| A | B |
|---|
| Speaker of the House | presiding officer of the House of Representatives chosen by and from the majority party in House |
| president of the Senate | presiding officer of the Senate; Vice President...lieutenant governor or a senator |
| President pro tempore | member of US Senate chosen to preside in absence of th President of the Senate |
| party caucus | a closed meeting of a Party's House or Senate members; "a party conference" |
| floor leader | members of House and Senate picked by their parties to carry out party decisions and steer legislative action to meet party goals |
| whip | assistants to floor leaders in House and Senate responsible for monitoring and marshalling votes |
| committee chairman | member who heads a standing committee in a legislative body |
| seniority rule | unwritten rule in 2 houses of Congress reserving TOP POSTS in each chamber, esp. committee chairmanships, for members with longest records of service |
| standing committee | permanent committee of a legistaive body to which bills in a specific suject-matter area are referred |
| select committee | legislative committee created for a limited time and for some specific purpose: "special committee" |
| joint committee | legislative committee composed of members of BOTH HOUSES |
| conference committee | temporary joint committee created to RECONCILE differences between 2 Houses' version of a bill |
| bill | a proposed law presented to a legislative body for consideration |
| joint resolution | a proposal for action that has force of the law when passed |
| concurrent resolution | statement of a position on an issue used by jointly acting House and Senate, DOES NOT have force of the law; DOES NOT require President's signature |
| resolution | a measure relating to the business of either house: DOES NOT have force of the law; DOES NOT require President's signature |
| rider | unpopular provision added to an important bill certain to pass or "RIDE THRU" the legislative process |
| discharge petition | proceedure enabling members to force a bill that has been PIGEONholed in committee ONTO THE FLOOR for consideration |
| subcommittee | division of an existing committee that is formed to address specific issues |
| Committee of the Whole | a committee that consists of an entire legislative body |
| quorum | least no. of members that must be preset for a legislative body to conduct business; majority |
| engrossed | to print a bill in its final form |
| filibuster | long speeches aimed at defeating a billby preventing a final vote in legislative body |
| cloture | proceedure that may be used to limit or end floor debate |
| veto | Chief exectutive's power to reject abill passed by a legislature: LATIN " I FORBID" |
| pocket veto | when chief executive does not sign or reject a bill within the time allowed to do so |
