Congress: The Legislative Branch

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Across
  1. 2. caucus, a meeting of all the House members from a particular party held to elect party officers
  2. 3. petition, a measure taken in the House of Representatives to force a bill out of committee
  3. 7. the minimum number of members needed to legally conduct business
  4. 8. and proper clause, article 1, section 8, clause 18, of the constitution, which gives the national legislature the power to make all laws that are necessary and proper to the powers granted by the consitution
  5. 10. the tactic used when opponents of a measure seek to prevent it coming up for a vote in the Senate by refusing to stop talking in hopes of stalling action long enough that the rest of the Senate will be forced to move on to other business
  6. 11. an addition to a bill that often has little relationship to the bills main topic; the goal at a rider may be to add an unpopular provision to a bill that is likely to be passed so that the addition may ride along with the bill that is passed or a rider may be designed to kill a bird by attaching an unpopular provision to that bill
  7. 14. a condition in which government revenues are lower than expenses
  8. 16. the tradition in the Senate in which the chair of a committee in given to the most senior majority senator on the comittee
  9. 17. the drawing of district boundaries for political advantage
  10. 21. the representatives of each party whose duty is to encourage fellow party members to vote as the party leadership wants
  11. 23. committees, temporary committees in the House of Representatives formed to carry out specific tasks that are not already covered by existing committees
  12. 26. the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives among the states
  13. 30. of the Whole, a measure taken in the House in which all representatives become members of a single committee, allowing the House to function when many members are absent
  14. 32. the people of a particular geographic area who are represented by a lawmaking body
  15. 33. a legal document that orders a person to appear in court to serve as a witness or to provide the court with certain documents
  16. 35. committee, a joint committee formed from both houses to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill
Down
  1. 1. tax, a tax an individual pays directly to the government
  2. 4. a congressional act or bill that sets aside funds for a specific purpose
  3. 5. the power of Congress to check upon the executive branch and to make sure it is following the laws Congress has passed.
  4. 6. Majority Leader, the person elected by the majority party who serves as the spokesperson and main strategist for the majority party in the Senate
  5. 9. the vote to end debate of a bill in the senate
  6. 12. proposed laws
  7. 13. committees, special committees formed from members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to address broad issues that affect both chambers
  8. 15. Clause, Article I Section 8 Clause 3 of the Constitution which outlines the commerce power granted to Congress
  9. 18. the redistribution of seats in the House of Representatives among the states based on the results of the census
  10. 19. post facto law, laws that criminalizes an action that took place in the past and that was legal at that time
  11. 20. leader, the representatives of each party elected to help manage the actions and strategy of their party in the House of Representatives
  12. 22. the process of charging officials in the executive and judicial branches with wrongdoing and bringing them to trial
  13. 24. of habeas corpus, a court order that forces the police to present a person in court to face charges
  14. 25. committees, permanent committees responsible for legislation in particular policy areas
  15. 27. veto, a means by which the president can reject a bill, when Congress is not in session, by not signing it
  16. 28. Pro Tempore, the official who presides over the Senate in the vice president's absence
  17. 29. resolutions, measures in which both houses of Congress address matters that affect the operations of both chambers
  18. 31. test, a test levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the government
  19. 33. of the house, The presiding officer of the House of Representatives
  20. 34. of attainder, a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial