| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Federalism | a system in which power is divided between the national and state governments |
| Enumerated/Delegated/Expressed powers | the expressed powers of Congress that are itemized and numbered 1-18 in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution |
| Concurrent powers | powers shared by the federal government and the state |
| Reserved powers | powers set aside by the constitution for the state |
| Checks and Balances | The way the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branch make sure one branch isn't too powerful |
| Legislative Branch | The branch that writes the laws; Congress |
| Executive Branch | The branch that carries out the law; President |
| Judicial Branch | The branch that interprets the law and punishes lawbreakers; Supreme Court |
| Implied Powers | Powers not specifically granted to Congress that are suggested to be necessary to carry out the powers delegated to Congress under the Constitution |
| Cloture | A limit on the debate of a bill in the Senate by a vote |
| Quorum | a gathering of the minimal number of members of a legislative body can conduct business |
| Filibuster | A method of delaying action in the Senate by making long speeches |
| Session | Meetings of Congress |
| Speaker of the House | the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives; Nancy Pelosi |
| Floor leaders | A political party leader in Congress who works for the passage of bills the party favors |
| Conference Committee | Temporary committee made up of senators and representatives who try to reach a agreement on different versions of the same bill |
| Standing Committee | A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area |
| Subcommittees | A group within a standing committee that specializes in a subcategory of its standing committee's responsibility |
| Select Committees | Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation. |
| Joint Committees | congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn form both houses |
| Appropriation | A bill approving the spending of extra public money |
| Apportionment | division of the state into congressional and state Senate and House districts of equal population for purposes of representation |
| Unicameral | composed of one legislative body |
| Bicameral | composed of two legislative bodies |
| Separation of Powers | the division of the national government into the legislative, executive and judicial branches |
| Elastic clause | Clause in the Constitution that allows Congress to pass laws necessary to carry out its enumerated powers |
| Full faith and credit clause | the clause in Article IV of the U.S. Constitution that requires states to give full faith and credit to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of the other states |
| Supremacy clause | supreme laws of the land are the Constitution, treaties, and national laws that agree with the Constitution |
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