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Chapter Six
Chapter Six; Sections 1-4
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Bicameral | A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses. |
Census | A population count taken by the Census Bureau. |
Constituent | A person from a legislator's district. |
Gerrymander | An oddly shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group. |
Majority Party | In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which more than half the members belong. |
Minority Party | In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which fewer than half the members belong . |
Standing Committee | Permanent committee that continues work from session to session in it's Congress. |
Seniority | Years of service, which is used as a consideration for assigning committee members. |
Expressed Powers | Powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution. |
Implied Powers | Powers that Congress has that are not stated explicitly in the Constitution. |
Elastic Clause | A clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its expressed powers. |
Impeach | To accuse government officials of misconduct in office. |
Writ of Habeas Corpus | A court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person. |
Bill of Attainder | A law the punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial of a fair hearing in court. |
Ex Post Facto Law | A law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed. |
Franking Privilege | The right of senators and representatives to send job-related mail without paying postage. |
Lobbyist | A representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making. |
Casework | The work that a lawmaker does to help the constituents with a problem. |
Pork-Barrel Project | Government project grant that primarily benefits the home district or state. |
Joint Resolution | A resolution that is passed by both houses of Congress. |
Special-Interest Group | An organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions. |
Filibuster | A tactic for defeating a bill in the Senate by talking until the bill's sponsor withdraws it. |
Cloture | A procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill. |
Voice Vote | A voting method in which those in favor say "Yes" and those against say "No". |
Standing Vote | In Congress, when members stand to be counted for a vote on a bill. |
Roll-Call Vote | A voting method in the Senate in which members voice their votes in turn. |
Veto | Refusal to sign a bill or resolution. |
Pocket Veto | President's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days. |