AG 9

determining which public-policy questions will be debated or considered

the passage, by congress, of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that actually will  be allocated for an agency's use.

a formal declaration by a legislative committee that a certain amount of funding may be available to an agency

Personal work for constituents by members of congress.

a special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two chambers of congress in different format

a temporary funding law that congress passes when an appropriations bill has not been passed by the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1

a procedure by which a bill in the house of reps may be forced out of a committee that has refused to report it for consideration by the house. the petition must be signed by an absolute majority of representatives and is used only on rare occasions.

special provisions in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an impartial evaluation by agencies of the executive branch 

the budget prepared and submitted by the president to congress

the annual process in which the OMB after recieving formal federal agency requests for funding for the next fiscal year, reviews the requests, make changes, and submits its recommendations to the president

a resolution passed by congress in may that sets overall revenue goals and spending targets for the following fiscal year

a policy that enables members of congress to send material through the mail by substituting their facsimile signature for postage

a legislator who is an agent of the voters who elected him or her and who votes according to the views of constituents regardless of personal beliefs

a legislative committee composed of members from both chambers of congress

a question that may be raised and reviewed in court

an arrangement in which two or more members of congress agree in advance to support each other's bills

elected by members of the majority party to foster cohesion and to act as a spokesperson for the majority party

the party leader elected by members of the minority party in the house

a person who hears and investigates complaints by private individuals against public officials or agencies

the process by which congress follows up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered in the way

the senator who presides over the senate in the absence of the vice president

the allocation of seats in the house of representatives to each state after each census

the function of members of congress as elected officials representing the views of their constituents

a standing committee of the house of reps that provides special rules under which specific bulls can be debated, amended, and considered by the house

a district that returns a legislator with 55 percent of the vote or more

a resolution passed by congress in september that sets binding limits on taxes and spending for the following fiscal year

a temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose

a custom followed in both chambers of congress specifying that the member of the majority party with the longest term of continuous service will be given preference when a committee

the annual process in which the office of management and budget (OMB) requires federal agencies to review their programs, activities, and goals and submit their request for funding for the nest fiscal year

a permanent committee in the house or senate that considers within a certain subject area

a legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society

a member of congress who aids the majority or minority leader of the house or the senate