Civics Today Unit 5, Pt. 2
Terms
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- Authorization Bills
- Create projects and determine how much money can be spent on them
- Appropriations Bill
- Legislation earmarking funds for certain purposes
- Impeach
- To accuse government officials of misconduct in office
- Writ of Habeas Corpus
- A court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person
- Bill of Attainder
- A law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or fair hearing in court
- Ex post facto law
- A law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed
- Franking Priviledge
- The right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage
- Casework
- The work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with a problem
- Pork-barrel projects
- Government projects and grants that primarily benefit the home district or state
- CRS
- Congressional Research Service--------part of the Library of Congress; looks up facts and spells out arguments for and against proposed bills
- GAO
- General Accounting Office------the investigative arm of Congress in financial issues
- CBO
- Congressional Budget Office--------provides Congress with information and analysis for making budgetary decisions
- Bill
- A proposed law
- Private Bill
- a bill affecting a particular person, organization, or locality as distinguished from all the people or the whole area of a political unit
- Public Bill
- a bill affecting the community (as a nation or state) at large
- Joint Resolution
- A resolution that is passed by both houses of Congress
- Rider
- A completely unrelated amendment tacked on to a bill
- Voice vote
- A voting method in which those in favor say "Yea" and those against say "No"
- Roll-call vote
- A voting method in the Senate in which members voice their votes in turn
- Standing vote
- Proponents and opponents are asked to stand in turn to voice their opinion (also called division vote)
- Cloture
- A procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill
- Filibuster
- A tactic for defeating a bill in the Senate by talking until the bill's sponsor withdraws it
- Veto
- Refusal to sign a bill or resolution
- Pocket Veto
- Presidents power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days
- House Rules Committeee
- *****Add Later*****
- Immunity
- High-ranking government officials are immune from arrest while going to, during, and returning from sessions except in cases of "Treason, felony and Breach of the Peace"
- Censure
- Considered a "slap on the wrist" and usually involves a fine or suspension