| A | B |
|---|
| Reapportionment | to redistribute how many members of the House of Representatives represent each state (done once every ten years after the census is taken) |
| Gerrymandering | to redraw district lines in a way to exclude or disclude certain groups (could be race, political beliefs, etc.) to influence the election results (this is not legal) |
| Redistricting | to revise legislative districts |
| Constituency service | the assistance given to constituents by members of Congress in non-legislative areas (examples might include having federal agencies listen to an issue, obtaining and distributing government information, military academy appointments, etc) |
| Casework | intermediary work performed by members of Congress for constituents who may have a problem with the federal government |
| Franking | the privilege given to current members of Congress to mail things out for free (huge advantage for incumbents) |
| Pork barrel | attaching items to a bill that are unrelated but benefit the constituents of a Congressman |
| Logrolling | term used for an informal pact between members of Congress to vote for one another’s bills (basically I will vote for you __ if you vote for my ___; this keeps things moving) |
| Specialization | being knowledgeable in a certain area (most Congressmen are not experts in all areas) |
| Decentralization | power moving away from the federal government |
| Formal structure | the specific rights and abilities of Congress listed in the Constitution |
| Informal structure | the rights and abilities of Congress not specifically listed in the Constitution |
| Committee system | the government is broken down into smaller, more manageable committees and sub-committees |
| Subcommittee bill of rights | the rules on the roles of subcommittees in Congress; subcommittees are often used as a partisan tool to block the passage of minority legislation |
| Markup session | a session used to review the text of a bill before it is reported to all of Congress |
| Seniority | person who has been there longer than others, and thus has more expertise and more power (this is not related at all to age) |
| Party leadership | overseen overall by the heads of the party, which include the majority leaders (Speaker of the House, majority whip, and the VP oversees the Senate, and, of course, the president) and minority leaders (minority whip) |
| Standing committee | permanent committee |
| Conference committee | temporary panel of members of the House and Senate that negotiate a bill together that they can agree on |
| Select committee | temporary committee to deal with an immediate problem |
| Congressional reassertion of power | Congress is trying to regain power from the president (example: War Powers Resolution) |
| War Powers Resolution | occurred in 1973, this act requires that the president notify Congress after deploying troops for a “conflict” (this was a direct result of Vietnam) |
| Filibuster | term used for an extended debate in the Senate, which is preventing a vote. There is not a way to force the vote until the motion ends, and this ties the Senate up. If a party has 60 members in the Senate, a filibuster can be prevented (this is called a super majority) |
| Cloture rule | the idea of bringing a debate to a quick end |
| Oversight | term used for congressional review of federal agencies, government programs, and performances |
| Legislative veto | the repeal by Congress of federal agency of presidential actions (executive actions stand unless nullified by disapproval resolutions passed in Congress) |
| Appropriations | the legal authority to spend or borrow U.S. Treasury Funds; there are 13 annual appropriations bills that fund the entire federal government |
| Rules committee | located in the House, they consider all bills reported from committees and decide, in which order, to schedule their consideration on the floor of the House. They also review, adopt, and schedule floor resolutions. Most powerful committee in the House |
| Baker v Carr | state districting is not a political issue, which means courts can hear the cases |
| Reynolds v Sims | the court struck down state senate inequality |
| Wesberry v Sanders | House members must be chosen, as closely as possible, with equal representation |
| Congressional staff | anyone employed by an officer, member, or Committee of Congress |
| Incumbency | someone who is currently in office (this is a huge advantage during reelections) |
| Money in Congressional elections | can be soft money or hard money; comes from individuals, businesses, PACs, industries, unions, etc. |
| Framers’ intent | limited federal government with the legislative branch (Congress) being the strongest branch |
| Committee chairmen | head of a committee |
| Nongermane amendment | an amendment to a bill that is not related to the purpose of the bill (this is not in reference to the Constitution. Remember amend just means change) |
| Ways and means | Chief tax-writing committee of the House. Members cannot serve on another other committee unless they receive a waiver. They have the jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and revenue-raising measures in addition to control over Social Security, unemployment benefits, medicate, child support, etc. |
| Fiscal policy | a policy in Congress involving the spending, borrowing, or collection of money |
