| Legislative Branch | Consists of Congress (The Senate and House of Representatives) |
| House of Representatives | 435 Members. Number of Representatives from each state is based on population. |
| Bicameral Legislature | A 2 House Legislature. Example- United States Congress has two houses 1. The Senate 2. The House of Representatives |
| Responsibility of the Senate | 1. Make Laws 2. Confirm Presidential Appointments. |
| United States Senator | A Member of the Senate. Responsible for making laws in the United States. |
| Responsibility of the House of Representatives | 1. Makes Laws 2. Deals with all Appropriation Bills (Spending Bills) 3. Elects the President if no candidates receive a majority of the Electoral College vote. |
| Impeach/Impeachment | The removing of a government official from office. |
| Override | The ability of a legislative body to check the executive power. |
| Filibuster | The method of defeating a bill by which a senator talks until a majority either abandons the bill |
| Maryland General Assembly | A bicameral legislature which makes the laws for the state of Maryland and approves the annual state budget. Most similar to the United States Congress |
| Maryland House of Delegates | Part of the Maryland General Assembly. Most similar to the House of Representatives. |
| Qualifications for the House of Representatives | 1. Must be 25 years old. 2. Must have been a U.S. for 7 years. 3. Must live in the district which you wish to represent. |
| Expressed Powers | Specific powers given to the Congress as stated in the Constitution |
| President of the Senate | Role filled by the Vice President in the United States and the presiding office in the senate. Only votes in order to break a tie. |
| Introducing a Bill in Congress | Any member of Congress can introduce a bill. |
| Revenue Bills | Bills that deal with money must originate in the House of Representatives |
| Responsibility of Congress | Make laws. |
| Passing of Bills | A bill must have a majority vote in both houses of Congress in order for it to pass. |
| Civil Rights Legislation | To promote equity. |
| Maryland State Senate | Part of the Maryland General Assembly. Responsible for making laws in the state of Maryland |
| Reapportionment | The process of reassigning representation based on population after every census |
| Constituents | a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent/voters |
| Incumbent | elected official that is already in office |
| Speaker of the House | the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives |
| United States Census | Surveying homes to determine population figures |
| Legislator | someone who makes or enacts laws |
| Candidate | a person who runs for political office |
| United States Senate | the upper house of the United States Congress |
| United States House of Representatives | the lower legislative house of the United States Congress |
| Ordinance | law passed by a local government |
| Minority Rights | a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorties |
| County Council | An elected governing body of a county that has only legislative powers. |
| Public Opinion | the distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues |