Legislative Branch (Congress) Terms
Get down with the lingo.
Amendment
Amendments are formal changes to the Constitution. Article V creates a process that makes it difficult but not impossible to amend the Constitution; an amendment can only take effect if it first passes Congress by a two-thirds supermajority (or is passed by the legislatures of two-thirds of all the states), then is subsequently ratified by three-fourths of the states. In the 230+ years since the Constitution took effect, thousands of amendments have been proposed but only 27 have been ratified. The first ten amendments, all passed by the very first Congress, are known as the Bill of Rights.A change to the Constitution or to a specific law. Congress routinely amends ordinary laws by majority vote; amending the Constitution is considered to be a much more serious matter and requires approval by a two-thirds vote of Congress, followed by ratification from three-fourths of the states.
We'll assume you're an expert on the U.S. Constitution and, by extension, the Bill of Rights and the other amendments...you know, the first amendment (freedom of press, religion, etc.), the fifth amendment (don't talk to the police) and, of course, the twenty-third amendment (we don't have to explain that one, do we?).
The same idea behind Constitutional amendments applies to amendments in the financial world. A contract exists (like the Constitution). The parties want to change the contract ("hey, it looks like you guys forgot to guarantee free speech...let's fix that before we really get going on this government thing"). So amendments are added to the contract to enact the changes.
In business, companies can amend contracts to update information and alter terms. New prices, an updated end date, altered delivery expectations, even things like changed addresses can get worked into the original contract through amendments. A change or addition to a legal document such as the Constitution or the Christmas list you gave to your grandma last week.
Appropriations
Legislative assignment of money to a particular use. The appropriation of government funding to particular programs is one of Congress's most important functions; the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are thus among the most powerful in Congress.Bicameral Legislature
A lawmaking body divided into two chambers. The United States Congress is a bicameral legislature, consisting of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the House of Representatives). "Bicameral" is just a fancy Latin word for "two chambers."Bill
A proposed law. A bill introduced into Congress can become a law if passed by both houses, then signed by the president.A proposed law that a legislature is in the process of considering.
This is quite simply a document that proposes a new law. Before you get excited, the vast majority of bills get killed in Congress. Ouch.
Broad Constructionist
A constitutional viewpoint that argues for a broad interpretation of the powers granted by the Constitution to the federal government.Cloture
A procedure used to end a legislative debate. Cloture is frequently invoked in the US Senate, where a vote of 60 out of 100 senators can end a filibuster.Committees
Small working groups formed out of the full membership of the House and Senate that meet to conduct hearings and consider legislation. Most of the real work of Congress is conducted in committees, as legislation typically has to pass out of committee before it can reach a full floor vote.Commerce Power
The constitutional authority to regulate international and interstate commerce, granted to Congress by Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the US Constitution. The commerce power is one of the most important powers given by the framers to the legislative branch of government.Conference Committee
A temporary committee formed by representatives of both the House and Senate in order to reconcile discrepancies in any piece of legislation that has passed both chambers, but not in exactly the same form.A congressional committee in general is a group of Congress members that discusses and advises on a specific topic, like education. A conference committee is when several members from both houses meet to revise a bill. They come up with a version that both sides find acceptable, then send the new version back to each chamber for a "yes" or "no."
Confirmation
The process by which the Senate must approve the president's nominees for appointed positions in the executive and judicial branches of government. For a nominee to gain confirmation, he or she must win a majority of votes in the Senate.Constituencies
People and interests represented by a legislator. Any given lawmaker typically represents multiple constituencies—all the residents of his or her district plus local industries plus gun rights advocates plus railroad enthusiasts, and so on.Copyright And Patent Powers
The Congress's power, established in Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, to regulate the granting of copyrights and patents to the creators of artistic works and inventors of new technologies. The idea of copyrights and patents is to ensure that creative people can profit from their ingenuity by granting them the exclusive right, for a certain period of time, to sell their own work. Copyrights protect writings and other artistic creations, while patents protect inventions.Currency Power
The Congress's authority, established in Article I, Section 8, Clause 5, to coin money and regulate its value.Deficit Spending
Literally, spending more money than you make.We've all been there, but governments tend to be the biggest culprits. Some economists (cough, John Maynard Keynes) have believed that deficit spending is actually a good thing that can stimulate the economy. We wouldn't recommend it for your own bank account, though.
Example: The Kingdom of Zamunda took in $3 million in revenues from bonds, but spent $4 million on rose petals for Prince Akeem's wedding, creating a deficit. Womp womp.
A situation that occurs when the government spends more than it receives in taxes and other revenues. Deficit spending by the government can help to finance expensive short-term obligations such as wars, and it can also serve as a tool to battle economic slowdowns. However, deficit spending also creates large public debts by requiring the government to borrow money to make up the difference between spending and revenue, and that borrowing can weigh heavily on the economy over time. In recent decades, the federal government has run a spending deficit in all but four years since 1969, racking up a cumulative debt of more than $10 trillion by 2008.
Election
The process by which democratic citizens vote to select their representatives in government. While electoral systems in the United States have changed over time, every state now elects its senators and congressmen through popular vote. US Representatives face election every two years, senators every six.A fancy way to denote chosenness—in the context of our unit, this refers to Israel's patronage relationship with God, and not voting for your favorite singer on The Voice.
Electoral Duties Of Congress
Powers granted to Congress by the Constitution to decide elections, but only in special (and rare) circumstances. Most importantly, in the event of a presidential election ending without any one candidate winning a majority of votes in the Electoral College, the Constitution requires the House of Representatives to select the winner; the candidate who receives the votes of a majority of the states—with each state casting one vote—gains the presidency. By a similar procedure, the Senate must select the vice president in the event of no vice presidential candidate winning an Electoral College majority. So far in American history, the House has twice had to elect the president (Thomas Jefferson in 1801, John Q. Adams in 1825) and the Senate has once picked the vice president (Richard M. Johnson in 1837).Expressed Powers
Powers explicitly granted to Congress by the US Constitution (as opposed to implied powers, which are powers not specifically named in the Constitution but reasonably inferred to be "necessary and proper" to carry out the expressed powers). The most important of the expressed powers include the power to tax, to borrow, to allocate spending, to regulate commerce and currency, and to declare war.Expulsion
The constitutionally ensured power of both the House and the Senate to expel its own members for misconduct if such expulsion is supported by the vote of two-thirds of the chamber's members. So far in American history, the Senate has voted for expulsion of 15 members—one for conspiring to start a war over Florida in 1797, the other 14 for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War. The House has expelled only five members—three during the Civil War, and two more recently (in 1980 and 2002) for corruption.Gerrymandering
A congressional district drawn in an odd or unnatural shape in order to improve the electoral prospects of one party. The idea of a gerrymandered district is to create a "safe" seat in Congress by concentrating supportive voters for the party doing the gerrymandering is the district—or to weaken the opposition party by spreading its voters out across several district boundaries. The name comes from one of gerrymandering's earliest practitioners—Elbridge Gerry, who supported the practice while serving as governor of Massachusetts in 1811. To better favor his own Democratic-Republican Party, Gerry created one serpentine district—winding, long, and narrow—that critics suggested looked like a salamander...or a " Gerry-mander." The name stuck.This is the practice of drawing a congressional district in a way that gives an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
House Of Representatives
The lower house of the United States Congress, the House of Representatives is home to 435 congressmen, serving all 50 states in proportion to their populations. (Populous California is thus represented by 53 congressmen and congresswomen, while sparsely populated Wyoming is represented by one.) Members of the House face election every two years.The lower house of the legislature of the United States and part of the United States Congress
The House is one of the two chambers of Congress, along with the Senate. Each state gets a certain number of representatives based on its population. Representatives serve terms of two years, although there's no limit to how many times they can be reelected. Because of their short terms and large numbers (435 of these guys and gals represent us), House Reps are thought to be the most democratic of all the branches of the federal government. Power to the people, Shmoopers, power to the people.
House Rules Committee
One of the most powerful committees in all of Congress, the House Rules Committee controls which of the thousands of bills submitted each year will reach the floor for consideration by the full chamber.Impeachment
The power of Congress to remove from office any federal civil official—up to and including the president—deemed guilty of "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." In such cases, the House has the sole power to impeach—that is, to bring charges against the offending official. If the House votes to impeach, the Senate then serves as judge and jury in impeachment cases. So far in American history, only two presidents have ever been impeached—Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Neither was convicted by the Senate, and thus both remained in office. A third president, Richard Nixon, resigned from the presidency in 1974 in order to avoid an impeachment trial he was almost certain to lose over the Watergate scandal.This is the process by which the president can be removed from office. When the House of Representatives concludes that the president has committed an impeachable offense ("treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"), it draws up "articles of impeachment," a list of specific charges against the president. The House then presents its case against the president to the Senate, which acts as the jury for the president's impeachment trial. A two-thirds vote in the Senate is required to remove the president from office.
A process in which a governmental figure, like a president, is accused of breaking the law in a serious enough way to warrant being kicked out of office.
Impeachment: the political equivalent of “get out, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out."
Impeachment is the process of legal charges being brought against a government official in the upper ranks of office, in attempt to remove them from office. (It's not the removal itself.) Federal government officials can only be impeached for “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors,” according to the U.S. Constitution. Impeachment only refers to the actions taken in an attempt to get a politician removed, but doesn’t mean the bid to fire was successful.
So...who exactly should be living in mortal fear of impeachment? The U.S. President, VP, and all civil officers of the federal government. It takes the cooperation of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, working together (so good luck), to impeach, convict, and remove a federal official.
If you are a truly unpopular president, or you just seem to keep finding yourself doing illegal things, Congress might vote to impeach you. This means you stand trial in front of the Senate and it decides whether to kick you out of office or not. This is something you want to avoid if you're ever president. Trust us.
Implied Powers
Powers of government not explicitly expressed in the Constitution but held to be implicit in the expressed powers due to being "necessary and proper" to carry out those expressed powers. The extent of Congress's implied powers has long been a matter of political controversy between those who desire a narrowly limited government and those who prefer more expansive government powers.Powers that Congress has that aren't expressly stated in the Constitution. The vague wording of the Constitution sometimes left wiggle room for interpretation. For example, nowhere does the Constitution say that Congress should make a national minimum-wage law, but it does say that Congress can pass any laws that are "necessary and proper."
These are powers that aren't directly stated in the Constitution, but can be reasonably inferred from the expressed powers.
Inherent Powers
Powers of the United States government that exist simply because it is the legitimate government of a sovereign nation-state. These include the power to control the borders, to acquire new territories, to conduct diplomacy with foreign nations, and to defend the state from attack. As all nations in history have had these powers, they are considered to be inherent in the idea of government itself, whether or not explicitly listed in the Constitution.Investigatory Powers
The Congress's wide authority to conduct investigations on any matter related to its legislative duties. Congressional investigations can serve several purposes—for example, to gather information needed to craft legislation, to conduct oversight of government agencies, or to focus public attention on particular issues.Filibuster
A procedural technique used by members of the Senate to block a particular bill by speaking (or threatening to speak) forever, thus preventing progress to a vote. Since the Senate does not set time limits on debate, it is possible for a senator to take the floor and hold it for as long as he can continue talking; only a special cloture vote of three-fifths of the Senate can cut off his time. A successful filibuster can kill legislation otherwise favored by a majority (but not a three-fifths supermajority) of the Senate.A procedural device used in the United States Senate to defeat or delay a bill. As senators are generally allowed to speak for unlimited periods of time, a senator may attempt to speak until the bill is removed from consideration. The Senate may invoke “cloture” by a three-fifths vote ending the filibuster and forcing a vote.
The situation in which an individual lengthens debate in order to delay or avoid a vote on a certain topic.
This is a term for a super-annoying tactic that stalls the vote on a particular bill—the Senator just continuously talks about the issue and refuses to shut up until the session has ended. Basically, you talk until everyone has passed out and can't argue against you—in 2013, Texas State Senator Wendy Davis spoke for 11 hours nonstop.
Joint Committee
A committee composed of members of both houses of Congress.Law
A piece of enacted legislation. Under the United States Constitution, a bill becomes a law after it passes both houses of Congress and is signed by the president.A specific, usually mathematical, description of a phenomenon that is supported by a great deal of evidence. Easily confused with theories, laws tend to be much narrower in scope.
A specific description of a phenomenon that is supported by a great deal of evidence, like the law of gravity. Laws will often involve a mathematical equation, but don't hold that against them. Just be sure not to confuse them with theories and hypotheses.
Liberal Constructionist
A constitutional viewpoint that argues for a broad interpretation of the powers granted by the Constitution to the federal government.Majority Leader
Typically the most powerful member of the Senate, the Majority Leader is the head of the party caucus of the majority party in the chamber. As such, he or she controls much of the Senate's agenda. (The nominal presiding officer over the Senate, the Senate President, is actually the Vice President of the United States serving in a largely ceremonial role, allowing most real power to rest with the Majority Leader.) The current Senate Majority Leader is Harry Reid (Democrat-Nevada).This is the leader of the Senate—he or she runs the floor and schedules the legislative agenda. The party with the most seats in the Senate decides the Majority Leader. Can you guess what the leader of the party with the minority of seats in the Senate is called? Go on, take a stab in the dark.
Naturalization Powers
The Congress's expressed power, established in Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 of the Constitution, to "establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization"—that is, to determine policy allowing immigrants from foreign countries to enter the United States and gain American citizenship.Oversight
The Congress's duty to serve in a watchdog role over the activities of the executive branch of the government. Typically, the Congress uses investigative committees to provide oversight over the programs and policies of the executive branch.Oops—you didn't catch an error in your paper while editing it. That's an oversight on your part.
Partisanship
Firm allegiance to one political party. Excessive partisanship among legislators is often criticized for putting the interests of party ahead of country, but strong partisanship has been a part of American politics since at least the 1790s.If you've a proclivity—or leaning—toward a particular cause (or side of a cause), you've got partisanship toward it.
When a politician's behavior is driven by party affiliation, it's called "partisan" behavior. Generally, it's not a flattering word—it describes a situation in which two parties refuse to compromise on an issue.
Party
A political organization devoted to winning elections to place its members in office and advance its political principles. The two dominant parties in American politics since 1860 have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.Party Caucus
A meeting of a party's senators or representatives, closed to outsiders. Parties use caucus meetings to set strategy and organize legislative priorities, as well as to assign party leadership positions.Pocket Veto
A procedure by which the president can effectively veto legislation passed by Congress without officially vetoing it. If Congress adjourns from its session within ten days of submitting a bill to the president for his signature, and the president then does nothing—neither signing nor vetoing the bill—then the measure dies and the president is said to have executed a pocket veto, metaphorically killing the bill by sticking it in his pocket and forgetting about it.If the president takes no action on a bill received from Congress during the last ten days of the Congressional session, the bill does not become law; it is "pocket vetoed."
When Congress is closed for business, the President can do nothing with a bill and let it die. It's a way for the President to reject a bill without seeming like the bad guy and using the actual veto. Plus, it means Congress won't have a chance to override the veto. Presidential sneak attack, ftw!
Postal Powers
The Congress's power, established in Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the Constitution, to organize a national postal service. As hard as it may be to believe today, for much of the first century of the nation's existence, the post office was one of the largest and most important functions of government.President Of The Senate
The presiding officer of the United States Senate, stipulated by the Constitution to be the Vice President of the United States. In practice, the position is largely ceremonial; the Vice President plays no role in helping to craft Senate legislation.Public Debt
Public debt: debt that’s yours, but not just yours. It’s all of ours.Public debt isn’t the same thing as “the deficit.” It’s much bigger. Public debt is the accumulation of a nation’s debt over the years. Each year, the government can run a surplus or a deficit. Those who run deficits are trickling IOUs into the public debt. Those who run surpluses are pulling some of those IOUs out and paying them off.
A year where the public debt didn’t change means the government spent the same amount it raised in tax revenues. Public debt is also called sovereign debt, or national debt (it never includes state and local municipality debts, nor what the private sector owes abroad). All the debts.
You want some? You can buy them. Maybe you already have, if you own a federal government bond. They’re really boring, but boring means "safe" in finance. And they’re great since they allow the government to inject value into the economy and toward the people now, rather than later. Like all loans.
That’s why politicians often spend more than they have. People love them for it. They enjoy the benefits...until they don’t, when the public debt gets too big. Cue: sovereign debt crisis.
For instance, Greece. They took on too much public debt, and asked the EU to pay the loans, like an unemployed child asking parents to help with their rent. The EU then said "have some austerity measures," cutting spending to pay for its loans. However, this slowed the economy and tax revenues...not good. Not good for Greece, but also not good for the EU.
Public debt: debt that’s yours, but not just yours. It’s all of ours.
Public debt isn’t the same thing as “the deficit.” It’s much bigger. Public debt is the accumulation of a nation’s debt over the years. Each year, the government can run a surplus or a deficit. Those who run deficits are trickling IOUs into the public debt. Those who run surpluses are pulling some of those IOUs out and paying them off.
A year where the public debt didn’t change means the government spent the same amount it raised in tax revenues. Public debt is also called sovereign debt, or national debt (it never includes state and local municipality debts, nor what the private sector owes abroad). All the debts.
You want some? You can buy them. Maybe you already have, if you own a federal government bond. They’re really boring, but boring means "safe" in finance. And they’re great since they allow the government to inject value into the economy and toward the people now, rather than later. Like all loans.
That’s why politicians often spend more than they have. People love them for it. They enjoy the benefits...until they don’t, when the public debt gets too big. Cue: sovereign debt crisis.
For instance, Greece. They took on too much public debt, and asked the EU to pay the loans, like an unemployed child asking parents to help with their rent. The EU then said "have some austerity measures," cutting spending to pay for its loans. However, this slowed the economy and tax revenues...not good. Not good for Greece, but also not good for the EU.
All moneys borrowed by the federal government but not yet repaid. Deficit spending by the government requires borrowing that necessarily leads to increases in the public debt (also known as the national debt).
Quorum
The minimum number of members of a house of the legislature who must be present in order for the chamber to conduct business. In the House of Representatives, for example, quorum is set at a bare majority of all members, or 218 congressmen.Are enough people present to have a legal vote? That's a quorum when you have enough people there. Many boards have a minimum-attendance number before new policy can be enacted. Like...if a given board of directors has 11 people, a quorum might require that at least 9 of them be present (either in person or on the phone) for a given vote to count.
Why would you have this law? Well, you can imagine a nefarious situation when a board is hostile in one form or another, and only 3 members convene...and vote all the other board members off the island, shrinking the board from 11 to 3, so that now the company has a completely different caste of government.
When the tribe as spoken, you want it to reflect a broad array of opinions: those elected by the common shareholders of the company.
Are enough people present to have a legal vote? That's a quorum when you have enough people there. Many boards have a minimum-attendance number before new policy can be enacted. Like...if a given board of directors has 11 people, a quorum might require that at least 9 of them be present (either in person or on the phone) for a given vote to count. Why would you have this law? Well, you can imagine a nefarious situation when a board is hostile in one form or another, and only 3 members convene...and vote all the other board members off the island, shrinking the board from 11 to 3, so that now the company has a completely different caste of government.
When the tribe as spoken, you want it to reflect a broad array of opinions: those elected by the common shareholders of the company.
The minimum number of members of a legislature that need to be present to conduct affairsReapportionment
The process by which seats in the House of Representatives are re-allocated among the states to ensure that each state's representation accurately reflects the size of its population. The Constitution requires reapportionment every ten years, following the publication of each United States Census (which obtains an accurate count of each state's population). States that lose population may lose seats in the House, while states that gain population gain greater representation in Congress.Representative Democracy
A system of government in which policy is made by public officials selected directly by voters in regular elections. The United States government is a representative democracy.A government in which citizens elect representatives to promote policies that favor their interests, like America
A democracy where citizens elect representatives who make decisions about public policy.
Resolution
A measure expressing the opinion of either house of Congress, but which does not have the force of law. Resolutions, as non-binding statements of Congress's views, do not require the president's signature and are not legally enforceable.firm stance
A desired improvement, usually in oneself, that we vow—or "resolve"—to complete. See: New Year's.
How a story comes together, concludes, or, often, solves itself at its ending.
The number of pixels displayed on the screen at once. A higher resolution means smoother graphics in games. The common resolutions include 640 × 480, 1280 × 720, and 1920 × 1080.
A resolution isn't just a promise you make on New Year's Eve to eat more green beans that you give up on by January 4th. In computer science, it's the set of numbers we use to tell us how big a picture can be. Resolution refers to how many pixels a picture needs to be displayed. For example, your digital camera might take pictures at a resolution of 2560 × 1920. The lower the resolution, the smaller the picture. If we try to make a picture larger than its resolution, it gets blockier than a LEGO experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Rider
An insurance rider rides on top of an already-established policy. Like...you put in a brand new swimming pool in your back yard and you need a rider to insure it against cracking, the equipment against exploding, and the fencing against...not working. So you add $18 a month for that swimming pool rider, which covers you for up to $15,000 in damages with a $3,000 deductible.Somethiing like that, anyway. Easy. (Rider.)
An insurance rider rides on top of an already-established policy. Like...you put in a brand new swimming pool in your back yard and you need a rider to insure it against cracking, the equipment against exploding, and the fencing against...not working. So you add $18 a month for that swimming pool rider, which covers you for up to $15,000 in damages with a $3,000 deductible.
Somethiing like that, anyway. Easy. (Rider.)
A legislative provision tacked on to an unrelated bill that is larger or more popular in order to help it gain passage as part of a package when it likely would not be passed if left to stand on its own. The name comes from the idea that the tacked-on provision can "ride" through the legislative process on the back of the larger bill.
Senate
The upper house of the United States Congress. In the Senate, all states—no matter how large or small they may be—have equal representation, so populous California gets the same two seats as tiny Delaware. Senators serve terms that are six years long, facing re-election campaigns less frequently than any other elected officials.The upper house of the legislature of the United States and part of the United States Congress
The Senate is one of the two chambers of Congress, along with the House. Each state gets two senators, regardless of population, and senators serve terms of six years, with no limit to the number of reelections. Since there are fewer of them and they serve longer terms, people tend to think of them as the "elites" of Congress. They probably get the best seats at joint sessions, too.
The group of hand-selected guys who had just a tad less power than the Emperor himself. In the case of Caesar, they had more power. Augustus tried to check the power of the Senate, so that he didn't end up following in Caesar's footsteps.
The political body that held lots and lots of power in Rome's Republic was called the senate. It was made up of mostly patricians, but some plebeians were appointed eventually.
Seniority Rule
The practice, employed by both chambers of Congress, of awarding the top leadership posts and committee chairmanships to those members who have been serving in the chamber the longest. The seniority rule is an unwritten rule, but it is almost always followed by both parties.Session Of Congress
The period of time each year in which Congress meets to conduct business. Today, Congress stays in session almost year-round, so the line between one session and the next is not very dramatic. However, before World War II, each session typically only lasted four or five months, leaving long periods between each session when Congress was in recess.Single-Member District
A voting district from which one person is selected in each election to represent all voters from that district. All members of the House of Representatives are now elected in single-member districts.Speaker Of The House
The presiding officer and most powerful member of the House of Representatives. The speaker is selected by the majority party and wields great influence in determining which legislation is able to pass through the chamber.The Speaker is the leader of the House—they maintain order, run meetings, and appoint members to committees. The Speaker's the head honcho (or most popular member) of the political party with the most seats in the House, which is great news for some…and not-so-great for others.
Special Session
An emergency session of Congress, called to meet by the president during a time when Congress would otherwise be in recess. Special sessions are intended to deal with emergency situations; only 26 have been called since 1787, and none since 1948.Speech Or Debate Clause
The constitutional guarantee, enshrined in Article I, Section 6, Clause 1, that prevents legislators from facing criminal prosecution for any statements made in Congress. The idea of the clause was to ensure that congressmen and senators would have total freedom of speech while in Congress, ensuring that they would not face reprisals for voicing opinions unpopular with the president. The only exceptions are for acts of "Treason, Felony, and Breach of the Peace."State Of The Union
An annual message delivered by the President of the United States to Congress. The Constitution requires one such report each year; since 1934, the State of the Union has always been delivered in January. George Washington delivered the first State of the Union to Congress in person in 1790, but Thomas Jefferson hated giving speeches, so he began sending a written message to Congress, to be read aloud by a lowly clerk, in 1801. That practice continued until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson revived the tradition of giving the speech in person.This is what we call the President's annual speech to Congress and the nation. In the speech, the President discusses the nation's current state of affairs and plans for the future. It's also one of the few times that members from the three branches of government are together: the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
Strict Constructionists
People who argue for a narrow interpretation of the government's powers under the Constitution, advocating for a small government with powers limited strictly to those powers enumerated in the Constitution, and against the expansion of larger implied powers.Subcommittees
Smaller offshoots of the main committees of Congress, typically dedicated to studying or addressing particular issues. The large Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for example, has subcommittees on African Affairs, East Asian and Pacific Affairs, International Development and Foreign Assistance, etc.Taxing Power
The Congress's authority, granted in Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution, to levy taxes to pay for the costs of government. The taxing power is one of the most important powers of the legislative branch.Term Of Congress
The two-year period during which each Congress meets. Each term is said to last two years because new elections (for all members of the House and one-third of the senators) are held every two years; each term is the period in between those elections. January 2009 marks the beginning of the 111th term of Congress since the ratification of the Constitution.Treaty Power
The Constitution requires the "Advice and Consent" of two-thirds of the Senate for any treaty negotiated by the president with a foreign government to take effect. This treaty power gives the Senate significant leverage over the president's ability to conduct foreign affairs.Veto
The president's power to reject a bill passed by Congress, preventing it from becoming law. Congress can override a president's veto by two-thirds vote. The veto is one of the executive branch's most important checks on the power of the legislative branch of government.This is one of the president's options when Congress passes a bill and submits it to the president for approval. Rather than sign it into law, the president may veto, or reject, the bill. Congress can override this veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Noun: A rejection of a proposed law or idea.
Verb: Reject; refuse to accept.