Act of Congress A bill or resolution adopted by both the House and the Senate and enacted into law. To become law, a bill or resolution may be signed by the President, may be approved by a two-thirds majority of both Chambers in the case of a Presidential veto, or may automatically become law if the President takes no action for 10 days (excluding Sundays) following submission of the bill or resolution.
Amendments Proposals made by a Member of Congress to modify a pending measure, whether in subcommittee, committee, or on the floor.
Bill Legislative proposal before Congress. Also known as "measure", "proposal", or "legislation."
Calendar A list of business available for floor action. Both the House and Senate have their own calendars. The House has five calendars
Committees The workhorses of Congress, where much of the detailed legislative work occurs. Committees and their subcommittees examine measures during hearings and modify, accept, or reject them during markup. A member serves on more than one committee and on several subcommittees within each of those committees. Committee jurisdictions are established by the rules of the Chamber. . On occasion, special and select committees are established to investigate specific questions.
Entitlement A program that must provide specified benefits to all eligible persons who seek them. Entitlement programs, such as Social Security or Medicare, can be changed only through legislation, not through cuts in appropriations.
Executive Orders An order by the President that has the force of law. Executive Orders are compiled within the Code of Federal Regulations
Hearings A meeting of a committee or subcommittee generally open to the public to take testimony to gather information and opinions on proposed legislation, to conduct an investigation, to provide oversight regarding the performance of a government program, or to review a problem or issue within the committee's jurisdiction to determine whether there is need for a legislative solution.
Joint Resolution This is a resolution of both Chambers, generally used for limited matters, such as commemorative holidays. Designated as H.J.Res. in the House and S.J.Res. in the Senate, joint resolutions are signed by the President and have the force of law. Joint resolutions also are used to propose an amendment to the Constitution. In this case, they must be agreed to by a two-thirds majority in each Chamber and by three-fourths of the states. The President does NOT sign this type of joint resolution.
Legislative history Either (1) a chronological list of actions that have occurred on a measure or (2) a collection of documents produced as part of the bill's progress to enactment. A legislative history containing a compilation of documents may be used by attorneys and the courts to discern the intent of Congress on a particular provision of the law and can also be used by a researcher to identify proponents and opponents and their arguments for or against that same provision. Legislative histories for laws passed since 1969 are available on LexisNexis® Congressional.
Legislative intent What the Congress intended. Since legislation often is the product of compromise, the intent of legislative language is not always obvious. Courts, and lawyers, often research the legislative history of a law to determine the legislature's intent behind a particular provision in the law.
Private bills or laws A bill or law benefiting a single individual or organization.
Slip law The first official print of the law. A slip law is printed by the GPO in pamphlet form for speedy distribution. It may contain margin notes prepared by employees of the House and Senate indicating where provisions of the new law will appear or where the law in the U.S. Code is being amended by the slip law.
Votes In parliamentary practice, a vote is called to decide a question or a motion, or to pass a piece of legislation to the next stage in the legislative process. There are different types of votes in both the House and the Senate, including:
Voice vote A vote in which the presiding officer puts forth the proposition and calls for the "ayes" and then the "nays". Supporters shout "aye", opponents shout "no", and the chair announces the vote with the phrase "in the opinion of the chair, the ayes (or the noes) have it". Before the chair announces the final results, a Member may ask for a division or record vote. In both Chambers, most questions are put to a voice vote first. Division (standing) vote A vote in which those in the Chamber in favor of a proposition stand up and are counted by the chair, followed by those in opposition. In the Senate, division votes are unusual and are sometimes taken by Senators raising their hands instead of rising. Record vote Includes all votes in which the names of Members voting on each side are individually recorded and the cumulative totals of yeas and nays are compiled. In the House, record votes include both yea and nay and recorded votes. Since 1973, record votes in the House have normally taken place by electronic device. Members vote with electronic voting cards, and their votes are displayed on an electronic board. The Senate refers to record votes as yea and nay votes or roll-call votes, and does not use an electronic voting system. Senators can ask for a roll-call vote at any time a question is pending without having to wait for a voice or division vote to take place first.