American Government Chapter 10 Vocabulary

Term – each term of Congress lasts 2 years Session – each year, a period of time when Congress assembles and conducts business Adjourns – when Congress suspends a session Prorogue – a power that the President has to adjourn Congress when the 2 houses cannot agree on a date for adjournment

Special Session – a meeting to deal with an emergency session Apportioned – distributed Reapportion – redistribute Continuous Body – all of the seats are never up for election at the same time (Senate is an example)

Constituencies – the people and interests the Senators and House members represent Partisans – those lawmakers who owe their first allegiance to their political party Politicos – attempt to combine the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles

Oversight Function – the process by which Congress, through its committees, checks to see that the various agencies in the executive branch are working effectively and acting in line with the policies that Congress has set by law Franking Privilege – a well-known benefit that allows members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free by substituting their facsimile signature for the postage