Three Branches of Government Vocabuluary

standing committee/special committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area a temporary committee organized around a specific purpose. Also called a select committee or an ad hoc committee, a special committee is usually investigative in nature and lacks the authority to review legislation.

foreign policy

A policy that involves choice taking, like domestic policy, but additionally involves choices about relations with the rest of the world. The president is the chief initiator of foreign policy in the United States. A nation's overall plan for dealing with other nations

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.

executive order

A rule issued by the president that has the force of law

cabinet

Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.

legislative branch

Article 1 The Legislative Branch is the part of the government that writes up and votes on laws, also called legislation. Other powers of the Congress include declaring war, confirming Presidential appointments for groups like the Supreme Court and the Cabinet, and investigating power. House of Representatives.

executive branch

Article 2 The executive branch of our Government is in charge of making sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch. The President gets help from the Vice President, department heads (called Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies.

judicial branch

Article 3 The third branch of government is the Judicial branch. The Judiciary is made up of courts -- Supreme, Circuit, the magistrate (local) and municipal (city) courts. The Judicial branch interprets the laws. The state judges are elected by the citizens rather than being appointed.

concurrent powers

Concurrent powers are powers in nations with a federal system of government that are shared by both the federal government and each constituent political unit (such as a state or province).

reserved powers

In comparative federalism and comparative constitutionalism reserved powers or residual powers are those powers which are not "enumerated" (written down, assigned).

inherent powers

Inherent powers are those powers that Congress and the president need in order to get the job done right. Although not specified in the Constitution, they are reasonable powers that are a logical part of the powers delegated to Congress and the president.

popular sovereignty

Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people's rule is the principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives (Rule by the People), who are the source of all political power.

delegated powers

The Delegated Powers, also called the Enumerated Powers, are the powers of Congress established in section eight of Article I of the US Constitution. There are nineteen such powers.

necessary & proper

The Necessary and Proper Clause is as follows: The Congress shall have Power ... To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

exclusive powers

The federal government and state governments have certain exclusive and shared powers. This system of dividing responsibilities is called Federalism. Exclusive federal government powers means that the states cannot make laws or decisions relating to them.

expressed/enumerated powers

The powers of the federal government that are specifically described in the Constitution are sometimes called 'delegated' or 'expressed powers,' but most often they are known as 'enumerated powers,' and they describe how a central government with three distinct branches can operate effectively.

majority leader /minority leader

The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House or the party's manager in the Senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the party's legislative positions. The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

rule of law

The rule of law is the legal principle that law should govern a nation, as opposed to being governed by arbitrary decisions of individual government officials.

checks and balances

The system of checks and balances is used to keep the government from getting too powerful in one branch. For example, the Executive Branch can veto bills from the Legislative Branch, but the Legislative Branch can override the veto.

implied powers

This "Necessary and Proper Clause" (sometimes also called the "Elastic Clause") grants Congress a set of so-called implied powers—that is, powers not explicitly named in the Constitution but assumed to exist due to their being necessary to implement the expressed powers that are named in Article I.

bill

a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

Amendment

a minor change in a document.

"Elastic Clause"

a statement in the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8) granting Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers.

separation of powers

an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies.

pardon/reprieve/amnesty

the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense.

federalism

the federal principle or system of government.

regulation of immigration/reg. of trade

which of the following is not a power of state government