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two-chamber legislature
Bicameral Legislature
A period of time during which a legislature meets to conduct business
Session
Elected official that is already in office
Incumbent
The Speaker's top assistant whose job is to help plan the majority party's legislative program and to steer important Bills through the House
Majority Leader
A method of defeating a bill in which a senator talks until a majority either abandons the bill or agrees to modify it
Filibuster
To set up new district lines after reapportionment is complete
Redistrict
A population count
Census
An assistant to the party floor leader in the legislature
Whips
A proposed law
Bill
A schedule that lists the order in which bills will be considered in Congress
Calendars
The process of reassigning representation based on population, comes after every census
Reapportionment
To draw a district's boundaries to gain an advantage in elections
Gerrymander
A vote of formal disapproval of a member's actions
Censure
A person a member of Congress has been elected to represent
Constituents
A private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office
Caucus
The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
Quorum
The Senate member, elected by the Senate, who stands in as president of the Senate in the absence of the Vice President
President Pro Tempore
A procedure that allows each senator to speak only 1 hour on a bill that is under debate
Cloture
Who is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and its most powerful leader
Speaker of the House
How many years does a Representative serve per term
2 years
How many years does a senator serve
6 years
How long does one session of Congress last
1 year
When does a Senator or Representative start their term
January
How many Senator votes does it take to block a filibuster and vote for cloture
60 votes
Why does it take longer for bills to get passed in the Senate than it does in the House of Representatives
The House has a more rigid procedure for passing bills that does not get broken
The Senate allows for unlimited debate on a bill unless there is a vote for cloture
The Senate has a more informal atmosphere