| A | B |
|---|
| bicameral | two houses |
| Great Compromise | set up bicameral Congress |
| Article I | established the Legislative branch of government |
| 25 | minimum age to be member of House of Representatives |
| 7 | number of years you must be a citizen to be a US Representative |
| 435 | total number of members in US House of Representatives |
| 2 | term of US Representatives |
| population | how each states number of representatives is determined |
| gerrymandering | establishing oddly-shaped districts for political reasons |
| 30 | minimum age for Senators |
| 9 | how long US Senators have to be citizens |
| 6 | term length of Senators |
| 100 | total number of Senators |
| $174,000 year | current salary of Congressmen |
| 27th Amendment | limits Congressional pay raises |
| franking privileges | sending job related mail without paying postage |
| immunity | legal protection in certain circumstances |
| expulsion | punishment for serious misconduct |
| censure | punishment for lesser offenses; formal disapproval |
| party whip | keeps track of party members' votes |
| Speaker of the House | member of majority party in the House |
| President Pro Tempore | officially presides over Senate in Vice Presidents absence |
| President of the Senate | Vice President of the US |
| standing committee | permanent committee that specializes in a particular topic |
| select committee | temporary committee to deal with issues needing special attention |
| joint committee | includes members of both Senate and House of Reps |
| committee membership | based on seniority |
| expressed powers | are written in the Constitution |
| implied powers | based on the elastic clause |
| impeachment | removal of government official for wrong-doing |
| draw up impeachment articles | House of Reps |
| holds trial to determine guilt in impeachment trials | Senate |
| appropriations bills | deal with money and always begin in the House of Reps |
| approves foreign treaties and approves Presidential appts | Senate |
| bill | proposed law |
| pigeonhole | set aside a bill; kills it |
| filibuster | used by Senators to defeat a bill by continuously talking until bill is withdrawn |
| cloture | limits a filibuster to 1 hour |
| pocket veto | no action taken by President, so bill dies |
| 2/3 | Congressional votes needed to override Presidential veto |
