Apportionment
The process by which seats in the House of Representatives are distributed among the fifty states.
Bicameralism
The political process that results from dividing a legislature into two separate assemblies.
Bill
Proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature.
Cloture
A parliamentary process to end a debate in the Senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when 3/5 of senators vote for the motion.
Collective representation
The relationship between Congress and the United States as a whole, and whether the institution itself represents the American people.
Conference committee
A special type of joint committee that reconciles different bills passed in the House and Senate so a single bill results.
Constituency
The body of voters, or constituents, represented by a particular politician.
Delegate model of representation
A model of representation in which representatives feel compelled to act on the specific stated wishes of their constituents.
Descriptive representation
The extent to which a body of representatives represents the descriptive characteristics of their constituencies, such as class, race, ethnicity, and gender.
Enumerated powers
The powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs.
Filibuster
A parliamentary maneuver used in the Senate to extend debate on a piece of legislation as long as possible, typically with the intended purpose of obstructing or killing it.
Implied powers
The powers not specifically detailed in the U.S. Constitution but inferred as necessary to achieve the objectives of the national government.
Inherent powers
The powers neither enumerated nor implied but assumed to exist as a direct result of the country’s existence.
Joint committee
A legislative committee consisting of members from both chambers that investigates certain topics but lacks bill referral authority.
Majority leader
The leader of the majority party in either the House or Senate; in the House, they serve under the Speaker of the House; in the Senate, they are the functional leader and chief spokesperson for the majority party.
Markup
The amending and voting process in a congressional committee.
Minority leader
The party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor of either the House or the Senate.
Oversight
The right to review and monitor other bodies such as the executive branch.
Politico model of representation
A model of representation in which members of Congress act as either trustee or delegate, based on rational political calculations about who is best served, the constituency or the nation.
Pork-barrel politics
Federal spending intended to benefit a particular district or set of constituents.
President pro tempore
The senator who acts in the absence of the actual president of the Senate, who is also the vice president of the United States; they are usually the most senior senator of the majority party.
Representation
An elected leader’s looking out for constituents while carrying out the duties of the office.
Select committee
A small legislative committee created to fulfill a specific purpose and then disbanded; also called an ad hoc, or special, committee.
Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of the majority party; they are second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president.
