1.
Bicameralism: The principle of a two-house legislature.
2.
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.
3.
Cloture: A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate
4.
Conference committee: Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.
5.
Constituents: The residents of a congressional district or state.
6.
Discharge petition: Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.
7.
Earmarks: Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.
8.
Enumerated powers: The powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution.
9.
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.
10.
Gerrymandering: The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.
11.
Incumbent: The current holder of the elected office.
12.
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 investigations.
13.
Logrolling: Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.
14.
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.
15.
Minority leader: the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition.
16.
Open rule: A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.
17.
Override: An action taken by Congress to reverse the presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
18.
Party caucus: A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the Republicans.
19.
Pocket veto: A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for 10 days, the bill does not become law and does not return to Congress for possible override.
20.
President pro tempore: Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president.
21.
Reapportionment: The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.
22.
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.
23.
Rider: A provision attached to a bill - to which it may or may not be related - in order to secure its passage or defeat.
24.
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 taken for granted.
25.
Senatorial courtesy: Presidential custom of submitting the names of perspective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.
26.
Seniority rule: A legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee.
27.
Speaker: The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party.
28.
Special or select committee: A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation.
29.
Standing committee: A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area.
30.
Whip: Party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature.
