Government: Chapter 7 Terms Daniel Vroman

1. bicameral legislature – A legislature divided into two houses; the US Congress and the state legislatures are bicameral except Nebraska which is unicameral
2. bill – A proposed law
3. casework – The process of solving constituents’ problems dealing with the bureaucracy
4. cloture – Motion requiring sixty senators to cut off debate
5. conference committee – Joint committee created to iron out differences between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation
6. congressional review – The process by which Congress can nullify an executive branch regulation by a resolution jointly passed in both houses within sixty days of announcement of the regulation and accepted by the president
7. delegate – Role played by elected representatives who vote the way their constituents would want them to, regardless of their own opinions.
8. discharge petition – petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee interaction
9. divided government – The political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress
10. filibuster – A formal way of halting action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate in the Senate
11. hold – A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor. This stops the bill from coming to the floor until the hold is removed
12. impeachment – The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice-president, or other “civil officers,” including federal judges, with “Treason Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” This is the first step in the constitutional process of removing such government officials from office
13. incumbency factor – The fact that being in office helps a person stay in office because of the variety of benefits that go with the position
14. legislative veto – A procedure by which one or both houses of congress can disallow an act of the president or executive agency by a simple majority vote; ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
15. line-item veto – The authority of a chief executive to delete part of a bill passed by the legislature that involves taxing and/or spending. The legislature may override a veto, usually with a two thirds majority of each chamber.
16. majority leader – The elected leader of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as the most powerful member.
17. majority party – The political party in each house of congress with the most members.
18. minority leader – The elected leader of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House or Senate
19. minority party – The political party in each house with the second most members
20. oversight – Congressional review of the activities of an agency, department, or office
21. party caucus or conference – A formal gathering of all party members
22. pocket veto – If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, without the president’s signature, the bill is considered vetoed
23. politico – Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue.
24. pork barrel – Legislation that allows representatives to “bring home the bacon” to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts directly
25. redistricting – The redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shift within the state
26. senatorial courtesy – A process by which presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the senator in whose state the vacancy occurs
27. speaker of the House – The only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; elected at the beginning of each new Congress by the entire House; traditionally a member of the majority party.
28. standing committee – Committee to which proposed bills are referred.
29. term limits – Restrictions that exist in some states about how long an individual may serve in state and/or local elected offices
30. trustee – Role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents’ opinions and then uses their best judgment to make final decisions
31. War Powers Act – Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period
32. whip – One of several representatives who keep close contact with all members and take “nose counts” on key votes, prepare summaries of bills, and in general act as communications links within the party.