Chapter 9 Legislative Branch
Terms
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- Minority Leader
- The leader of the minority party in each house of Congress
- Franking Privilege
- The right of members of Congress to send work-related mail without paying postage.
- Immunity
- Legal protection against prosecution
- Filibuster
- A tactic for defeating a bill in the Senate by talking until the bill's sponsor withdraws it
- Majority Leader
- The leader of the majority party in each house of Congress
- Cloture
- A procedure used in hte Senate to limit debate on a bill
- Appropriations
- Funds reserved for a specific use
- Gerrymandering
- Dividing a state into odd-shaped election districts for political reasons
- Expulsion
- Forcing a member of Congress accused of a serious crime to resign
- Party Whip
- A Republican or Democrat in each house of Congress who tries to persuade party members to vote together on issues
- Censure
- A legislature's formal disapproval of one of its members
- Standing Vote
- A method of voting in which people stand to suport or oppose a measure under consideration
- Roll-call vote
- A procedure in which each person is called upon to announce his or her vote
- Bicameral
- Having 2 Legislative houses
- Select Committee
- A temporary committee of Congress formed to deal with a particular issue
- Seniority System
- A system that gives the most desired committee assignment to members of Congress who have served the longest
- Joint Committee
- A committee that includes members of both houses of Congress
- Standing Committee
- A permanent committee of Congress that focuses on a particular area
- Impeach
- To accuse a government official of wrongdoing
- Express Powers
- Congressional powers specifically stated in the Constitution
- Subcommittee
- A group within a standing committee of Congress that handles special problems
- Conference Committee
- A joint committee of Congress consisting of members of the House and the Senate to work on hte details of a proposed law.
- Pigeonhole
- To set a congressional bill aside in committee without considering it
- Session
- The period of time when Congress meets
- Constituent
- A person from a legislator's district
- Pocket Vote
- The President's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days
- Voice Vote
- A method of voting in which those who support a measure say yea and those opposed say nay
- Speaker of the House
- The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by the majority party
- President Pro Tempore
- A senior member of the majority party who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President