| A | B |
|---|
| apportioned | to distribute, as in the seats in the House of Representatives |
| gerrymandering | the process of drawing congressional district lines to favor a political party |
| franking privilege | the right of members of Congress to mail official letters free of charge |
| immunity | legal protection |
| expulsion | the removal of a member of Congress for serious misconduct |
| censure | the formal disapproval of the actions of a member of Congress by the other members |
| caucuses | a meeting of party leaders to determine party policy or to choose the party’s candidates for public office |
| majority party | the political party that has more members in Congress or in a state legislature |
| minority party | the political party that has fewer members in Congress or in a state legislature |
| speaker | the presiding officer of the House of Representatives |
| floor leader | a political party leader in Congress who works for the passage of bills the party favors |
| party whip | the assistant to the floor leader in each house of Congress who tries to persuade party members to vote for the bill the party supports |
| president pro tempore | the official who presides over the Senate in the vice president’s absence |
| bill | a proposed law being considered by a lawmaking body |
| committee | a small group in Congress formed to consider bills |
| standing committee | a permanent House or Senate committee that considers bills in a certain area |
| subcommittees | a division of a standing congressional committee that deals with specific issues in the area handled by the commitee as a whole |
| select committees | a temporary House or Senate committee appointed to deal with an issue not handled by a standing commitee |
| joint committees | a committee made up of members of both houses of Congress to deal with matters of mutual concern |
| conference committees | a temporary congressional committee made up of senators and representatives reach an agreement on different versions of a bill |
| act | a law |
| appropriation bill | a bill approving the spending of public money |
| bill of attainder | a law sentencing a person to jail without a trial |
| cloture | a limit on the debate of a bill in the Senate |
| constituents | a person represented by members of a lawmaking body |
| elastic clause | the “necessary and proper” clause written in the Constitution that allows Congress to extend its delegated powers |
| exports | U.S. goods that are sent to other countries |
| ex post facto law | a law that applies to an action that took place before the law was passed |
| filibuster | a method of delaying action on a bill in the Senate by making long speeches |
| impeachment | a formal charge brought against a government official |
| implied powers | a power not specifically granted to Congress by the Constitution but which is suggested to be necessary to carry out its delegated powers |
| pocket veto | a way in which the president can reject a bill, when Congress is not in session, by not signing it |
| quorum | the minimum number of members who must be present before a legislative body can conduct buisness. |
| roll-call vote | a vote in Congress in which a record is made of how each member votes |
| treason | an act that betrays or endangers one’s country |
| writ of habeas corpus | a court order requiring that an accused person be brought to court to determine if there is enough evidence to hold a person for trial |
