| A | B |
|---|
| US Congress | Federal legislature made up of two houses --the Senate and the House of Representatives. |
| Senate | Composed of 100 members, with two from each state. |
| House of Representatives | Has 435 members, with each state represented according to the size of its population. |
| US Capitol building | Home to the legislative branch of the federal government. |
| Federal statute | Laws that affect people in every state, having a national impact. |
| State statutes | Laws that affect people within a state boundary. |
| Tribal council | Legislative and executive authority for Native American tribal governments. |
| Ordinances | Regulations passed by local governments. |
| Supremacy clause | States the Constitution and the laws of the US shall be the supreme laws of the land. |
| Bills | Legislation used to enact new laws or to amend or repeal old laws. |
| Legislative intent | Determination by a judge as to what legislature means. |
| Draft | Actual language written for a bill. |
| OSHA | Develops specific regulations governing health and safety on the job. |
| EPA | Works with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and Native American groups to develop and enforce regulations under existing environment laws passed by Congress. |
| Department of Homeland Security | Designed to prevent, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism on US soil. |
| DOT | Department reorganized into Transportation Security Administration. |
| TSA | Created with DOT to protect the nation's transportation systems. |
| Zoning commission | Determines on a local level what kind of buildings can be located in specific parts of town. |
| Public hearings | Give individuals or businesses an opportunity to express their views on proposals to agencies proposing them. |
| Federal Register | Special newspaper where federal government must publish proposed regulations. |
| Trials | Trying of a legal case in court. |
| Appeal | Asking a higher court to review and change the result of a trial one has lost. |
| Appellate courts | Where cases from lower courts are appealed. |
| Precedent | Written opinion from a court decision that must be followed by all lower courts in the jurisdiction. |
| Treaty | An agreement or contract between countries. |
| Extradition | Process in which one country asks another to surrender a suspected or convicted criminal. |
| EU | Grouping of countries which formed a European Parliament, having the power to make laws that promote political and economic cooperation in Europe. |
| UN | Formed in 1945, its nearly 200 members has many affiliated organizations and maintains a system of international courts. |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| WTO | World Trade Organization |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| UNICEF | United Nations' Children's Fund |
| ILO | International Labor Organization |
