Advocacy Glossary

• Act – A bill that has passed in both the House and the Senate and has been signed by the President to become law. A bill also becomes an act without the president’s signature if he does not return it to Congress within ten days, Sundays excepted, while Congress is in session. Bills occasionally have the word “Act” in their titles when first introduced; this does not reflect that it has been officially considered.
  

• Amendment – A change to a bill or motion. Amendments are debated and voted on in the same manner as a bill.
  

• Appropriation – A formal approval to draw funds from the United States Treasury for an authorized program or activity.
  

• Appropriations Bill - A bill that gives legal authority to spend or obligate money from the Treasury.
  

• Authorization – Legislation that formally establishes a program or activity and sets a funding limit for that program or activity.
  

• Bill – A proposed law that is introduced in the legislature by a Member of Congress. In the House a bill is recognized as “H.R.” and in the Senate a bill is recognized as “S.”
  

• Budget Resolution - Legislation in the form of a concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget, but not requiring the president’s signature.
  

• Caucus - From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of Members of the House or the Senate, or both, that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members.
  

• Chamber – The location where the legislative body meets to conduct business. In the United States, we have two chambers. One chamber is for the House and one chamber is for the Senate. A chamber is often referred to as ‘the floor.’
  

• Clerk of the House - Chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives, responsible principally for administrative support of the legislative process in the House. Duties correspond to those of the Secretary of the Senate.
  

• Committee – A group of legislators in the House or Senate that prepares legislation for action for the officiating chamber. Committees often schedule public hearings to discuss legislative issues.
  

• Concurrent Resolution – Legislation adopted by both Chambers to express the position of Congress. As such a resolution does not have the signature of the President; it does not have the force of law.
  

• Congress – Refers to both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
  

• Congressional Record – The daily printed official account and transcript of House and Senate proceedings.
  

• Continuing Resolution – Legislation passed by both the House and Senate permitting specific Executive Branch agencies to continue operating even though funds have yet to be appropriated for the following fiscal year.
  

• Cosponsor – When a member of the House or Senate supports a pending bill, but is not the primary sponsor, they may sign their name onto the bill as a co-sponsor to publicly express their support.
  

• Earmark – An expenditure amount set aside within an appropriations account for a specified purpose.
  

• Filibuster – A delay tactic associated with the Senate and used by the Minority party in an effort to prevent the passage of a bill or amendment. The House cannot filibuster as it is governed by strict rules outlining discussion parameters; the Senate does not have similar rules for discussion. Filibusters are usually not executed when threatened.
  

• Fiscal Year - The federal government’s annual accounting period. Financial operations of the government are carried out in a 12-month accounting year, beginning on October 1 and ending on September 30.
  

• Floor – Refers to the activities and actions that take place, or are scheduled to take place, within each chamber.
  

• Floor Amendment - An amendment offered by an individual senator from the floor during consideration of a bill or other measure, in contrast to a committee amendment.
  

• Hearing – An event in which arguments supporting particular points of view can be presented to the sponsoring Committee.
  

• House - The House of Representatives, as distinct from the Senate, although each body is a "house" of Congress.
  

• Joint Committee – Members of both the House and Senate are designated to discuss matters of common interest. Joint committees can speed up the legislative process by consolidating the time for hearings.
  

• Lobby - A group seeking to influence the passage or defeat of legislation. Originally the term referred to persons frequenting the lobbies or corridors of legislative chambers to speak to lawmakers.
  

• Mark up – The process of amending a legislative proposal. If the bill is changed significantly, the Committee of jurisdiction may reintroduce the legislation as a new bill.
  

• Majority Leader – In the Senate, the Majority Leader is elected by his/her peers and serves as the leader of the Senate. In the House, the Majority Leader is also elected by his/her peers but is regarded as the second in command (the Speaker of the House is the highest ranking member of the House).
  

• Minority Leader – Leader of the minority party in both the House and the Senate.
  

• Motion - In the House or Senate chamber, a request by a member to institute any of a wide array of parliamentary actions.
  

• Pocket Veto - The act of the president in withholding his approval of a bill after Congress has adjourned.
  

• Preamble - Introductory language in a bill preceding the enacting clause. It describes the reasons for and intent of a measure.
  

• Quorum - The minimum number of members whose presence is necessary for the transaction of business. In the Senate and House, it is a majority of the membership. A quorum is 100 in the Committee of the Whole House.
  

• Recess – When the House or Senate adjourns for a minimum of three days with a set date to reconvene, the adjournment is referred to as a recess. Congress typically takes a four week recess each summer, and the members work in their local (home) districts.
  

• Roll Call (Record) Vote - A vote in which each senator votes "yea" or "nay" as his or her name is called by the Clerk, so that the names of Senators voting on each side are recorded.
  

• Speaker of the House – Elected by the majority party, the Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives during the two-year legislative session.
  

• Special (or Select) Committee - A committee set up for a special purpose usually, for a limited time, by resolution of either the House or Senate. Most special committees are investigative and lack legislative authority.
  

• Subcommittee - Subunit of a committee established for the purpose of dividing the committee's workload. Recommendations of a subcommittee must be approved by the full committee before being reported to the Senate.
  

• Veto - Disapproval by the president of a bill or joint resolution (other than one proposing an amendment to the Constitution.) When Congress is in session, the president must veto a bill within 10 days, excluding Sundays, after he has received it; otherwise, it becomes law without his signature. When the president vetoes a bill, he returns it to the house of origin with a message stating his objections.
  

• Vice President - Under the Constitution, the vice president serves as President of the Senate. He may vote in the Senate in the case of a tie but is not required to.
  

• Whip – Senator or Representative who serves as an internal lobbyist for the Republican or Democratic party to persuade legislators to support their party position, and who tallies votes for the leadership prior to floor action.