Legislative Branch Vocab

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Across
  1. 3. The individuals who live in the area an elected official is representing.
  2. 5. Practice of legislators trading mutual support for their legislative proposals.
  3. 6. government Occurs when the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.
  4. 8. Descriptive of elected representatives who base their legislative voting decisions on the desires and opinions of their constituents.
  5. 11. rule A process used by the Senate to end or limit debate/filibusters.
  6. 14. A stalling approach by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor; tactic used to stop a bill from reaching the floor.
  7. 16. Committees A committee made up of members from both the House and the Senate.
  8. 20. committees Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and usually for an investigative purpose.
  9. 22. The practice of redistributing House seats every ten years according to census data.
  10. 23. caucus A group of congressional members that meet to pursue a common legislative agenda.
  11. 24. legislature A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or houses.
  12. 25. polarization A strong division in the views of Republicans and Democrats on the legislative agenda.
  13. 26. consent a request or agreement setting the terms for the consideration or debate of a specified bill or other measure.
  14. 28. leader The legislative leader elected by party members holding the minority of seats in the House or the Senate.
  15. 29. The redrawing of legislative district lines after the census has been taken, to accommodate population shifts and ensure equal representation.
  16. 30. committees A joint committee appointed to iron out the differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill.
Down
  1. 1. The practice of distributing House seats into unequal districts, which diminishes certain district’s representative voice.
  2. 2. petition A device used to force a bill that has been stuck in committee for over thirty days, out onto the floor.
  3. 4. government Occurs when different parties control the White House and Congress.
  4. 7. An attempt to stall or defeat a bill in the Senate by talking for an extended period of time.
  5. 9. “Hidden” congressional provisions that designate money for specific projects or programs.
  6. 10. The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress. Franking privilege The ability of congressional members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by using their signature for postage.
  7. 12. agenda Issues that people believe require governmental action.
  8. 13. Descriptive of elected representatives who balance their constituents’ opinions with their best judgment when making legislative voting decisions.
  9. 15. A senator or representative who assists the party leader by staying informed about the voting decisions of other members.
  10. 17. leader The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate.
  11. 18. committees Permanently established legislative committees that review and consider bills in both the House and Senate.
  12. 19. barrel legislation Legislation that provides benefits to constituents in a particular district or state in the hope of winning their votes in return. For example: providing funding to build a bridge in a particular city.
  13. 21. The practice of drawing districts in unusual shapes for the political advantage of one political party or group.
  14. 27. Descriptive of elected representatives who use their best judgment when making legislative voting decisions.