Amendment: a motion offered to change the text of a bill or of another amendment.
There are 3 types of amendments: motions to strike, to insert, or to strike and insert.
Amendments to the bill are termed "first degree," while amendments to an amendment are "second degree."
House & Senate
Bicameral: having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers (a bicameral legislature).
Bill: a legislative proposal which would make law if it passes both the House and Senate and if it receives Presidential approval.
Capitol Hill: refers to the area encompassing the U.S. Capitol, and the House & Senate office buildings.
Chairperson: is the leader of a congressional committee. Chairmen are always members of the majority party, often those with seniority; their powers include the ability to schedule hearings and allocate committee budget.
Checks and Balances: procedures designed so that the three branches of the federal government can limit each others powers.
Conference Committee: a temporary panel of House and Senate negotiators.
Confirmation: refers to the Senate's constitutional duty to approve or reject presidential nominations.
Constitution: the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.
Hearing: a formal meeting of a committee or subcommittee to review legislation or explore a topic.
Hearings may also be called to investigate a matter or conduct oversight of existing programs.
Witnesses are called to deliver testimony and answer questions in all three types of hearings.
H.R.: stands for House of Representatives and designates a measure as a bill (e.g. H.R. 1100.) It becomes law if passed by both the House and Senate, and approved by the President.
Impeachment: a formal charge of treason or criminality raised against an elected federal official. Only the House may bring an impeachment while only the Senate may try and convict the accused.
Conviction requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate and results in removal of the accused from office.
Kill: is to defeat a bill, often in committee and sometimes as a result of inaction.
Law: a legislative proposal passed by both the House and the Senate and approved by the President.
Legislation: is the making of laws or the laws themselves.
Mark-up: refers to the meeting of a Committee held to review the text of a bill before reporting it out.
Committee members offer and vote on proposed changes to the bill's language, known as amendments. Most mark-ups end with a vote to send the new version of the bill to the floor for final approval.
Members: are the individuals serving as senators or representative in Congress.
Provision: a measure taken beforehand to deal with a need or contingency.
Ratify: to approve and sanction formally.
State: a politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory; especially : one that is sovereign.
Veto: a power of one department or branch of a government to forbid or prohibit finally or provisionally the carrying out of projects attempted by another department; especially a power vested in a chief executive to prevent permanently or temporarily the enactment of measures passed by a legislature .
Vote: the expression of approval or rejection of a proposed bill, amendment or procedural matters.
IN THE COMMUNITY
