| A | B |
|---|
| term | The specified length of time served by elected officials in their elected offices. |
| session | The regular period of time during which a legislative body conducts business. |
| special session | An extradordinary session of a legislative body. |
| reapportionment | Redistribution of political representation on the basis of population changes, usually after a census. |
| apportionment | Distribution of seats in a legislative body among electoral districts. |
| single-member district | Electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each office on the ballot. |
| at-large | Election of an officeholder by the voters of an entire governmental unit, rather than by the voters of a district. |
| gerrymander | The drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group. |
| continuous body | Governing unit such as the Senate whose seats are never all up for relection a the same time. |
| constituents | All persons represented by a legislator or other elected officeholder. |
| oversight function | Review by legislative committees of the policies & programs of the executive branch. |
| strict constructionist | One who advocates a narrow interpretation of the Constitution's provisions. |
| liberal constructionist | One who believes that the provisions of the Constitution, & in particular those granting power to govt., are to be construed in broad terms. |
| direct tax | A tax that must be paid by the person on whom it is levied. |
| indirect tax | A tax levied on one party but passed on to another for payment. |
| commerce power | Exclusive power of Congress to regulate interstate & foreign trade. |
| legal tender | Any kind of money that a creditor mustby law accept in payment for debts. |
| bankruptcy | Court action to release a person or corporation from unpaid debts. |
| copyright | The exclusive, legal right of a person to reproduce, publish, or sell his or her own literary, musical, or artistic creation. |
| patent | A license issued to an inventor granting the exclusive right to manufacture & sell his or her invention for a limited period of time. |
| eminent domain | Power of a government to take private property for a public use. |
| neccessary & proper clause | Part of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to make all laws "necessary & proper." |
| impeach | Formal charge brought against a public offical by the lower house in a legislative body. |
| Speaker of the House | The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, chosen by & from the majority party in the House. |
| President of the Senate | The presiding officer of the Senate. The Vice President of the United States. |
| president pro tempore | The member of the U.S Senate, chosen to preside in the absence of the President of the Senate. |
| floor leaders | Members of the House & Senate picked to carry out party decisions & steer legislative action to meet party goals. |
| whip | Assistants to the floor leaders, responsbile for monitoring votes. |
| party caucus | A meeting of party leaders &/or members to conduct party business. |
| committee chairman | Member who heads a standing committee in a legislative body. |
| seniority rule | Unwritten rule in both houses of Congress that the top posts ineach chamber will be held by "ranking members." |
| standing committee | Permanent committee in a legislative body to which bills in a specified subject matter area are referred. |
| select committee | Legislative committee created for a limited time & for some specific purpose. |
| joint committee | Legislative committee composed of members of both houses. |
| conference committee | Temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill. |
| bill | A proposal presented to a legislative body for possible enactment as a law. |
| joint resolution | Legislative measure that must be passed by both houses & approved by the chief executive to become effective, simlar to a bill, with the force of law. |
| concurrent resolution | Measure passed by both houses of a legislature that does not have the force of law nor require the chief executive's approval. |
| resolution | Measure relating to the internal business of one house in a legislature. Does not have the force of law. |
| rider | Provision, unlikely to pass on its own merit, added to an important bill certain to pass so that it will "ride" through the legislative process. |
| discharge petition | A procedure to ring a bill to the floor of the legislative body when a committee has refused to report it. |
| subcommittee | Division of existing comittee that is formed to address specific issues. |
| Committee of the Whole | A committee that consists of an entire legilative body. |
| quorom | Least # of members who must be present for a legislative to conduct business. |
| filibuster | Various tactics aimed at defeating a bill in a legislative body by preventing a final vote on it. Used by the Senate. |
| cloture | Procedure that may be used to limt or end floor debate in a legislative body. |
| veto | Chief exectuive's power to refect a bill passed by a legislature. |
| pocket veto | Type of veto a chief executive may use after a legislature has adjourned. |
