US Government and Legislative Terms

Bill

• a proposed law

• a type of currency

• a formal request for payment

• a written agreement between parties

Standing Committee

• Permanent panels in Congress that handle bills and issues related to specific policy areas.

• Temporary groups formed to address urgent issues in Congress.

• Ad hoc committees that dissolve after a specific task is completed.

• Committees that focus solely on financial matters in Congress.

Conference Committee

• Members of each house in Congress working to create one identical bill

• A group of senators discussing foreign policy

• A committee that oversees the budget process

• A panel that reviews Supreme Court nominations

Redistricting

• The process of drawing new district lines for congressional and legislative elections to reflect population changes.

• A method of voting that allows citizens to directly elect their representatives.

• The procedure of eliminating districts that have low voter turnout to increase electoral efficiency.

• A strategy used by political parties to manipulate district boundaries for electoral advantage.

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.

• A position that is highly contested and often changes hands between parties.

• An office that is filled by appointment rather than election.

• A seat in a legislative body that is guaranteed to be vacant for the next election.

Reapportionment

• the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

• the method of drawing district lines for elections

• the process of eliminating underrepresented groups from voting

• the act of changing the voting age in a country

Gerrymandering

• Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power

• A method of voting that allows citizens to directly elect their representatives

• A strategy used to increase voter turnout in elections

• A technique for ensuring fair representation in legislative bodies

Seniority System

• a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

• a method of selecting committee members based on their popularity among peers

• a process that allows junior members to lead committees to encourage new ideas

• a rule that mandates equal representation from all parties on committees

Veto Override

• reversal of a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress

• a presidential decision to reject a bill

• a process to amend the Constitution

• a method for Congress to pass legislation without the President's approval

Cloture

• A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.

• A method for extending debate in the House of Representatives.

• A rule that allows for unlimited debate in the Senate.

• A process for amending legislation without a vote.