oversight function   A function of a member of Congress to check to see if agencies in the executive branch are working efficiently and according to law. It is NOT their job to run a department of the executive branch.

trustee   View that many members of Congress see themselves as holders of the public trust who must decide issues based on merit alone, and not based on the opinions of constituents or any other groups.

constituents   Those citizens in a member of Congress's State or district.

delegate   View that many members of Congress see themselves as agents of those who elected them and believe they should suppress their own views in favor of those of the electorate.

partisan   View that many members of Congress see themselves as bound to vote on issues according to the party platform and the wishes of party leaders.

politico   View that many members of Congress see themselves as a balancer of conflicting factors.

apportioned   Term used to describe the allocation of congressional seats, among the States, on the basis of their respective populations.

senatorial courtesy   The significant power given senators who belong to the president's party to approve or disapprove of a presidential nominees.

off-year elections   Congressional elections occurring in nonpresidential election years are called off-year elections, in which the party holding the presidency often loses seats.

gerrymandering   The drawing the lines of congressional districts, or of any other political district, in order to favor one party or group over another.

franking privilege   A privilege under which members of Congress are entitled to send mail to constituents without charge by putting their frank, or mark, on the envelope.

whips   Legislative leaders of each party who are responsible for rounding up party members for votes on critical issues in either the House or the Senate.

joint resolutions   That legislation that deals with temporary or unusual matters, have the possibility of gaining the force of law, which must be passed by both houses, and which must be signed by the President.

concurrent resolutions   That legislation that deals with common concerns of both houses, have the force of law, and do not require the President's signature.

standing committees   Permanent subject-matter committees, formed to handle bills in different policy areas. Each chamber has its own committees and subcommittees.

joint committees   Those committees which serve as "study" committees that exist in a few policy areas, with membership drawn from both the Senate and the House.

conference committee   Temporary committees which are composed of members of both legislative chambers whose sole function is to reconcile different versions of the same bill.

special or select committees   Temporary committees appointed for a specific ("select") purpose, such as the Senate select committee that looked into Watergate, Travelgate, and Iran-Contra.

legislative oversight   The process of holding executive branch agencies accountable for its actions.

seniority system   A system, until modified and reformed in the 1970s, that resulted in those members of the majority party in a house of Congress with longest continuous service on a committee automatically becoming heads of committees. Consequently, up until 1975, most of the congressional power was held by the chairs of the standing committees.

safe congressional district   Districts where members of Congress are seldom challenged for reelection and which are usually won by the incumbent by a very large margin.

congressional caucus   A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic, such as the Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Congresswomens Caucus, and the Sunbelt Caucus. Caucuses include regional groupings, ideological groupings, and economic groupings. DO NOT confuse a congressional caucus with a political caucus!

calendars   The lists of business determined to be eligible for consideration by legislative bodies.

Committee of the Whole   The House sitting as a large committee of itself.

quorum   The majority of the full membership of either house that is necessary to vote of passage of legislation.

voice vote   A vote in the House of Representatives in which members shout "aye" or "no" and the chair decides the result.

standing vote   A vote in the House of Representatives in which members for or against a bill stand up for a head count.

roll-call vote   A vote in which each representative's position becomes a matter of public record.

filibuster   Legislature procedure of the Senate which permits unlimited debate on a bill, is a process by which a single senator, or a group of senators, can talk a bill to death, thus blocking votes on proposed legislation. It is a practice that DOES NOT APPLY TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, but rather, is used ONLY in the Senate.

cloture   Senate procedure that allows a filibuster to be ended by a vote of three-fifths (sixty members) of the entire Senate.

veto override   An action by Congress to try to reverse a presidential veto of legislation by a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

Chief Justice Richard Barajas
Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics
Cathedral High School, El Paso, Texas
Last updated: December 5, 2000