Glossary

Ever heard the phrase "point of personal privilege" uttered on C-SPAN? Confused when a member of Congress says she wants to 'kill' or 'table' a bill? Don't know your "omnibus bills" from your "private bills ?" Take a gander at our Congressional glossary below and you'll turn from a Hill novice to a Hill aficionado.

Watch out for words underlined in green throughout our site. Those words link to their definitions here in our glossary. Can't find a definition to a word you're puzzled about? Write us, let us know that enigmatic word, and we'll put it up for you.

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M  |  N  |  O |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z

A

ADJOURNMENT is the formal end to a session of the House or Senate, or one of its committees. Adjournment may end a daily session, an annual session, or a 2-year Congress.

A motion to adjourn can be offered with or without a date and time set for the return of the chamber or committee. A motion to adjourn is not debatable and is put to an immediate vote.

AMENDMENT is 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."

APPROPRIATIONS BILL provides the legal authority needed to spend or obligate U.S. Treasury funds.

There are 13 annual appropriations bills which together 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 causes the need for temporary short-term funding or results in a shut-down.

B

BILL is a legislative proposal which would make law if it passes both the House and Senate and if it receives Presidential approval.

Bills are introduced as "H.R." in the House, and as "S." in the Senate. Besides bills, joint resolutions are the only other type of legislation which makes law.

BLUE DOG DEMOCRAT is one of 25 conservative Democratic Members of the House of Representatives who have banded together to support a more centrist position on economic issues than that held by their party's leadership.

BUDGET RESOLUTION is the annual decision made by Congress to set spending and revenue levels.

It provides a voluntary framework within which Congress agrees to limit subsequent money bills. The Budget Resolution may also instruct committees to change current law in order to save money.  

C

CAPITOL HILL refers to the area encompassing the U.S. Capitol, and the House & Senate office buildings.

The term refers to an incline once known as "Jenkins Hill," and includes the surrounding residential area.

CASEWORK refers to intermediary work performed by members of Congress for constituents who may have problems, or "cases", with the federal government.

CAUCUS is an informal group of members sharing an interest in the same policy issues.

Examples include the Arts Caucus, the Democratic Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Rural Caucus, etc.

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.

CLERK OF THE HOUSE creates and maintains legislative documents, voting tallys, and other records.

The business management of the House is handled by the new Chief Administrative Officer.

CLOSED RULE bans amendments to a bill on the House floor, with the exception of Committee amendments.

Committee amendments are approved in advance by a committee and offered by its chairman or his/her designee.

TO COMMIT A BILL is to send it to a committee for initial consideration rather than debating it immediately.

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION is used to take action or express opinion on behalf of both the House and Senate.

It does not make law. Uses include fixing adjournment dates & setting the annual congressional budget.

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD is a daily account of House and Senate floor debate, votes and members' remarks.

It is printed by the Government Printing Office and for sale to the public. It's also on the internet.

CRS refers to the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. CRS responds to requests for general information and issue analysis only from Members, Committees, or staff.

CONSTITUENTS are what Members refer to the people who live in their Congressional district.

COSPONSOR is a member who formally adds his/her name as a supporter to another member's bill.

An initial cosponsor is one who was listed at the time of the bill's introduction, not added on later.

D

DEAR COLLEAGUE refers to a mass-produced letter sent by one member to all fellow members.

"Dear Colleagues" usually describe a new bill and ask for cosponsors or ask for a member's vote on an issue.

DISTRICT is the geographical area in a state represented by a House member, with about 600,000 citizens.

Members have one or more district offices depending on the size of the area they represent.

DISTRICT WORK PERIOD is the time set for House members to work in their district away from Washington.

During these periods, the House is not in session. Some members use part of the time to travel.

E

EARMARKED funds are those dedicated for a specific program or purpose. Revenues are earmarked by law. Expenditures are earmarked by appropriations bills or repts

F

FAST-TRACK refers to special expedited procedures meant to speed up the regular legislative process. Both the House and Senate must make special arrangements to set aside the regular order and use "fast-track" procedures instead.

Fast-track rules have been used most often when considering trade agreements. They limit debate and prohibit, or severely restrict, amendments.

FEDERAL DEFICIT is the amount by which federal expenditures exceed federal revenues.

FISCAL YEAR for the federal government begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.

For example, fiscal year 1999, or "fy '99" began on Oct. 1, 1998 and ended on Sept. 30, 1999.

FIVE-MINUTE RULE governs debate on amendments in the Committee of the Whole.

It allows five minutes for and five minutes against each amendment. However, Members routinely extend this time.

FLOOR refers to the chamber in the Capitol where members assemble to conduct debate and vote. Members are said to be "on the Floor" when they assemble, and "to have the Floor" when they speak.

FRANKING PRIVILEGES allow members to send official mail using his/her signature instead of a stamp.

G

GAO stands for the General Accounting Office. It audits federal agencies and programs for Congress

"GOP" stands for "Grand Old Party." Used for the Republican party, the term originated in the late 1870's, coined by newspaper headlines, to refer to the dominance of the Republican party. Until Franklin Roosevelt's election in 1933, Republicans had controlled the White House for 56 years, the Senate for 60 years, and the House of Representatives for 50 years.

GPO stands for the Government Printing Office. It prints laws, bills, committee reports, etc. GPO sells these documents to the public and distributes an allotted number of them free to members.

GREEN is the color of those words on this site that are defined in this glossary. Click on those words to see the definitions.

H

H.CON.RES. stands for House Concurrent Resolution. This type of measure must pass both the House and Senate, but does not become public law.

HEARING is 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.

HOUSE CALENDAR is the list of bills available for consideration in the House.

Bills are referred to the House Calendar if they do not deal with money, directly or indirectly.

HOUSE CHAMBER is the large room in the Capitol where House members gather to debate and vote.

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.

H.RES. stands for House Resolution. This type of measure pertains only to the House and does not make law.

I

INCUMBENT refers to a sitting member of Congress running for re-election.

J

JOINT COMMITTEE is comprised of both House and Senate members. There are currently 4 joint committees.

They are the joint committees on the library, on printing, on taxation, and the joint economic committee. None of the joint committees have legislative powers. They conduct oversight & issue research studies.

K

K STREET is the downtown Washington, D.C. Avenue where many lobbyists and lawyers have offices.

KILL a bill is to defeat a bill, often in committee and sometimes as a result of inaction. See also TABLING.

L

LEGISLATION is the making of laws or the laws themselves.

LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT, or "L.A." is the staff person who advises a member of Congress on legislative issues.

LEGISLATIVE CORRESPONDENT or "L.C." is the staff person who answers the mail sent to a member of Congress

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL is the staff person who advises Committee members on legal questions & bill language

M

MAJORITY LEADER is elected by his/her party members in the House or Senate to lead them, to promote passage of the party's issue priorities, and to coordinate legislative efforts with the Minority Leader, the other chamber, and the White House.

The Majority Leader also seeks unity among Members on the policy positions taken by the party, and works to put together coalitions to create voting majorities.

MAJORITY-MINORITY DISTRICTS are those with a majority of residents who are part of an ethnic minority.

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.

MINORITY LEADER is elected by his/her party members in the House or Senate to lead them, to promote passage of the party's issue priorities, and to coordinate legislative efforts with the Majority Leader, the other chamber, and the White House.

The Minority Leader also seeks unity among Members on the policy positions taken by the party, and works to put together coalitions to create voting majorities.

MOTION to ADJOURN seeks to end a day's session in the House and is offered routinely at day's end.

The motion is sometimes used during the day as a form of protest.

MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES, if adopted, asks House or Senate conferees to take a certain negotiating position.

In conference with the other house, the conferees are free to follow or to ignore the advice of their chamber. Conferees are given this flexibility to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.

MOTION TO RECOMMIT returns a bill to committee, in effect killing it. However, a motion to recommit with instructions is a last opportunity to amend the bill.

The instructions to the committee direct changes to the text of the bill. If adopted, the chairman of the named committee immediately stands and reports the change back to the House. The next step is the House vote on final passage of the bill. Minority Members receive priority of recognition for offering motions to recommit.

MOTION TO RECONSIDER A motion to reconsider, if adopted within 2 days of a vote in the House [or 3 days in the Senate], requires the original vote be held again.

Members might seek to reconsider a vote to change a close outcome, or as a delaying tactic to use up floor time. In daily practice, the motion to reconsider is routinely tabled, or killed.

MOTION TO TABLE, if adopted, permanently kills the pending matter. It also ends any further debate.

N

None yet. Have a (Congress-relevant) word? Let us know. 

O

OMNIBUS BILL packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects into a single bill. Examples are reconciliation bills, combined appropriations bills, and private relief and claims bills.

OPEN SEAT refers to Congressional districts/states where no incumbent is running for re-election.

P

PAYGO or pay-as-you-go rule compels new spending or tax changes to not add to the federal deficit. New proposals must either be "budget neutral" or offset with savings derived from existing funds.

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. The Senate votes on the appeal and the chair has been frequently overturned. In the House tradition, appeals are also possible, but rarely entered and almost never succeed.

POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE is asserted by a member to defend his/ her rights, reputation, or conduct.

If the chair determines the point is valid, the member is given one hour of debate time. No vote is held.

PREVIOUS QUESTION is a motion to end debate and bring the pending matter to an immediate vote. If the previous question loses, the pending matter could be amended and debated for another hour.

PRIVATE BILLS are introduced on behalf of an individual citizen for a limited and unique purpose. If enacted by both the House & Senate and approved by the president, they become private, not public, law.

Q

QUOROM CALL in the House seeks to bring a majority of members to the floor to record their presence.

R

RANKING MEMBER refers to the 2nd highest rank on a committee on the majority side, after the chairman.

RECESS is a temporary break in a House session for a short period of time within the same day. The Speaker has the authority to declare recesses without a vote.

Recess also refers to longer breaks over several days, such as holiday periods, which are approved by vote.

RECONCILIATION BILL makes the changes in law required to meet pre-set spending and revenue levels.

The bill arises when a prior budget resolution passed by the House and Senate calls for it. The budget committee packages the bills produced by all the other committees into one omnibus bill.

ROLL CALL is a private Capitol Hill newspaper focusing on the people, events, and activities of Congress

S

SPONSOR is the member who introduces a bill and is its chief advocate.

STATUARY HALL is a large circular room in the capitol with statues of famous Americans from each state.

Still known for its acoustics, it served as the House chamber from 1819-1857.

SUPERMAJORITY VOTE requires more than a simple majority for passage (e.g. a 2/3 or 3/5 vote).

For example, a 2/3 vote is necessary in both chambers to override a veto, to amend the Constitution, or suspend the rules.  

T

TABLING motion, if adopted by a majority vote, permanently kills the pending matter and ends any further debate on it.

U

UP OR DOWN VOTE refers to a direct vote on the substance of an amendment or bill, sometimes referred to as a "clean vote." Members simply vote yea or nay on it.

Many votes dispose of a matter indirectly through another motion, e.g. to table, to recommit, to amend in the second degree. Members often seek "up or down" votes because they are less cumbersome and therefore easier to explain.

V

VOICE VOTE involve members say "aye" aloud as a group, followed by the group saying "no." The presiding officer decides which group prevailed and announces the result. No names are recorded.

VOTE is the expression of approval or rejection of a proposed bill, amendment or procedural matters.

W

WHIP is a member elected by his/her party to count potential votes and promote party unity in voting.

The Majority Whip is the 3rd ranking leadership position in his/her party and the Minority Whip ranks 2nd.  

X

None yet. Have a (Congress-relevant) word? Let us know.

Y

YEAS & NAYS is a specific type of recorded vote. It requires a seconding of 1/5 of those present to take place. The vote, if ordered, places members' positions on record. It is usually held by electronic device.

YIELD FOR A QUESTION allows a member to keep the floor while allowing a colleague to speak. The yielded time should be used for a question and not a statement, but this is not always enforced

Z

ZERO-BASED BUDGETING requires that a program be justified from the ground up each fiscal year.

The alternative is to use the prior funding level for that program as the basis for further adjustments.