Rep. Henry Waxman - 30th District of California

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2204 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-3976 (phone)
(202) 225-4099 (fax)

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8436 West Third Street, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 651-1040 (phone) (818) 878-7400 (phone) (310) 652-3095 (phone) (323) 655-0502 (fax)

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Glossary of Terms

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Act

The title used for legislation at three different stages of the process: (1) An "Act" is a bill which has been enacted into law after being passed by the Congress and approved by the President. (2) A bill which has passed both the House and Senate is called an "Act of Congress." (3)"Act" is also properly used when a bill has passed just one chamber. At that stage, it is designated as "An Act of the House," or "An Act of the Senate."

Adjournment
Adjournment is the formal end to a session of the House or Senate, or one of its committees. There are three different types of adjournment: (1) The formal end of a 2-year Congress is called "sine die adjournment." "Sine die" is Latin, meaning "without a day" set for a return. (2) Each two year Congress is divided into two sessions, about one year each in length. The end of an annual session is also termed an "adjournment." (3) Both the House and Senate may adjourn at the end of each workday. For example, "Mr. Speaker, I move the House do now adjourn to reconvene tomorrow at 10 a.m."

Appropriations Bill
A bill which provides the authority needed by the government to spend U.S. Treasury funds. There are 13 annual appropriations bills. There are bills for all the major departments, e.g. State, Treasury, Justice, Commerce, etc. Together they fund the entire federal government. These 13 bills must all be enacted prior to the start of a new fiscal year, designated as October 1. Failure to meet this deadline results in a shut-down of the government unless Congress passes "continuing appropriations" - temporary extensions at current funding levels.

Authorization Bill
A bill which provides the authority for a program or agency to exist and determines policies for it. It also recommends spending levels to carry out the defined policy, but these levels are only advisory, and not binding. Authorizations may be annual, multi-year, or permanent. Expiring programs require re-authorization. House and Senate rules require that authorizations be in place before appropriations are passed. However, frequent exceptions to this order are made in the interests of time.

Bill
A bill is the form used for most legislation, whether permanent or temporary, general or special, public or private. A bill originating in the House of Representatives is designated by the letters "H.R.", signifying "House of Representatives", followed by a number that it retains throughout all its parliamentary stages. Bills are presented to the President for action when approved in identical form by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Caucus
An informal group of members sharing an interest in the same policy issues. Examples include the Arts Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Rural Caucus, the Steel Caucus - and about 150 others. Caucus members will share the expenses of one or two staffers to supply them with research and issue support in their special area of interest.


Chairman
The member who leads a committee. This person is always a member of the majority party. Both full committees and subcommittees have chairmen. Chairmen, working with the party leadership, determine what bills they will consider. They cannot consider all the bills that are introduced in a given session.


Cloakroom
Both the House and Senate have a Democratic and a Republican cloakroom. They are two long, narrow rooms at the rear of the chamber. Members meet in their partys cloakroom for private conversations.


Colloquy
A pre-scripted floor dialogue between two members on the floor, usually the chairman of a committee and another member of the committee. The dialogue seeks to clarify the intent behind certain provisions of a bill for purposes of legislative history.


Committee Meeting
Standing committees are required to have regular meeting days at least once a month. The chairman of the committee may also call and convene additional meetings. Three or more members of a standing committee may file with the committee a written request that the chairman call a special meeting. The request must specify the measure or matter to be considered. If the chairman does not call the requested special meeting within three calendar days after the filing of the request, to be held within seven calendar days after the filing of the request, a majority of the members of the committee may call the special meeting by filing with the committee written notice specifying the date, hour, and the measure or matter to be considered at the meeting. In the Senate, the Chair may still control the agenda of the special meeting through the power of recognition. Committee meetings may be held for various purposes including the "markup" of legislation, authorizing subpoenas, or internal budget and personnel matters.

Concurrent Resolution
Matters affecting the operations of both the House of Representatives and Senate are usually initiated by means of concurrent resolutions. A concurrent resolution originating in the House of Representatives is designated "H.Con.Res." followed by its individual number. On approval by both the House of Representatives and Senate, they are signed by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. They are not presented to the President for action.

Conferees
House Members and Senators who are assigned to serve on a temporary conference committee to negotiate the differences in legislation passed by the House and Senate in different versions. Officially, conferees are called "managers," e.g. the House Managers and the Senate Managers.

Conference Committee
A temporary panel of House and Senate negotiators. A conference committee is created to resolve differences between versions of similar House and Senate bills. The new compromise bill they write must then be approved by a majority vote in both the House and Senate. If approved, it is then sent to the President for his signature or veto.

Congressional Record
The daily publication issued each day the House and Senate are in session. It contains everything said on the House and Senate floor that day [although Members have the right to edit and revise their statements before publication]. The Congressional Record also contains all the roll-call votes held each day, and additional statements for the record inserted by Members of Congress.

Cosponsor
Once one member introduces a bill, other members may show their support by putting their names on the bill as a cosponsor. In general, a bill’s sponsor wants as many cosponsors for the bill as possible to give the bill a greatly likelihood of being passed.

Dear Colleague
A mass-produced letter sent by a Member of Congress to all the other Members. Each letter begins with "Dear Colleague," and may ask for co-sponsors on a bill or amendment or encourage Members to vote for or against certain legislation, or announce an upcoming event.

Discharge Petition
Starts a process in the House of Representatives to force a bill out of committee. A successful petition requires the signatures of 218 members, which is a majority of the House
.

District
The specific geographical area within a state represented by a House member. Congressional districts are drawn so that each has an average of about 650,000 citizens. States with small populations may have only one district (for example,
Alaska) while a large state like California has 53 districts.

District Work Period
A scheduled recess when the House or Senate are not in session; it usually lasts a week to ten days. Members of Congress use this break to travel around their districts and states, meeting with local officials and constituents, holding town meetings and open office hours.

Federal Depository Library
Congressional information and other Federal publications are available for free public use in Federal depository libraries throughout the United States.

Filibuster
The term used for an extended debate in the Senate which has the effect of preventing a vote. It works to prevent a vote because the Senate's rules contain no motion to force a vote. A vote occurs only when debate ends naturally. The word comes from the early 19th century Spanish and Portuguese pirates, "filibusteros", who held ships hostage for ransom. When a Senator filibusters, he/she holds the chamber hostage until it meets his/her conditions.

Final Passage
The final vote in the House or in the Senate, which either approves or rejects a bill.

First Reading
A stage of the legislative process when a bill is introduced, before referral to a committee for study. In contemporary practice, bills are no longer read aloud when introduced. First reading dates back to the very early English parliamentary practice when bills had to be read aloud because many delegates could not read.

Floor
Members of Congress call the space where the House or Senate debate and vote "the floor," more formally known as the House or Senate chamber.

Galleries
The balconies overlooking the House and Senate chambers. There are separate seating sections for the public, press, staff, and family members.

H.R.
Stands for House of Representatives. It designates a measure as a bill (e.g. H.R. 1300.) It becomes law if passed by both the House and Senate, and approved by the President.

H. Res.
Stands for House Resolution. This type of measure affects only the House and does not make law. It does not go to the Senate nor to the President.

Hearing
A meeting of a committee or subcommittee to take testimony from invited witnesses and to question them on their support or opposition to a bill or on their knowledge of a matter under consideration. Legislative hearings may focus on a specific bill, or bills, or just explore a subject matter in general to see if legislation is necessary. Investigative hearings look into allegations of wrong-doing. Oversight hearings review a federal agency or department's performance.

Incumbent
Refers to the official currently holding a public office. In congressional races, the sitting Member of Congress running for re-election may be referred to as the incumbent and his/her opponent as the challenger.

Joint Meeting
When the House and Senate assemble together to hear a speech by a dignitary, usually a foreign official.

Joint Resolution
Joint resolutions may originate either in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. There is little practical difference between a bill and a joint resolution. Both are subject to the same procedure, except for a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution. On approval of such a resolution by two-thirds of both the House and Senate, it is sent directly to the Administrator of General Services for submission to the individual states for ratification. It is not presented to the President for approval. A joint resolution originating in the House of Representatives is designated "H.J.Res." followed by its individual number. Joint resolutions become law in the same manner as bills.

Markup
After hearings are completed, a subcommittee usually will consider a bill in a session that is popularly known as the "markup" session. The views of both sides are studied in detail and at the conclusion of deliberation a vote is taken to determine the action of the subcommittee. It may decide to report the bill favorably to the full committee, with or without amendment, or unfavorably, or without recommendation. The subcommittee may also suggest that the committee "table" it or postpone action indefinitely. Each member of the subcommittee, regardless of party affiliation, has one vote. Proxy voting is no longer permitted in House committees.

Motion
A proposal to take a parliamentary action on the House or Senate floor, or in committee. Motions require a vote before they take effect. Example: "Mr. Speaker, I move the House do now adjourn."

Motion to Table
In both the House and Senate, a motion to table, if adopted by a majority vote, ends any further debate and permanently kills the pending matter.

Objection
A single objection from any Member on the floor prevents a unanimous consent request from taking effect, or prevents a bill from being passed "without objection."

Omnibus Bill
Legislation which packages together several measures into one bill, or combines diverse subjects into a single bill. Examples are budget reconciliation bills, combined appropriations bills, and private relief and claims bills.

One-Minutes
House speeches given by Representatives at the start of each day"s session, before legislative business begins. Members may speak on any subject they wish, but for no longer than one minute.

Point of Order
A point of order is made during floor proceedings to assert that the rules of procedure are being violated. A point of order halts proceedings while the presiding officer rules on whether or not it is valid. In the Senate, the chair's ruling may be appealed by any Senator, and the chair has been frequently overturned.
In the House, appeals are also possible, but rarely made and even more rarely succeed.

Private Law
A private bill passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in identical form that has been enacted into law. Private laws only affect a private individual or individuals. A Private law is designated by the abbreviation “Pvt. L.” followed by the Congress number (e.g. 104), and the number of the law. For example: Pvt. L. 104-1.

Public Hearing
If a bill is of sufficient importance, the committee may set a date for public hearings. The chairman of each committee, except for the Committee on Rules, is required to make public announcement of the date, place, and subject matter of any hearing at least one week before the commencement of that hearing, unless the committee chairman with the concurrence of the ranking minority member or the committee by majority vote determines that there is good cause to begin the hearing at an earlier date. If that determination is made, the chairman must make a public announcement to that effect at the earliest possible date. Public announcements are published in the Daily Digest portion of the Congressional Record as soon as possible after an announcement is made and are often noted by the media. Personal notice of the hearing, usually in the form of a letter, is sometimes sent to relevant individuals, organizations, and government departments and agencies.

Public Law
A bill or joint resolution passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in identical form that has been enacted into law. Public laws affect the entire nation. A Public law is designated by the abbreviation “Pub. L.” followed by the Congress number (e.g. 109), and the number of the law. For example: Pub. L. 109-211.

Quorum Call
A quorum call seeks to bring a majority of Members to the floor to record their presence.

Quorum in the House
The number of House Members who must be present before business may be conducted. A quorum in the House requires the presence of 218, while 100 are needed when the House meets as a Committee of the Whole.

Ranking Member
The minority party Member of a committee or subcommittee with the most seniority who takes the lead for his party on committee business.

Recess
(1) A temporary break of minutes or hours during a day's legislative session.
(2) An overnight break to end a day's session [does not displace the pending business as an adjournment might].
(3) A break of several days or weeks during an annual session of Congress - primarily for holidays.

Recorded Vote
A vote for the record. A Member"s position - in support or opposition - is recorded next to his/her name. Sometimes also called "the yeas and nays."

Referred to Committee
When a bill gets sent to one of the 20 committees of the House or Senate for closer examination. Committees may choose to hold hearings on a bill, may mark-up its text making changes to the language, may vote to send it to the full chamber for a vote, or they may choose to do nothing and let it die in Committee.

Resolution
Legislation introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, but unlike bills they may be limited in effect to the Congress or one of its chambers. The three types of resolutions are joint resolutions, simple resolutions and concurrent resolutions.

Revise and Extend
A phrase used by House Members to ask permission of the chamber to revise their remarks in the Congressional Record, and extend them by inserting material additional to their spoken words, such as newspaper editorials, articles, or correspondence. Permission is routinely granted.

Roll Call Vote
There are several different ways of voting in Congress, one of which is the roll call vote, where the vote of each member is recorded. Not all bills, in fact, the minority of bills, receive a roll call vote.

Rules of the House
The House has 28 permanent standing rules which govern its procedures. Authority for legislative procedural action in the House also comes from other sources, such as several volumes of precedents, rulemaking provisions of certain public laws, and the U.S. Constitution.Contrary to popular belief, Robert's Rules of Order have no authority in the House of Representatives. The system of rules and precedents used in the House are unique to the institution, having evolved over 200 years of House practice.

Second Reading
A stage of the legislative process when a bill has left the committee to which it was referred, and is presented to the full House for debate and amendment. In contemporary practice, bills are rarely read aloud at this stage. Instead, the House Reading Clerk just designates each title of the bill as open for amendment. The Senate places second reading at an earlier stage of the process: at the time a bill is referred to committee. Bills are no longer read aloud at this stage, unless a Senator demands it for purposes of delay.

Select or Special Committee
Select or special committee are interchangeable terms for panels that are established to investigate a specific matter or study an assigned area. For the most part, they are not meant to be permanent fixtures but are created to work on a current problem, and have a temporary life span. Special/select committees are sometimes given the authority to consider and report legislation but most often they are limited to investigations and studies.

Serial Set
The Serial Set contains the House and Senate Documents and the House and Senate Reports. The reports are usually from congressional committees dealing with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. The Serial Set began publication with the 15th Congress, 1st Session (1817).

Session
Each Congress is divided into two one-year periods called sessions. The first year of a Congress is the first session and the second year of a Congress in the second session.

Simple Resolution
A matter concerning the operation of either the House of Representatives or Senate alone is initiated by a simple resolution. A resolution affecting the House of Representatives is designated "H.Res." followed by its number. They are not presented to the President for action.

Special Order
The name given speeches Members of the House are permitted to give at the end of a day's legislative business. Time for a speech must be reserved in advance and may be anywhere from 5 minutes to one hour in length and on any subject a Member wishes to address.

Sponsor
A Member of Congress who writes a bill and offers it for legislative consideration. The sponsor seeks co-sponsors and these Members together promote the bill and seek to have it considered and win votes for it.

Statutes at Large
The official source for the laws and resolutions passed by Congress. Every law, public and private, ever enacted by the Congress is published in the Statutes at Large in order of the date of its passage. Until 1948, all treaties and international agreements approved by the Senate were also published in the set.

Subcommittee
A smaller panel created by a full committee to specialize in specific aspects of the full committee's jurisdiction. Most committees of the House and Senate have an average of 4 subcommittees to divide up their workload. Subcommittees do the preliminary work of reviewing proposed legislation and making recommendations to the full committee on whether or not the legislation should progress. They cannot make final decisions on their own, but must have full committee approval. Members of Congress assigned to serve on a full committee are further assigned to membership on one or more of its subcommittees and are expected to specialize in the subject matter assigned to that subcommittee.

Unanimous Consent
When all Members on the floor agree, or consent, to a pending request. Unless there is an objection, no vote is required.

U.S. Code
The compilation of all current federal laws, arranged under 50 subject titles. The code, or U.S.C., is revised about every six years.

Voice Vote
A type of vote during which Members say "aye" aloud as a group, followed by the group saying "no." The presiding officer decides which group was the loudest and announces the result. No names are recorded. Members who do not agree with the Chair's call, may request a recorded vote.

Vote
When Members of the House or Senate decide a matter, letting a majority opinion prevail. Members vote by voice, by call of the roll, by a recorded vote using electronic machinery [in the House only], or by standing and being counted as "the yeas," followed by the "nays."

Without Objection
The way the Chair expresses an action taken by unanimous consent on the House or Senate floor, or in committee. "Without objection, so ordered." Unanimous consent can approve an action, agree to an amendment, or adopt a measure without a vote being held - if there is no objection.

Source: The Center on Congress at Indiana University and Thomas

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