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Bicameral Legislature
A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts.
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Caucus
An association of the congressional members created to advance a plolitical ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest.
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Closed Rule
An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate and forbids a particular bill from being amended on the floor.
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Cloture Rule
A rule used by the Senate, providing to end or limit debate.
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Concurrent Resolution
An expression of opinion without the use of force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president.
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Conference Committee
A joint committee appointed to resolve differences in House and Senate versions of the same bill.
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Conservative Coalition
An alliance between conservative Democrats and Republicans.
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Discharge Petition
A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had a bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor. If a majority of members agree, the bill is discharged for the committee.
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Division Vote
A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted.
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Double-Tracking
A procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster, whereby a disputed bill is temporarily shelved so that the Senate can go on with other business.
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Filibuster
An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill.
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Joint Committee
Committee on which both representatives and senators serve.
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Joint Resolution
A formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the President; however, joint resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment need not be signed by the president.
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Majority Leader
The legislative leader elected by the party members holding a majority of seats in the House or the Senate.
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Marginal Districts
Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote.
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Minority Leader
The legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate.
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Multiple Referral
A congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several committees that consider it simultaniously in whole or in part.
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Open Rule
An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor.
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Party Polarization
A vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators.
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Pork-Barrel Legislation
Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents.
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Private Bill
A legislative bill that deals with specific, private, personal or local matters, like a bill pertaining to an individual becoming a naturalized citizen.
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Public Bill
A legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern, like defense expenditures.
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Quorum
The minimum number if members required to be in attendance for Congress to cinduct official business.
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Quorum Call
A calling of the roll in either house of Congress to see whether he number of representatives in attendance meets the minimum number required to conduct business.
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Restrictive Rule
An order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made to a bill on the floor.
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Roll-Call Vote
A congressional procedure that consists of members answerinjg 'yea' or 'nay' when their names are called.
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Safe District
A House district in which the winner of the general election carries more than 55 percent of the vote.
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Select Committees
Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within certain subject area.
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Sequential Referral
A congressional process by which a Speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting.
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Simple Solution
An expression of opinion, without the force of law, either in the House or the Senate, to settle housekeeping or procedural matters in either body.
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Standing Committees
Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area.
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Teller Vote
A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, first the 'yeas' and 'nays'. Since 1971, teller votes are recorded at the request of twenty members.
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Voice Vote
A congressional voting procedure used in both houses in which members vote by shouting 'yea' or 'nay'.
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Whip
A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking.
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