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13 terms General Accounting Office- audits the money spent by executive departments, and investigates agencies and policies and makes recommendations on almost every aspect of government. Gerrymandering- district boundaries drawn to favor one party rather than another, leading to odd-shapen districts. Can be used to make minorities the majority of a district, questionable. Honoraria- A payment given for professional services that are rendered normally without charge, ex: paying volunteers. Joint committee- both representatives and senators serve, conference committees are a type that resolves differences in Senate and House versions of the same piece of legislation. Joint resolution- a legislative measure that requires approval by the Senate and the House and is presented to the President for his/her approval or disapproval, in exactly the same case as a bill. Majority leader- true leader of the Senate elected by their party, schedules Senate business, usually in consultation with the minority leader. Majority-minority districts- a United States congressional district in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities (as opposed to white nonHispanics), result of racial gerrymandering Malapportionment- districts created with very different populations, giving votes in less populated districts more power. Marginal districts- Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically with less than 55 percent of the vote. Mark-up- the process by which a U.S. congressional committee or state legislative session debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation. Minority leader- the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body, actual leader with majority of Senate, elected by party members, helps schedule Senate business. Multiple referral- process whereby a bill may now be referred to several committees that simultaneously consider it in whole or in part. Open rule- permits amendments from the floor on a particular piece of legislation, and comes from the Rules Committee in the House. Organization view of representation- legislators vote to please their constituents in order to get reelected, most true when constituents have a clear view on an issue and the legislators vote is likely to attract attention, more likely to vote on civil rights and social welfare then foreign policy. Parliament- Legislatures that operate under a parliamentary system of government in which the executive is constitutionally answerable to the parliament, contrasted with presidential system, which operate under a stricter separation of powers whereby the executive does not form part of, nor is appointed by, the parliamentary or legislative body. Party vote- A division on a question during which Members follow the instructions of their respective whips so as to reflect the official positions of their parties. Pork-barrel legislation -Appropriations of public funds by Congress (or other legislative assemblies) for projects that do not serve the interests of any large portion of the country's citizenry but are nevertheless vigorously promoted by a small group of legislators because they will pump outside taxpayers' money and resources into the local

districts these legislators represent. President pro tempore-formally leads the Senate, largely a ceremonial office, the member of the Senate with the most seniority in the majority party. Attitudinal view of Representation - A legislators ideology determines his or her vote in congress Bicameral Legislature - A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts Caucus - A meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate. In congress, however, A caucus is an association of members of congress created to advocate on behalf of an ideology, constituency, or regional and economic interest. Three types - Intraparty, Personal interest, and Constituency Concerns. Christmas tree bill - a bill that attracts many, usually unrelated, floor amendments. Usually the proposed legislation has many members of congress hang their own amendment on it. Committee of the whole - Procedural device for accelerate House consideration of bills, but cannot pass bills. Closed Rule - An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor Cloture Rule - A rule used by the senate to end or limit debate Concurrent Resolution - An expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the President Congress - The legislative branch of the USA, made of the house and the senate Congressional Budget Office - Advises Congress on the likely economic effects of different spending programs and provides information on the costs of proposed policies Congressional Research Service - Part of the Library of Congress, responds to congressional requests for information. It doesnt recommend policy, but looks up facts and indicates the arguments for and against proposed policy. It also tracks the status of every major bill before congress. Conservative Coalition - An alliance between Republican and Conservative Democrats, seen in the 1990s between southern democrats and Republicans...no longer important, as most southerners are now Republicans Descriptive Representation - the idea that elected representatives should represent not only the expressed preferences of their constituencies, but also those of their descriptive characteristics that are politically relevant, such as area of birth, occupation, ethnicity, or gender Discharge Petition - A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor Division Vote - A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted Filibuster - An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on a bill Franking Privilege - The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage Private Bill: Legislative bill that deals only with specific, private, personal, or local matters Rider: A provision added to a piece of legislation not relevant to the bills purpose; convenient way to get a pet project approved that might not be approved if voted on by

itself Public Bill: A legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern Representational View of Representation: Congress members will hold the same views as their constituents in order to gain popularity and attract more votes Restrictive Rule: An order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor Quorum Call: A role call in either house of Congress to find out whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present Roll-Call Vote: Congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names Rules Committee: Controls the manner of debates; reviews most bills and adopts a rule that governs the procedures under which they will be considered by the House Select Committee: Congressional committee appointed for a limited time and purpose Senatorial Courtesy: An unwritten political custom; the president consults the Senate on a decision or policy, and the Senate approves or rejects it Seventeenth Amendment: Allows for the emergency replacement of senators by the governors of their states provided the state legislature allows it; direct election of senators by popular vote Simple Resolution: An expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body Sophomore Surge: An increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for first run for reelection Speaker of the House: The presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives; a leadership position in the majority party; performs administrative and procedural functions, and represents his or her congressional district Standing Committees: Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area Substantive Representation: is a concept in the legislative branches describing the tendency of representatives to advocate for certain groups. Often, their area of advocacy is in contrast to their background. Constituents vote for representatives by looking at policy stances and past efforts as a representative Teller Vote: A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the yeas first and the nays second Voice Vote: A congressional voting procedure in which members shout yea in approval or nay in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills Whip: A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking