Unit 11 vocabulary words 

Attitudinal view of representation

 

The view which states that a congressmen vote in alignment with their

ideologies 

Bicameral legislature 

A legislature that comprises of two

chambers 

Caucus (congressional) 

A meeting held by the House or Senate or both to discuss and

possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for

its members 

Christmas tree bill 

A bill on the Senate floor that attracts many, often unrelated,

floor amendments 

Closed rule 

A rule granted by the House Rules Committee

that prohibits amendments to a

particular bill during House floor action. Under a "closed rule" the House

must either accept or reject the bill as

recommended by the sponsoring committee.

 

Committee of the whole 

A committee of all members of a legislature that meets to discuss a

certain issue or bill 

Concurrent resolution 

Legislation adopted by both Chambers to express the position of Congress. As such a resolution does not have the signature of the President; it does not

have the force of law. 

Conference committee 

A temporary panel of House and Senate negotiators. A conference committee is created to resolve differences between versions of similar House and Senate bills.

Congress 

The legislature of the United States government, comprised of the House of Representatives and the

Senate. 

Congressional budget office

 

Provides Congress with objective, timely, non-

partisan analysis needed for economic and budget decisions and to provide

the information and estimates required for the

Congressional budget process.

 

Congressional research service

A term for the Library of Congress’s response to

requests for general information and issue

analysis from Members, Committees, or staff.

 

Conservative coalition 

A coalition in American politics bringing together Republicans

(most of whom were conservatives) and the minority of conservative Democrats, most of them from the

South. The coalition largely controlled Congress from 1937 to 1964 and continued as a potent force until the mid-1980s, when

reforms designed at strengthening the Democratic

party leadership in the United States House of Representatives

came to fruition.

 

Descriptive representation 

Descriptive representation, sometimes

called passive representation or symbolic representation, is the idea

that candidates in democratic elections should be elected to represent

ethnic and gender constituencies, as well as other minority interest groups, rather than the population at large. According to this

idea, an elected body should resemble a

representative sample of the voters they are meant to

represent concerning outward characteristics - a constituency of 50% women

and 20% blacks, for example, should have 50% female and 20%

black legislators. 

Discharge petition 

A petition to force a bill out of committee.

Requires a majority vote. 

Division vote 

Requires members of the House or Senate to stand or raise their hand to be

counted, the chair counts the ayes then the nays,

names are not recorded. A division vote is used when the results of a voice vote

are in doubt. 

Double-tracking 

A method to keep the Senate going during a filibuster, whereby a

disputed bill is temporarily shelved so that the Senate

can go on with other business.

 

Filibuster 

An extended debate in the Senate which has the effect of preventing a

vote. 

Franking privileges 

A privilege allowing members to send official

mail using his/her signature instead of a

stamp. 

General accounting office 

The GAO audits federal agencies and programs for

Congress 

Gerrymandering 

A process in which a voting district is broken up or the physical boundaries

of a voting district are changed in order to make it easier for one political

party to win future elections. The term

gerrymander was coined in 1812 when a county in

Massachusetts was redistricted into a

salamander-like shape by Gov. Elbridge Gerry for

political purposes. His last name was combined with the word salamander to

get "gerrymander." 

Honoraria 

Payments to an individual in recognition of a special service or distinguished achievement for which

custom or propriety forbids any fixed price to

be set. 

Joint committee 

A committee comprised of both members of the

House and Senate. There are joint committees on

the library, on printing, on taxation, and the joint economic committee

 

Joint resolution 

JOINT RESOLUTIONS are used to pose constitutional

amendments, to fix technical errors, or to

appropriate. They become public law if adopted by

both the House and Senate and, where

relevant, approved by the president. In terms of

Constitutional amendments, they must

be approved by 3/4 of the states.

 

Majority leader 

An official elected by the majority party members in

the House or Senate to lead them, to promote passage of the party's issue priorities, and to coordinate legislative

efforts with the Minority Leader, the other

chamber, and the White House. The Majority

Leader also seeks unity among Members on the policy positions taken by the party, and works to

put together coalitions to create voting majorities.

 

Majority-minority districts 

Districts with a majority of residents who are part of

an ethnic minority. 

Malapportionment 

The creation of congressional districts in a state which are of unequal size. The Supreme Court in

1964 eliminated the practice by requiring that

all districts in a state contain about the same

number of people. 

Marginal districts 

A congressional district in which the winner of the

general election gets less than 55 percent of the

vote. Such districts could easily switch to the other party in the next election.

 

Mark-up 

A meeting of a Committee held to review the text of a bill before reporting it

out. Committee members offer and vote on

proposed changes to the bill's language, known as amendments. Most mark-

ups end with a vote to send the new version of

the bill to the floor for final approval.

 

Minority leader 

An official elected by the minority party members in

the House or Senate to lead them, to promote passage of the party's issue priorities, and to coordinate legislative

efforts with the Minority Leader, the other

chamber, and the White House. The Majority

Leader also seeks unity among Members on the policy positions taken by the party, and works to

put together coalitions to create voting majorities.

  

Multiple referral 

The process of sending legislation to be

considered by more than one committee.

 

Open rule 

A rule allowing all relevant amendments to be offered

to a bill, without any restrictions.

 

Organizational view of representation

 

The theory of congressional voting

behavior which assumes that members make

voting decisions to please fellow members and

obtain their goodwill. Such behavior is possible since constituents seldom know how their representatives

vote. Members vote by following cues provided by

colleagues. 

Parliament 

A legislative assembly. 

Party unity vote 

A vote that pits a majority of one party against a

majority of the opposite party.

 

Pork-barrel legislation 

It comes from the plantation practice of

distributing rations of salt pork to slaves from

wooden barrels. When used to describe a bill, it implies the legislation is

loaded with special projects for Members of Congress to distribute to their constituents back

home as an act of largesse, courtesy of the

federal taxpayer. 

President pro temporeb 

The senator who presides over the Senate in the

absence of the Vice Preisdent. The position is usually given to the most

senior senator of the majority party.

 

Private billA bill introduced on behalf of an individual citizen for a limited and unique purpose. If enacted

by both the House & Senate and approved by the president, they become private, not public, law

 

Public bill

A Bill dealing with public general interests. Most

legislation passed by the House are public Bills.

 

Quorum 

The number of members who must be present

before business may be conducted. A quorum in the House requires the presence of 218, while

100 are needed in Committee of the Whole. A quorum in the Senate

requires the prescence of 51 senators. Unless

challenged by a point of order, the Senate

conducts daily business without a quorum present.

Quorum call 

A Quorum Call seeks to bring a majority of

members to the floor to record their presence.

 

Representational view of representation

 

Representation based on population. States with more citizens receive

more votes. 

Restrictive rule 

Consent from the Rules Committee of the House of

Representatives which permits certain

amendments to a piece of legislation but not others.

 

Rider 

A Rider is an amendment attached to a bill, usually

unrelated to the subject of the underlying bill. Its

sponsor tries to "ride" it to passage on the strength of the original bill. Riders are

permitted in the Senate and are routine. House

rules ban riders unless an exception is made.

 

Roll-call vote 

A vote on the record, noting the name of each member and his voting

position 

Rules committee 

The Committee on Rules, or (more commonly) Rules

Committee, is a committee of the United

States House of Representatives. Rather

than being responsible for a specific area of policy,

as most other committees are, it is in charge of

determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor. As such, it is one of the most powerful committees, and often described as "an arm of

the leadership". 

Safe district 

A congressional district in which the winner of the general election gets a

majority of the vote, increasing the chance of

reelection. 

Select committee 

A Select Committee is formed for a specific

purpose and usually for a limited period of time.

 

Senatorial courtesy 

The practice of consulting home-state senators on a

nomination.The Senate rarely confirms presidential appointments

if the nominee's own senators disapprove.

 

Sequential referral  

The practice of sending a bill to more than one

congressional committee for consideration and doing so in an ordered

sequence. Sometimes a date is attached to a

sequential referral. This obligates the first

committee designated to finish its consideration by that date or the bill will be automatically discharged and sent to the second,

and subsequent committees, if named in

the original referral. 

Seventeenth amendment 

Clause 1. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for

six years; and each Senator shall have one

vote. The electors in each State shall have the

qualifications requisite for electors of the most

numerous branch of the State legislatures.

Clause 2. When vacancies happen in the

representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of each State shall issue

writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided That

the legislature of any State may empower the

executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the

vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.Clause 3. This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or

term of any Senator chosen before it becomes

valid as part of the Constitution.

 

Simple resolution 

Used to take action on behalf of only one

chamber or to give its non-binding opinion. It does not become law.

Uses include modifying or proposing an internal rule,

or creating a new committee.

Sophomore surge 

An increase in the number of votes candidates

receive between the first time elected and their first

time reelected. 

Speaker of the house 

The presiding officer in the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party in the

House. 

Standing committees 

A permanent commit in either the House or

Senate, otherwise a select committee is temporary depending on the case.

 

Teller vote 

A vote in which members turn in signed index cards: green for yea and red for

nay. 

Voice vote 

A vote that requires only an oral "aye" or "no"

 

Whip

A legislator appointed by the party to enforce

discipline