My terrific padlet by Emily Grack

Legislative Branch (Congress)

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Made up of the House and Senate, known collectively as the Congress.

The Legislative Branch has the power to make laws, declare war, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and control taxing and spending policies.

House of Represenatives

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The lower chamber of the United States Congress, which passes and creates federal laws.

President Pro Tempore

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Latin term meaning "for the time being," signaling a temporary position of an officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer.

Speaker of the House

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The political and parliamentary leader of the House and simultaneously its presiding officer.

Census

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The procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given population.

Reapportionment

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The process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation.

Redistricting

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The process of drawing electoral district boundaries. Redistricting occurs each ten year census.

Gerrymandering

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The practice of manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class.

Legislation

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rules or laws relating to a particular activity that are made by a government.

Reserved Powers

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Powers which the Constitution does not specifically grant to the federal government.

Delegated/Enumerated/ Expressed powers

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The powers of the national government explicitly listed in the Constitution. These ensure there is a limit to the national government by defining what it can do.

Implied Powers

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The political powers granted to the United States government that aren't explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Bill

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The form used for most legislation, whether permanent or temporary, general or special, public or private.

Veto

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A legal power to unilaterally stop an official action.

Pocket Veto

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The President can prevent the bill from becoming law by declining to sign it.

If the President blocks legislation by pocket veto, Congress cannot later override the veto—instead, the legislature must reintroduce the bill and enact it again.

Filibuster

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An action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question.

Cloture

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The procedural step of ending debate on a proposal and holding a vote to determine if it will pass.

Veto Override

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Passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. This check prevents the President from blocking an act when significant support for it exists.

Standing Committees

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A permanent committee in Congress that lasts from session to session.

Select Committees

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Temporary committees created with a timeline to complete a specific task, like investigating government activity.

Join Committees

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A legislative committee made up of members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Joint Committees debate and report on matters concerning the Congress rather than issues of public policy.

Pigeonholding

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Setting a bill aside or not allowing it to progress in the legislative process.