AP Gov. Ch. 11 Vocab

Conference Committee

A committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in a different form.

Joint Committee

A committee composed of members of both the House and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.

Special or Select Committee

A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation.

Seniority Rule

A legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member os the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee.

Party caucus

A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the Republicans.

Standing Committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area.

Discharge Petition

A petition that, if signed be a majority of the members of the House, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.

Filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

Open rule

A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.

Closed rule

A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments.

Cloture

A procedure for terminating debate especially filibusters, in the Senate.

Rider

A provision attached to a bill- which it may or may not be related- in order to secure its passage or defeat.

Pocket Veto

A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for 10 days, the bill does not become law and is not returned to Congress for possible override.

Override

An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring 2/3 majority in each chamber.

Safe Seat

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted.

President pro tempore

An officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president.

Earmarks

Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.

Reapportionment

The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.

Incumbent

The current office holder of elected office.

Gerrymandering

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

Majority Leader

The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line.

Minority Leader

The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition

Whip

The party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature.

Speaker

The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party.

Bicameralism

The principle of two house legislature.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Constituents

The residents of a congressional district or state.

enumerated powers

the power explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution