Bicameralism - ANSWER-intended to be a compromise between Federalists and Anti-
Federalists
House of Representatives - ANSWER-closer to the people
Congress - ANSWER-intended to be the most important branch
Ad Hoc Committees - ANSWER-A congressional committee appointed for a limited time
to design and report a specific piece of legislation
Casework - ANSWER-The activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs
to solve constituents' problems with government agencies
Closed Rule - ANSWER-An order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate
on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment
Cloture - ANSWER-A parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in
the Senate to cut off filibusters. Under the current Senate rules, three-fifths of senators,
or sixty, must vote for cloture to halt a filibuster except on presidential nominations to
offices other than Supreme Court Justice
Conditional Party Government - ANSWER-The degree of authority delegated to and
exercised by congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of
election-driven ideological consensus among members
Continuing Resolution - ANSWER-A type of appropriations legislation bill that sets aside
money for specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs in the
absence of a formal budget
, Conference Committees - ANSWER-A temporary joint committee of the House and
Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a particular
piece of legislation
Discharge Petition - ANSWER-A petition that removes a measure from a committee to
which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor consideration. In the
House a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of House members
Earmarks - ANSWER-Money set aside by Congress in the federal budget to pay for
projects in the home district of a member of Congress
Entitlements - ANSWER-A benefit that every eligible person has a legal right to receive
and that cannot be taken away without a change in legislation or due process in court
Filibuster - ANSWER-A tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves
making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holding the floor, have
unlimited time to speak unless a cloture vote is passed by three-fifths (sixty) of the
members
Gerrymandering - ANSWER-Drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one
political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its
candidates win
Joint Committees - ANSWER-Permanent congressional committees made up of
members of both the House and the Senate. Joint committees do not have any
legislative authority; they monitor specific activities and compile reports
Majority Leader - ANSWER-The formal leader of the party controlling a majority of the
seats in the House or the Senate. In the Senate the majority leader is the head of the
majority party. In the House the majority leader ranks second in the party hierarchy
behind the Speaker
Majority Whip - ANSWER-Majority (minority) party official in Congress charged with
managing communications between party leaders and members
Multiple Referrals - ANSWER-The act of sending a proposed piece of legislation to
more than one committee in the same chamber
Necessary and Proper Clause - ANSWER-The last clause of Article I, Section 8, of the
Constitution. This clause grants Congress the authority to make all laws that are
"necessary and proper" and to execute those laws
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