| A | B |
|---|
| Bicameral | Two part body |
| Census | Population count taken by the Census Bureau |
| Constituent | People represented |
| Gerrymander | An oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group |
| Majority Party | Political party to which more than half the members belong |
| Minority Party | Political party to which less than half the members belong |
| Standing Committee | The permanent committees that continue their work from session to session |
| Seniority | Years of service |
| Expressed Powers | Specific powers |
| Implied Powers | Not stated explicitly in the Constitution |
| Elastic Clause | Has allowed Congress to stretch its power to create an air force written in the Constitution |
| Impeach | To accuse officials of misconduct in office |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | A court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person |
| Bill of Attainder | Laws that punish a person without a jury trial |
| Ex Post Facto Law | Laws that make an act a crime after the act has been committed |
| Franking Privilege | Senators and representatives can send job-related mail without paying postage |
| Lobbyist | People hired by private groups to influence government decision makers |
| Casework | Members of Congress spend a lot of time acting as troubleshooters lllfor people from their home district or state who request help in dealing with the federal government |
| Pork-Barrel Project | Government projects and grants that primarily benefit the home district or state |
| Joint Resolution | Passed by both houses of Congress, and become laws if signed by the president |
| Special-Interest Group | Organizations made up of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions |
| Rider | Completely unrelated amendments |
| Filibuster | To talk a bill to death |
| Cloture | Procedure where no member of Senate may speak for more than one hour |
| Voice Vote | Those in favor say "Yea" and those against say "No" |
| Roll-Call Vote | In a more tradition-bound Senate, where the members voice their votes in turn as an official records them |
| Veto | Refuse to sign |
| Pocket Veto | President's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days |
