a legislative bill that deals with mattrs of general concern. a bill involving defense expenditures is a public bill; a bill pertaining to an individual's becoming a naturalized citizen is not

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quorum

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the minimum number of members who must e present for business to be conducted in congress

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quorum call

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a calling of the roll in either house of Congress to see whether the number of representatives in attendance meets the minimum number required to conduct official business

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restrictive rule

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an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the legislative floor

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rider

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an amendment on a matter unrelated to a bill that is added to the bill so that it will "ride" to passage through the Congress

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roll-call vote

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a congressional voting procedure that consists of members anwering "yea" or "nay" to their names. When roll calls were handled orally, it was a time-consuming process in the House. since 1973 an electronic voting system permits each house member to record his or her vote and learn the total automatically

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safe districts

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districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55% percent or more

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select committees

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congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

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sequential referral

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a congressional process by which a Speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting, or may refer parts of a bill to separate committees

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simple resolutions

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an expression of opinion either in the House of Representatives or the Senate to settle housekeeping or procedural matters in either body. Such expressions are not signed by the president and do not have the force of law

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standing committees

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permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area. Examples are the House Ways and means Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee

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substantive representation

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the correspondence between representatives' opinions and those of their constituents

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teller vote

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a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and then the "nays." Since 1971 the identities of members in a teller vote cal be "recorded"

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voce vote

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a congressional voting procedure in which members shout "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval; allows members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills

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whip

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a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking, rounds up members when important votes are to be taken, and attempts to keep a nose count on how the voting on controversial issues is likely to go