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APUSGOV Unit Two
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| incumbent | an individual who already holds office; in congressional elections, incumbents usually win |
| pork barrel spending | federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state or local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a specific congressional district |
| whips | party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes and lean on waverers whose votes could be crucial to the passage of a bill |
| bill | a proposed piece of legislation |
| standing committees | committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas |
| conference committees | Congressional committees formed when the House and Senate pass a particular bill in different forms; party leadership appoints members to iron out the differences and come back with a single bill. |
| legislative oversight | AKA adminstrative oversight: Congress' monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of policy |
| filibuster | A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a bill use their right to unlimited debate to prevent a vote from happening. |
| impeachment | the political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law |
| executive orders | regulations originating in the executive branch that have the weight of law; one method a president can use to control the bureaucracy |
| cabinet | a group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the Constitution, though every president has had one |
| veto | power of the president to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it; a two-thirds vote in each chamber can override a veto |
| pocket veto | a type of veto occurring when Congress adjourns within ten days of submitting a bill; the president lets the bill die by not signing or vetoing it |
| War Powers Resolution | a law passed in 1973 requiring presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force, and withdraw troops deployed for emergency purposes after 60 days unless Congress grants an extension. |
| entitlements | policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients; social security is an example |
| appropriations bill | an act of Congress that actually funds programs within limits established by authorization bills |
| authorization bill | an act of Congress that establishes, continues, or changes a discretionary government program or entitlement |
| discretionary spending | government spending implemented through an appropriations bill; this spending is an optional part of fiscal policy, in contrast to entitlement programs for which funding is mandatory and determined by the number of eligible recipients. |
| patronage | a job, promotion, or contract given for political reasons |
| Hatch Act | a federal law forbidding government employees from engaging in partisan politics while on duty, or for employees in sensitive positions at any time |
| uncontrollable spending | the portion of the federal budget that is spent on programs, such as Social Security, that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut. |
| deregulation | the lifting of government restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities |
| amicus curiae | legal briefs submitted by a "friend of the court" for the purpose of influencing a court's decision by raising additional points of view and/or providing further information |
| writ of habeas corpus | a court order requiring authorities to explain to a judge what lawful reason they have for holding a prisoner in custody |
| jurisdiction | the right of a particular court to hear a case |
| stare decisis | a Latin phrase meaning "let the decision stand." It is the legal principle of determining legal points according to precedent |
| precedent | how similar cases have been decided in the past |
| originalism | a view that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original intentions or original meaning of the Framers |
| judicial review | The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and the executive are constitutional; established in Marbury v. Madison |
| judicial restraint | an approach to decision making in which judges play minimal policymaking roles and defer to legislatures whenever possible |
| judicial activism | an approach to decision making in which judges make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground |
| delegate model | legislators should adhere to the will of their constituents |
| trustee model | legislators should consider the will of the people but act in ways that they believe are best for the long-term interest of the nation |
| politico model | legislators should follow their own judgment (that is, act like a trustee) until the public becomes vocal about a particular matter, at which point they should follow the dictates of constituents |
| strict constructionism | favoring a narrow, conservative interpretation of a given document or instrument; specifically, favoring a strict construction of the Constitution of the United States |
| cloture | closing a debate in the Senate by forcing a call to vote |
| closed rule | a procedure in the House that sets strict time limits on debates and forbids amendments from the floor, except those from the presenting committee |
| discretionary authority | the extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose courses of action and make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws |
| administrative adjudication | a quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties in a manner similar to the way courts resolve disputes |
| administrative discretion | ability of bureaucrats to make choices concerning the best way to implement congressional intentions, allows decision makers a lot of leeway; it is exercised through rule-making and administrative adjudication |
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missmurdough
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