Tags & Description
appropriations
provides an agency with budget authority and allows the agency to incur obligations and to make payments from the US treasury for specified purposes
caucuses
a group of members of congress sharing some interest or characteristic. many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses
filibuster/cloture
a strategy unique to the senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislature use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the senate form ever voting on a bill. co-members present and voting can halt a filibuster
committee of the whole
committee of the House on which all Representatives serve and which meets in the House Chamber of the consideration of measures from the union calendar
joint committee
congressional committees on a few subject matter areas with membership drawn from both houses
conference committee
congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members fro each house to iron out the difference and bring back a single bill
select committees
congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the watergate investigation
standing committees
separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different political areas
logrolling
process by which politicians trade support for one issue in exchange for another politicians support
mark up
process by which a committee debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation
legislativce oversight
congress’s monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy performed mainly through hearings
party whips
party leaders who work with the majority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on wavers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party
pork barrel
federal projects , grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district
seniority system
a simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970’s. The member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled the chamber, became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state of competance
casework
activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tap e to get people what they think they have a right to get
bill
a propsed law, drafted in legal language. anyone can draft a bill, but only members of house or senate can formally submit a bill for consideration
incumbents
those already holding office, in congressional elections, incumbents usually win
speaker of the house
an office mandated by the constitution. the speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party. has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant
majority leader
the principal partisan ally of the speaker of the house, or the party’s manager in the senate. the majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party’s legislative positions
minority leader
the principal leader of the minority party on the house of reps or in the senate