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reapportionment
- the assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census (ten yrs)
- state legislatures reapportion state legislative districts
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redistricting
the redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines folling the census (ten yr) to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population
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gerrymandering
drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent
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safe seat
office predictably won
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earmarks
- special spending projects that are set aside one behalf of indiv members of congress for their constituents
- usually slipped in legislative packages at last minute
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speaker
presiding officer in the HoR, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party
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party caucus
- meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy
- called conference by Repubs
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majority leader
legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line
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minority leaders
the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition
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whip
- party leader who is the liaison btwn the leadership and the rank-and-file (other members) in the legislature
- help keep them informed
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closed rule
rule in House that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments
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open rule
rule in the HoR that premits floor amendments within the over time allocated for the bill
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president pro tempore
officer of the Senate elected by the majority party to as as chair in the absense of the vice president (head of Senate)
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filibuster
- a procedural practice in the Senate wherey a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceeding and prevents a vot on a controversial issues
- (unlimited debate)
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hold
a procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination
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cloture
terminating debate, esp filibusters, in the Senate
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standing committee
permanant committee estab in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area
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special/select committee
created for specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation
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joint committee
- composed of members of HoR and Senate
- oversee the library of Congress and conduct investigations
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seniority rule
assigns the chair of a (sub)committee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee
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conference committee
appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjest differences on a particular bill passed by each in diff form
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delegate
- official who is expected to rep the views of his/her constituents even when personally holding diff views
- one interpretation of role of the legis
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trustee
- offcial who is expected t ovote independently based on his/her judgment of the circumstances
- one interpretation of the role of legis
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logrolling
- mutual aid and vote trading among legislators
- vote for something with colleague --> he returns the favor later by supporting something you do
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attentive public
citizens who follow public affairs closely
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discharge petition
if signed by a majority of the members of the house or rep, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor
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rider
provision attached to a bill (doesn't have to be related) in order to secure passage or defeat
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pocket veto
when Congress is no longer in session, if the president takes no action for ten days
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override
reverse veto by 2/3 vote in both houses
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