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Chapter 6
Term | Definition |
---|---|
BICAMERAL | A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses. |
CENSUS | Or population count taken by the Census Bureau, Congress adjust, or changes, the number of representatives given to each state. |
CONSTITUENT | People represented. |
GERRYMANDER | An oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting stregth of a particular group. |
MAJORITY PARTY | The political party to which more than half the members belong. |
MINORITY PARTY | In both the House of Respresentative and the Senate, the politcal party to which fewer than half the members belong. |
STANDING COMMITTEE | Permanent committe that continues work from session to session in its Congress. |
SENIORITY | Years of service. |
EXPRESSED POWERS | Power that Congress has that are specifically in the constitution. |
IMPLIED POWERS | Powers that Congress has that are not stated explicitly in the Constitution. |
ELASTIC CLAUSE | Clause in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws "necessery and proper" to carry out its expressed powers. |
IMPEACH | Accuse affocials of misconduct in office. |
WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS | A court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person. |
BILL OF ATTAINDER | Laws that punish a pearson without a jury trail. |
EX POST FACTO LAW | Laws that make an act a crime after the act has been committed. |
FRANKING PRIVILEGE | The right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage. |
LOBBYIST | People hired by privite groups to influence government decision makers. |
CASEWORK | Help in dealing with the federal government. |
PORK-BARREL PROJECT | Government projects and grants that primarily benefit the home district or state. |
JOINT RESOLUTION | A resolution that is passed by both houses of congress. |
SPECIAL-INTEREST GROUP | Organizations made up of people with common interests. |
FILIBUSTER | Talk a bill to death. |
CLOTURE | A procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill. |
VOICE VOTE | A voting method in which those in favor say "Yea" and those againts say "NO". |
STANDING VOTE | In Congress, when members stand to be counted for a voote on a bill. |
ROLL-CALL-VOTE | A voting method in the Senate in which members voice their votes in turn. |
VETO | Refuse to sign the bill. |
POCKET VETO | President's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing ir for 10. |