Chapter 13 Terms Flashcards
A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts.
Bicameral legislature
An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing Senate from taking action on the bill.
Filibuster
Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55% of the vote.
Marginal districts
Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55% or more.
Safe districts
An alliance between Republican and Conservative Democrats.
Conservative coalition
The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate.
Majority leader
The legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house or the senate.
Minority leader
A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking.
Whip
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of his or her party in the house.
Speaker
There are 2 measure of such voting. By the stricter measure, a party vote occurs when 90% or more of the Democrats in either house of congress vote together against 90% or more of Republicans. A looser measure counts as a party vote any case where at least 50% of the Democrats vote together against at least 50% of the Republicans.
Party vote
Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area.
Standing committees
Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.
Select committees
Committees on which both senators and representatives serve.
Joint committees
Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill.
Conference committee
An expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body.
Simple resolution
An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president.
Concurrent resolution
A formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president.
Joint resolution
A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor.
Discharge petition
An order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into bills on the floor.
Restrictive
An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor.
Closed rule
An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor.
Open rule
The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be constructed in Congress.
Quorum
Amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will “ride” to passage through the Congress. When a bill has many riders, it is called a Christmas-tree bill.
Riders
A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate.
Cloture rule
