Congress

Front 1

Incumbents

Back 1

those individuals who already hold office, incumbents usually win

Front 2

Casework

Back 2

activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get

Front 3

Pork barrel

Back 3

federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district

Front 4

Bicameral legislature

Back 4

a legislature divided into two houses, all state legislatures except Nebraska's are bicameral

Front 5

House Rules Committee

Back 5

the committee in the House of Representatives that reviews most 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 use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill, 60 members present and voting can halt a filibuster on legislation

Front 7

Speaker of the House

Back 7

an office mandated by the Constitution, chosen by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line (after the Vice President) to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant

Front 8

Majority leader

Back 8

the principal partisan ally of the Speaker or the majority party's manager in the Senate, responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party's legislative positions

Front 9

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 the passage of a bill favored by the party

Front 10

Minority leader

Back 10

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

Front 11

Standing committee

Back 11

committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas

Front 12

Joint committee

Back 12

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

Front 13

Conference committee

Back 13

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms, appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill

Front 14

Select committee

Back 14

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

Front 15

Legislative oversight

Back 15

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

Front 16

Committee chairs

Back 16

have important influence on the congressional agenda, play a dominant role 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 1970's, the member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled the chamber became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence

Front 18

Caucus

Back 18

a group of members of Congress sharing some interest of characteristic, many are composed of both parties and from both houses

Front 19

Bill

Back 19

a proposed law, drafted in legal language, anyone can draft if, but only a member of Congress can submit a bill for consideration