Congressional Key Terms
Article I of the Constitution deals with the legislative branch.
Majority-Minority Districts – Congressional districts designed to make it easier for citizens of a racial or ethnic minority
to elect representatives
Bicameral - A legislative branch that is divided into two houses, such as the United States Congress which consists of the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
Politico - View that many members of Congress see themselves as a balancer of conflicting factors.
Whip - A member elected by his/her party who tracks vote totals and leans on anyone who may be influenced before the
vote occurs; target undecided members, and promotes party unity in voting.
Off-year Elections - Congressional elections occurring in nonpresidential election years are called off-year elections, in
which the party holding the presidency often loses seats.
Discharge Petition - Starts a process to force a bill out of committee. A successful petition requires the signatures of 218
members, which is a majority of the House.
Senatorial Courtesy - The practice of consulting home-state senators on a nomination. The Senate rarely confirms
presidential appointments if the nominee's own senators disapprove.
"Pork Barrel" – The term came into use as a political term in the post-Civil War era. It comes from the plantation
practice of distributing rations of salt pork to slaves from wooden barrels. When used to describe a bill, it implies the
legislation is loaded with special projects for Members of Congress to distribute to their constituents back home as an act
of largesse, courtesy of the federal taxpayer; The list of federal projects, grants, and contracts that incumbents secure for
their constituents. Link to: incumbency; casework; $230,000,000 “Bridge to Nowhere”.
Omnibus Legislation - Nickname given to miscellaneous, all-inclusive spending bills. Link to: pork barrel; incumbency.
Conference Committee - A temporary panel of House and Senate negotiators. A conference committee is created to
resolve differences between versions of similar House and Senate bills.
Override – The vote taken to pass a bill again, after it has been vetoed by the President. An override takes a 2/3 vote in
each chamber, or 290 in the House and 67 in the Senate, if all are present and voting. If the veto is overridden, the bill
becomes law despite the objection of the President.
Germane - The technical term for "relevant." Amendments are said to be germane or non-germane to a bill.
The House requires germaneness of amendment at all times unless an exception is made by special rule.
In most circumstances, the Senate does not require germaneness. Senate tradition permits Senators to offer amendments
on any subject even if unrelated to the bill's topic.
Congressional Staff or Staffer - The informal term used for anyone employed by an officer, member, or Committee of
Congress.
Casework - Refers to intermediary work performed by members of Congress for constituents who may have problems, or
"cases", with the federal government; Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals cut through
bureaucratic regulations (red tape) to get things they want. Link to: incumbency; red tape; pork barrel.
Constituents - Those citizens in a member of Congress's State or district.
Constituency Service - Refers to the assistance given constituents by Members of Congress in non-legislative areas. Most
requests are for help in obtaining action from federal agencies on individual problems and cases. Other services include
obtaining government information and publications, flags flown over the capitol, and military academy appointments.
Seniority System - The tradition of granting privileges to those who have served the longest. For example, the rule for
choosing committee chairs that has slowly been replaced since the 1970s.
Reapportionment – Redistribution of representation in a legislative body, especially the periodic reallotment of U.S.
congressional seats according to changes in the census figures as required by the Constitution. Malapportionment is when
the boundaries of political districts are very unequal in population.
Speaker of the House - Individual elected by the House to preside over the proceedings of the House in formal session.
The Speaker is actually selected by the majority party; Constitutionally mandated position chosen by the majority party in
the House; second in the line of Presidential succession.
President Pro Tempore - The senator who presides over the Senate in the absence of the V-P. The position is usually
given to the most senior senator of the majority party. The Constitution names the Vice- President as the "president" of
the Senate but he rarely presides.
Christmas Tree Bill - A bill with a lot of riders.
Joint Committee - Comprised of both House and Senate members. There are currently 4 joint committees. They are the
joint committees on the library, on printing, on taxation, and the joint economic committee. None of the joint committees
have legislative powers. They conduct oversight & issue research studies.
Delegate Role of a Legislator - Representative who bases his or her votes on the majority opinions of the people he or
she represents.
Trustee Role of a Legislator – A representative who bases his or her decision not on public opinion but on what he or
she believes is right or best.
Caucus - An informal group of members sharing an interest in the same policy issues. Examples include the Arts Caucus,
the Democratic Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Rural Caucus, etc.
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.
Conference Committee - Refers to a formal meeting, or series of meetings, between House and Senate Members.
The purpose of a conference is to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.
Chairperson - The leader of a congressional committee; most important influence on the congressional agenda;
scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing bills. They were once chosen strictly based on
the seniority system, they are now mostly determined by the party in power.
War Powers Act (1973) - Requires the president to consult with Congress before deploying troops abroad.
Mark-Up - Refers to the meeting of a Committee held to review the text of a bill before reporting it out.
Committee members offer and vote on proposed changes to the bill's language, known as amendments. Most mark-ups
end with a vote to send the new version of the bill to the floor for final approval.
Incumbent - Refers to a sitting member of Congress running for re-election; Members of Congress who already hold
office. Link to: safe seat; gerrymandering; US Term Limits v. Thornton, 1995.
Earmarked - Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their
constituents.. Revenues are earmarked by law. Expenditures are earmarked by appropriations bills.
Safe Seat - Nickname for a seat of Congress that is well protected by incumbency. Link to: gerrymandering; Miller v.
Johnson, 1995; US Term Limits Inc vs. Thornton.
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 - Strategic redistricting performed by the majority party of the state legislature after the census. The
redrawing of a political district to favor a particular candidate or kind of candidate, e.g. an incumbent, a member of a
particular political party or a racial minority. Gerrymandering seeks to gain a geographic advantage for one party. Link
to: safe seat; Miller v. Johnson, 1995.
Miller v. Johnson (1995) - U.S. Supreme Court case that banned racial gerrymandering.
US Term Limits, Inc. vs Thornton (1995) - U.S. Supreme Court case striking down term limits for incumbents.
Baker v. Carr (1962) - U.S. Supreme Court case that forced the Tennessee legislature to reapportion itself on the basis of
population. The case ended the traditional overrepresentation of rural areas in the legislature and established that the court
may intervene in apportionment cases. The court ruled that every citizen's vote should carry equal weight, regardless of
the voter's place of residence.
Reynolds v. Sims (1964) – The Courts ruling in Reynolds v. Sims built on Baker by requiring virtually every state
legislature to be reapportioned, ultimately causing political power in most states to shift from rural to urban areas.
Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) – The importance of Wesberry and the Court's later "one person, one vote" decisions cannot
be overstated. They had an extraordinary impact on the makeup of the House, on the content of public policy, and on
electoral politics in general. The nation's cities and suburbs now speak with a much larger voice in Congress than ever
before. However, it is quite possible to draw any district lines in accord with the "one person, one vote" rule and, at the
same time, to gerrymander them.
Majority Leader - Elected by his/her party members in the House or Senate to lead them, to promote passage of the
party's issue priorities, and to coordinate legislative efforts with the Minority Leader, the other chamber, and the White
House. The Majority Leader also seeks unity among Members on the policy positions taken by the party, and works to put
together coalitions to create voting majorities; Responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and
rounding up votes.
Filibuster - Term used for an extended debate in the Senate which has the effect of preventing a vote.
Senate rules contain no motion to force a vote. A vote occurs only once debate ends. The term comes from the early 19th
century Spanish and Portuguese pirates, "filibusteros," who held ships hostage for ransom. Link to cloture.
Rider - An amendment attached to a bill, usually unrelated to the subject of the underlying bill. Its sponsor tries to "ride"
it to passage on the strength of the original bill. Riders are permitted in the Senate and are routine. House rules ban riders
unless an exception is made.
Cloture - The formal procedure used to end a filibuster. It can take up to three days and requires 60 votes.
Cloture can also be used even if there is no filibuster underway, to ban non-germane amendments. If cloture wins, 30
additional hours of debate are allowed prior to voting, but they are rarely used. If cloture fails, debate would continue
without limits. Instead, the bill is usually set aside.
Rule 22 - Governs cloture, the procedure used to end a filibuster. Cloture takes 60 votes. If it wins, up to 30 hours of
debate may still be held, although this is rarely utilized. Instead, debate usually ends shortly after a cloture vote, followed
by an immediate vote on final passage.
Hold - Refers to a private objection one or more senators may have to scheduling a matter for debate. Holds are meant to
signal serious opposition to the majority leader, but they are not binding.
Veto - Latin for "I forbid." The Constitution authorizes the President to reject any bill passed by both houses of Congress
if he disapproves of it for any reason. See Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.
Delegate - A member of the House from Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, or Washington, D.C.
The Constitution prohibits delegates from voting on the House floor, but permits them to vote in Committee.
Franking Privileges - Allow members to send official mail using his/her signature instead of a stamp.
Partisan - An adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, esp. a person who shows a biased, emotional
allegiance.
Legislative Veto - Refers to the repeal by Congress of federal agency or presidential actions. The Executive actions stand
unless nullified by disapproval resolutions passed by Congress.
House Rules Committee - Committee that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations) that come out of
committee before they enter the full House for debate; they attach “rules” to bills.
Rule from the Rules Committee - A set of guidelines for the debate and amendment of a particular bill.
Known as "special rules", these rules are temporary and distinct from the standing rules of the House.
Open Rule - Permits all relevant amendments to be offered to a bill, without any restrictions.
Closed Rule - Bans amendments to a bill on the House floor, with the exception of Committee amendments.
Committee amendments are approved in advance by a committee and offered by its chairman or designee.
Voice Vote - A vote in the House of Representatives in which members shout "aye" or "no" and the chair decides the
result.
Standing Vote - A vote in the House of Representatives in which members for or against a bill stand up for a head count.
Roll-Call Vote - A vote in which each representative's position becomes a matter of public record.
Appropriations Bill - Provides the legal authority needed to spend or obligate U.S. Treasury funds.
There are 13 annual appropriations bills which together fund the entire federal government. These 13 bills must all be
enacted prior to the start of a new fiscal year, designated as October 1. Failure to meet this deadline causes the need for
temporary short-term funding or results in a shutdown.
Oversight - Congressional monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy; performed mainly through
hearings. Link to: select committee; iron triangle; “power of the purse.”
“Power of the Purse” - Phrase describing Congress’ budget appropriations power, one of the most powerful methods of
legislative oversight.
First Reading – The “First Reading” of a bill occurs at the time of its introduction. In modern congressional practice,
bills are no longer read in full at this stage, unless a member of Congress so demands. The practice stems from the old
English practice when many legislators were illiterate.
Conferee - A Member of Congress named to represent his/her chamber in negotiations with the other house. Formally
known as "managers," the conferees meet in a conference committee to negotiate a compromise between the House and
Senate versions of a bill.
Minority Leader - Elected by his/her party members in the House or Senate to lead them, to promote passage of the
party's issue priorities, and to coordinate legislative efforts with the Majority Leader, the other chamber, and the White
House. The Minority Leader also seeks unity among Members on the policy positions taken by the party, and works to put
together coalitions to create voting majorities.
Standing Committee - In the House or Senate has permanent status, Separate subject-matter committees that handle bills
in different policy areas, whereas a Select Committee is temporary. The oldest standing committee in Congress is the
House Ways and Means Committee, created in 1802.
Select Committee or Special Committee - Formed for a specific purpose and usually for a limited period of time. Select
Committees are rarely given legislative power. Instead they conduct investigations and studies (ex. impeachment
hearings). Link to: watchdog role of the press; iron triangle; legislative oversight.
Logrolling - The term used for an informal pact between members to vote for each other's priorities.
Reciprocity - The tradition in Congress of trading votes; also called “logrolling.”
Pocket Veto - The President fails to sign a bill within the 10 days allowed by the Constitution. Congress must be in
adjournment in order for a pocket veto to take effect. If Congress is in session and the president fails to sign the bill, it
becomes law without his signature.
Pigeonholing – To reject a bill, committee members can ignore it and simply let it die
Joint Resolutions - Used to pose constitutional amendments, to fix technical errors, or to appropriate. They become
public law if adopted by both the House and Senate and, where relevant, approved by the president. In terms of
Constitutional amendments, they must be approved by 3/4 of the states.
Simple Resolution - Used to take action on behalf of only one chamber or to give its non-binding opinion.
It does not become law. Uses include modifying or proposing an internal rule, or creating a new committee.
Concurrent Resolution - Used to take action or express opinion on behalf of both the House and Senate.
It does not make law. Uses include fixing adjournment dates & setting the annual congressional budget.
Structured Rule - Constructs special guidelines for considering a bill, usually by limiting amendments.
Ranking Member - Refers to the 2nd highest rank on a committee on the majority side, after the chairman.
Power of the Purse - Refers to the constitutional power given Congress to raise and spend money.
At-Large Representatives – Reps from states with a population size qualifying for only one House seat.
At-Large Members represent Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North and South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
AD HOC Committee - Refers to a temporary committee in either the House or Senate or a temporary joint committee on
behalf of both chambers. All House-Senate conference committees created to reconcile differences in legislation are
considered ad hoc committees. Other ad hoc committees are created for a one-time purpose [e.g. to investigate a scandal]
or to focus on examining a specific subject. Most are created with a deadline by which they must complete their work, or
expire.
Attentive Public – those citizens who follow public affairs closely.
Beltway - An interstate highway encircling Washington, DC & passing through Maryland and Virginia suburbs. "Inside
the Beltway" Asserts that an issue is only of interest to Washington, DC residents & workers.
Bully Pulpit - This term stems from President Theodore Roosevelt's reference to the White House as a "bully pulpit,"
meaning a terrific platform from which to persuasively advocate an agenda. Roosevelt often used the word "bully" as an
adjective meaning superb/wonderful. Roosevelt also had political affiliation with the Progressive Party, nicknamed the
"Bull Moose" party. It got the moniker when Roosevelt ran for President as its candidate in 1912, after declaring himself
as "fit as a bull moose."
Bill - A proposed law that must be formally introduced by a member of the House or Senate; legislative proposal which
would make law if it passes both the House and Senate and if it receives Presidential approval. Bills are introduced as
"H.R." in the House, and as "S." in the Senate. Besides bills, joint resolutions are the only other type of legislation which
makes law [H.J.Res. or S.J.Res Link to: House Rules Committee; pigeonhole; filibuster.
Congressional Record - A daily account of House and Senate floor debate, votes and members' remarks.
It is printed by the Government Printing Office and for sale to the public. It's also on the internet.
House Calendar - The list of bills available for consideration in the House. Bills are referred to the House Calendar if
they do not deal with money, directly or indirectly.
Junket - A critical term for a foreign trip taken by a member or a group of members. Usually work-related, these trips are
sometimes paid for by public funds (tax payers) or by a foreign government.
King-of-the-Hill - Refers to a special rule for sequencing, debating and voting on competing amendments.
If more than one version receives a majority of votes, the one with the largest margin prevails.
Open Seat - Refers to Congressional districts/states where no incumbent is running for re-election.
Sine Die Adjournment - The end of a congressional session or of an entire Congress. Each Congress is made up of two
one-year sessions. "Sine Die" is Latin for "without day".
The Well - The open space between the rostrum and the members' seats on the House and Senate floors.
House members usually speak from podiums located in the well, while senators speak from their desks.
Voting Bloc - A group of members with a common interest who tend to vote alike on an issue.
Congressional Research Service - Non-partisan congressional agency that provides research for members and staff of
Congress.
Congressional Budget Office - Congressional agency responsible for analyzing the president’s proposed budget. Link
to: OMB; Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, 1974.
General Accounting Office - Non-partisan congressional agency that performs audits of the executive branch thereby
helping with legislative oversight. Link to: iron triangle; “power of the purse.”
Be able to explain how members of Congress vote