| Term | Definition |
|---|
| exclusive powers | powers belonging only to the national gov't |
| concurrent powers | powers shared jointly by the nat'l gov't and the states such as defining what constitutes crime and setting the punishment |
| debate | a discussion |
| sub-committee | a subdividing of a committee into smaller committees in order to study more particular areas of a bill |
| controversy | disagreement |
| majority | more than half |
| minority | less than half |
| floor | refers to the area of the house and/or senate where debate and voting take place |
| seat | a membership in the house or senate |
| testify | to give evidence |
| amend | to change or to add to |
| ratify | to approve |
| opposed | to be against |
| unanimous | no dissenting votes |
| veto | unsigned |
| pocket veto | a chief executive's defeat of a bill by not acting on it before the end of a legislature's session |
| rider | amendment that adds something to a bill which is not related to it |
| impeach | bring charges of wrong doing against federal official |
| constituents | people who live in the district or state from which an official is elected |
| John Cornyn | Republican, Texas Senator |
| Kay Bailey Hutchison | Republican, Texas Senator |
| Congressional Journal | published by the GPO; report on debates |
| franking privilege | no postage charged on the official mail for congressmen and senators |
| congressional immunity | congressmen cannot be held liable for any statements made in speeches on the floor of Congress |
| patent | exclusive right of an inventor to manufacture his invention |
| motion | a brief, precise statement of a proposed action |
| ex pos facto | making somehting a crime after the fact |
| Sam Rayburn, D., Texas | a former Speaker of the House who served longer than any other |
| quorum | minimum number of people required to conduct business |
| agenda | list of items to be dealt with during a meeting |
| recess | a temporary break in a meeting |
| adjourn | to end a meeting |
| viva voce | taking a voice vote |
| tabled | put aside temporarily |
| appeal | a request that a decision of the chair be reversed by a majority vote |
| point of order | objection raised to correct improper procedure |
| decorum | following rules of procedure and observing propriety and courtesy in debate |
| customs/duty | tax on imports paid by persons bringing foreign goods into the U.S |
| tariff | a tax on imports |
| revenue tariff | tariff imposed just to raise revenue |
| protective tariff | tariff to protect Amer. products and jobs |
| appropriation | $$$ set aside for a specific use |
| apportioned | to divide in fair shares |
| gerrymandering | to twist an election district into an odd shape so as to give one group political advantage |
| financial disclosure | public disclosure of financial records |
| strict construction | Congress has only powers given it by the Constitution |
| broad construction | broad interpretation of the powers given Congress |
| filibuster | various tactics to prolong floor debate aimed at defeating a bill in a legislative body by preventing a final vote on it; called "talkinga a bill to death";tool used in US Senate |
Combine with other sets
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