Chapter 11 Terms
Order by
32 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Reapportionment | the assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts. |
| Redistricting | The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population. |
| Gerrymandering | The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent. |
| Safe seat | An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost take for granted. |
| Incumbents | The current holders of elected office. |
| Bicameralism | The principle of two house legislature |
| Enumerated powers | The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution. |
| Speaker | The presiding office in the Hour of Representatives, formally elected by the House buy actually selected by the majority party. |
| Majority leader | The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line |
| Minority leader | The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition. |
| Whip | Party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank and file in the legislature. |
| Party caucus | A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. |
| Closed rule | A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments. |
| Open rule | A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill |
| President pro tempore | Officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president. |
| Hold | A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination. |
| Filibuster | A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue. |
| Cloture | A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate. |
| Senatorial courtesy | Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work. |
| Standing committee | A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area. |
| Special or select committee | Special panels appointed to study major policy issues. |
| Joint committee | A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigation. |
| Seniority rule | A legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee. |
| Conference committee | Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form. |
| Delegate | An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of the legislator. |
| Trustee | An official who is expected to vote independently, based on his or her judgment for the circumstances; |
| Attentive public | A secret ballot printed by the state |
| Logrolling | Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators. |
| Discharge petition | Petition that, if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration. |
| Rider | A provision attached to a bill, to which it may or may not be related, in order to secure its passage |
| Pocket veto | Exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for ten days, the bill does not become law and is not returned to Congress for a possible override. |
| Override | An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two thirds majority in each chamber. |
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