Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms (CongressionalGlossary.com)

CongressionalGlossary.com or TCNLG.com

Incorporating the glossaries from the Congressional Deskbook and Congressional Procedure

 
 


Ella F. and Louis Armstrong – Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off

 
 

See also the Legislative Process Flowchart.
 
 

If you don’t see the term or phrase you are looking for, contact us at hobnobblog -at- gmail.com or or use our web form (opens in new browser tab or window). The previous version of our Congressional Glossary is no longer updated but is still available on our main web site.

 
 

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1-Minute Speeches
1-Hour Rule
1st Degree Amendment
2 Cows, You Have
2nd Degree Amendment
5 Minute Rule
7 stages of the office seeker
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

A

A-11, OMB Circular No.
Account
Act / Act of Congress / Law
Adjourn
Adjourn for More than Three Days
Adjournment Sine Die
Adjournment to a Day and Time Certain
Administrative Division or Subdivision of Funds
Adoption / Adopted
Advanced Federal Budget Process
Advanced Legislative Drafting
Advanced Legislative Strategies
Advice and Consent
Agency / Department
Agency Mission
Agreed To
Aisle, The
Allotment
Amending the Constitution
Amendment
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute
– – – – – –
Amendments to the Constitution
The Preamble to The Bill of Rights (Amendments 1 -10)
Also see the Bill of Rights Card
1 – Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
2 – Right to Bear Arms
3 – Quartering of Soldiers
4 – Search and Seizure
5 – Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings
6 – Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses
7 – Trial by Jury in Civil Cases
8 – Cruel and Unusual Punishment
9 – Construction of Constitution
10 – Powers of the States and People
11 – Judicial Limits
12 – Choosing the President, Vice President
13 – Slavery Abolished
14 – Citizenship Rights
15 – Race No Bar to Vote
16 – Status of Income Tax Clarified
17 – Senators Elected by Popular Vote
18 – Liquor Abolished
19 – Women’s Suffrage
20 – Presidential, Congressional Terms
21 – Amendment 18 Repealed
22 – Presidential Term Limits
23 – Presidential Vote for District of Columbia
24 – Poll Taxes Barred
25 – Presidential Disability and Succession
26 – Voting Age Set to 18 Years
27 – Limiting Congressional Pay Increases
– – – – – –
Amendment Tree
Amendments Between the Houses / Chambers
Amendments in Disagreement
Amendments in Technical Disagreement
A Note About Usage: “Congress”
Antideficiency Act
Antideficiency Act Violation
Appeal
Appeal the Ruling of the Chair
Apportionment
Appropriated Entitlement
Appropriation
Appropriation Account
Appropriation Act
Appropriations Bill
Architect of the Capitol (AOC)
At-large Representative
Authorization
Authorizations Act

B

Backdoor Authority
Backdoor Spending
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings)
Balance of my time, I reserve the/I yield back the
Baseline
Baseline Budgeting
Bases of Budgeting
Basic Federal Budgeting Concepts and Terminology
Beltway
“Bigger Bite” Amendment
Bill of Rights Card
Bill of Rights, Father of
Bills
Bills Introduced
Bills Referred
Bipartisan
Blue Dog Coalition / CMO
Blue Slip
Blue-Slip Resolution
Bringing home the bacon
Brumidi Corridors
Budget Act
Budget Authority
Budget Control Act of 2011
Budget Deficit / Budget Surplus
Budget Enforcement Act of 1990
Budget Process
Budget Reconciliation Process
Budget Resolution
Budgetary Reserves
Buildings, House Office (HOB)
Buildings, Senate Office (SOB)
Bully Pulpit
Byrd Rule
By Request

C

Calendar of Business
Calendar of Motions to Discharge Committees
Calendar Wednesday
Call of the Calendar
Candy Desk
Cannon’s Precedents
Capitol
Capitol Dome
Capitol Hill Restaurants
Capitol Hill Workshop
Capitol Rotunda
Capitol Subway
Cardinals of Congress
Case Work, Constituent
Casualty List
Caucus
Censure
Chairman
Chairman’s Mark
Chamber
Changes in Mandatory Program Spending (CHIMPS)
Chaplain
“Christmas Tree” Bill
Chumbolone (John Kass)
CIA World Factbook
Circular No. A-11
Classes of Senators
Clean Bill
Clerk of the House
Cloakroom
Closed Rule
Cloture – (also see Understanding Cloture in Senate Floor Proceedings)
Cluster Voting
CODEL
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Collections
Colloquy
Combined Statement of Receipts, Outlays, and Balances of the United States Government
Commerce Clause (Article I Section 8, Clause 3)
Committee Allocation
Committee Amendment
Committee Calendar
Committee Jurisdiction
Committee of the Whole
Committee on Ethics – House
Committee on Ethics, Select – Senate
Committee on Committees
Committee Print
Committee Report
Committee Substitute
Committee Veto / Congressional Veto
Comparative Section (Committee Report)
Comptroller General
Concurrent Resolution
Concurrent Resolution on the Budget
Conditional Adjournment
Conferees
Conference
Conference, Party
Conference Committee
Conference Report
Confirmation
Congress.gov
“Congress” – A Note About Usage
Congress by the Numbers
Congress in a Nutshell
Congressional Briefing Conference
Congressional Budget Act
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
Congressional Budgeting and Appropriations, Understanding
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Congressional Delegation (CODEL)
Congressional Deskbook
Congressional Directory
Congressional District
Congressional Documents, How to Find, Track, and Monitor
Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process
Congressional Election Information
Congressional Ethics
Congressional Gold Medal
Congressional Leadership and Committees
Congressional Member Organization (CMO)
Congressional Operations Briefing
Congressional Operations Seminar
Congressional Pay and Perquisites
Congressional Procedure
Congressional Record
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Congressional Review Act (CRA)
Congressional Schedules
Congressional Staff Organization (CSO)
Congressional Terms and Sessions
Congressional Testimony, Preparing and Delivering
Congressman / Congresswoman
Continuing Resolutions
Constituency Service
Constituents
Constitution, United States
Constitutional Authority Statement
Contacting Congress
Contempt of Congress
Continuing Resolution / Continuing Appropriations
Controlled Time
Cordon Rule
Corporate Welfare
Correcting Recorded Votes
Corrections Day Calendar
Cosponsor
Crony Capitalism
Custody of the Papers

.

D

Daily Treasury Statement (DTS)
Date Shifting
“Dear Colleague” Letter
Debt, Federal
Debt Ceiling
Debt Clock, US
Debt Limit
Debt Subject to Statutory Debt Limit
Declaration of Independence
Deeming Resolution
Deferral
Deferral of Budget Authority
Deficiency Apportionment
Deficiency Appropriation
Deficit / Surplus
Deflation
Degrees of Amendment
Department / Agency
Deschler’s Precedents
Desks, Senate
Differences between House and Senate At-a-Glance
Dilatory Motion or Tactic
Direct Spending
Directed Congressional Appropriations
Disagree
Discharge a Committee
Discharge Calendar
Discharge Petition
Discharge Resolution
Discretionary
Discretionary Spending
Disorderly Behaviour
District
District Work Period
Division of a Question for Voting
Division Vote
Drafting Legislation

E

Earmarking / Earmarks
Election Capitol Hill Workshop
Electoral College
Electronic Vote
Emergency
“Emergency” Spending
Employment-Population Ratio
En Bloc Amendment
Enacted
Enacting Clause
Engrossed Bill / Engrossed Measure
Enrolled Bill / Enrolled Measure
Entitlement Authority
Entitlement Program

Ethics
Ethics Committee – House
Ethics Committee, Select – Senate
Exclusion
Executive Branch
Executive Business
Executive Calendar
Executive Communication
Executive Document
Executive Order
Executive Privilege
Executive Session
Ex Officio
Expenditure / Expenditures
Expense
Expired Account / Expired Appropriation Account
Expulsion
Expunge
Extension of Remarks

F

Fast-Track Procedures
Federal Budget Process, Advanced
Federal Budget Process, The
Federal Budgeting Concepts and Terminology, Basic
Federal Debt
Federal Depository Library (FDL)
Federal Financing Bank (FFB)
Federal Fund Account
Federal Register
Filibuster
Filling the amendment tree
Financial Statements
First-Degree Amendment
First Reading
Fiscal Illusion
Fiscal Transparency
Fiscal Year
Five Minute Rule
Flat Tax
Floor
Floor Amendment
Floor Leaders
Floor Manager
Frank / Franking Privilege
Function / Functional Classification
Fund Accounting

G

Gallery / Galleries
Gallery Passes
Gang of Four
General Debate
General Services Administration (GSA)
George Mason
Germane / Germaneness
Gerrymander
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Government Printing Office / Government Publishing Office (GPO)
Government-Sponsored Enterprise (GSE)
Governmental Receipts
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings (GRH)
Grandfather Clause
Gucci Gulch

H

Hall of Columns
Hearing
H.Con.Res.
Hinds’ Precedents
H.J. Res.
Hold
Hopper
Hotline
Hour Rule
House
House as in Committee of the Whole
House Calendar
House Chamber
House Floor
House Floor, A Guide to Voting On
House Journal
House Office Buildings (HOB)
House Precedents
House Rules Committee, House
Resources, including House Rules
House Rules and Manual
House Salaries and Perquisites
How a Bill Becomes Law
How to Contact Congress
H.R.
H. Rept.
H. Res.

I

Immunity
Impeach / Impeachment
Impoundments
Independent Expenditure-Only Committee
Inflation
Insert
In Session
Inside the Beltway
Insist
Inspector General Reports – Oversight.gov
Instruct Conferees
Intragovernmental Transfers
Item Veto

J

James Madison
Jefferson’s Manual
Joint Committee
Joint Explanatory Statement of Managers
Joint Meeting
Joint Resolution / H. J. Res. / S. J. Res.
Joint Session
Joint Statement
Journal
Junior Senator / Senior Senator
Junket
Jurisdiction, Committee

K

King-of-the-Hill Rule
K Street

L

Lame Duck
Law
Law Library of Congress
Lay on the Table
Leadership PAC
Leave to Sit
Legislative Aide / Legislative Assistant
Legislative Branch Agencies
Legislative Branch Appropriations
Legislative Correspondent
Legislative Counsel
Legislative Day
Legislative Director
Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook
Legislative Drafting Workshop
Legislative Histories, How to Research and Compile
Legislative Process Flowchart
Legislative Session
Legislative Vehicle
Legislative Veto
Library of Congress
Limitation
Line Item Veto
Lobby / Lobbying
Lobbying and Advocacy
Logrolling

M

Mace
Madison, James
Majority Leader
Majority Whip
Managers
Mandatory Spending
Manual
Marking Up A Bill
Markup
Means of Financing
Measure
“Member of Congress”
Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA)
Mid-Term Election
Minority Leader
Minority, Supplemental, and Additional Views
Minority Whip
Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs)
Mixed-Ownership Government Corporation
Modified Closed Rule
Modified Open Rule
Monthly Treasury Statement (MTS)
Morning Hour / Morning Business
Motion
Motion to Discharge Committee
Motion to Instruct
Motion to Recommit
Motion to Reconsider
Motion to Table
“Must Pass” Bill

N

National Mall
National Sales Tax (NST)
Nomination
Nominations to Federal Courts, by The President

Nonbudgetary
Nongermane Amendment
Note About Usage, A
Nuclear Option

O

Obligation
Off-Budget
Off-Budget Entities
Office of Congressional Ethics, House (OCE)
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of the Federal Register (OFR)
Official Objectors
Official Title
Offsetting Governmental Collections
Offsetting Receipts / Offset
OMB Circular No. A-11
Omnibus Bill
On-Budget
On-Budget Entities
One-Hour Rule
One-Minute Speeches
Open Rule
Optics
Original Bill
Other Body
Other Peoples Money (OPM)
Outlay
Override of a Veto
Oversight
Oversight Committee

.

P

PAC (Political Action Committee)
Pages, Congressional
Pair
Papers
Parliamentarian
Parliamentary Inquiry
Party Leaders and Leadership
Passed
Pass Over without Prejudice
Pastore Rule
Pay and Perquisites of Members of Congress
Pay As You Go (PayGo)
Pennsylvania Avenue
Perfecting Amendment
Performance & Accountability Report, GAO
Permanent Appropriation
Persuading Congress
Petition
Petition Box
Plum Book
Pocket Constitution
Pocket Veto
Point of Order
Point of Personal Privilege
Policy Committees
Popular Name / Popular Title
Pork / Pork Barrel
Post-Cloture Debate
Potomac Fever
Precedent
Precedents of the House of Representatives
Preparing and Delivering Congressional Testimony
President of the Senate
President of the United States
Presidential Appointment
Presidential Signature / Presidential Signing Statements
Presidential Succession
President Pro Tempore
President’s Budget
President’s Nominations to Federal Courts
Presiding Officer
Previous Question
Printed Amendment
Prior Year
Private Bill
Private Calendar
Private Law
Privilege
Privileged Questions
Pro Forma Amendment
Pro Forma Session
Proprietary Receipts from the Public
Proxy Voting / Polling
Public Debt
Public Law (P.L. / Pub. L.)
Put the Question

Q

Qualified Privilege
Queen-of-the-Hill Rule
Question
Question of Privilege
Quorum
Quorum Call

R

Ramseyer Rule
Ranking Member
Ranking Minority Member
Reading of Bills
Real Dollar
Reapportionment
Reapportionment and Redistricting
Recede
Recede and Concur with an Amendment
Receipts
Recess
Recess Appointment
Recognize / Recognition
Recommit / Recommit to Committee
Reconciliation
Reconsider
Recorded Vote
Redistricting
Reduction
Refer / Referral
Refunds
Regular Appropriations
Regular Meeting Day
Regular Order
Reimbursement
Rent-Seeking
Report / Reported
Reprogramming
Representative
Reprimand
Rescission
Resolution / Simple Resolution / H. Res. / S. Res.
Resolution of Inquiry
Resolution of Ratification
Restaurants on Capitol Hill
Revenue
Revolving Door
Revolving Fund
Riddick’s Senate Procedure
Rider
Rise
Rise and Report
Roll Call Vote / Record Vote
Rule XXII / Rule 22
Rules
Rules Committee, House
Resources, including House Rules
Rules, Senate
Rulemaking

S

S.
Scheduling
S.Con.Res.
Scorekeeping
Seating Charts
Second-Degree Amendment
Second Reading
Secretary of the Senate
Secret Session
Seigniorage
Senate
Senate Chamber
Senate Classes
Senate Floor
Senate Journal
Senate Manual
Senate Office Buildings (SOB)
Senate Rules (Senate)
Senate Salaries and Perquisites
Senator
Senatorial Courtesy
Seniority
Senior Senator / Junior Senator
Sense of the Congress
Sense of the House
Sense of the Senate
Sequestration
Sergeant at Arms
Session
Seven stages of the office seeker, The
Short Title
Simple Resolution
Sine Die
S.J. Res.
Slip Law
Speaker
Speaker’s Lobby
Special Order
Special Rule
Special Session
Sponsor
S. Rept.
S. Res.
Staff Draft
Stage of Disagreement
Standard General Ledger (SGL) Chart of Accounts
Standing Committee
Standing Vote
Star Print
State of the Union
Statuary Hall (Capitol)
Statutes at Large
Statutory Limit on the Public Debt
STOCK Act / Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act
Strike from the Record
Strike the Last Word / Strike the Requisite Number of Words
Subcommittee
Substitute
Substitute Amendment
Subway, Capitol
Super PAC
Supplemental Appropriation
Supplemental Appropriations
Supplemental Appropriation Act
Supplemental, Minority, and Additional Views
Supreme Court Appointment and Nomination
Surplus / Deficit
Suspend the Rules

T

Table a Bill
Table, Motion to
Tax Expenditure
Technical and Economic Assumptions
Teller Vote
Terms and Sessions of Congress
Testifying Before Congress
Third Reading
Thomas (Library of Congress)
Tracking and Monitoring Congressional Documents
Transaction Tax
Transfer
Treaties
Trust Funds

U

Unanimous Consent
Unanimous Consent Agreement
Understanding Congress
Understanding Congressional Budgeting and Appropriations
Understanding Report Language and Legislative History
Unemployment Rate
Unfilled Customer Orders
Unified Agenda
Unified Budget
Union Calendar
United States Constitution
Unlimited Debate
Unprinted Amendment
U.S. Code
U.S. Constitution
U.S. National Debt Clock: Real Time

V

Value Added Tax (VAT)
Vehicle
Veto
Veto Override
Vice President
Visiting Washington, DC
Voice Vote
Vote

W

Waiver Rule
Washington, DC, Visiting
Washingtonian
What’s the deal with …
What Your Member of Congress Can Do for You
Well
Whips
Wholly-Owned Government Corporation
Without Objection
Words Taken Down
Working Capital Fund
World Factbook, CIA

Y

Yeas and Nays
Yield/Yielding
Yield back the balance of my time
Yield for a Question
Yield the Floor
Yield Time
You Have 2 Cows

Z

Zero-Based Budgeting

If you don’t see the congressional term or phrase you are looking for, contact us at hobnobblog -at- gmail.com or or use our web form (opens new window).

Glossary Sources: Congressional Deskbook; GAO; Library of Congress; National Archives; OMB; House; Senate; Senate Budget Committee.

 


We No Speak Americano ft. Cleary & Harding

 

Images: Creative Commons Search.
Political Cartoons: Clifford K. Berryman Political Cartoon Collection at NARA | Puck cartoons (Google search) | Puck at the Senate | Presidential Campaigns: A Cartoon History, 1789-1976, Indiana University Libraries; | Puck – Senate | Nast – Senate | Political Cartoons in U.S. History, LOC | Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, LOC | Cartoon Drawings, LOC | Cartoon Drawings: Swann Collection of Caricature and Cartoon, LOC | HarpWeek

Also see

 
 

Courses

 
 

Publications


Legislative Drafter's Deskbook: A Practical Guide

Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide


Pocket Constitution

Pocket Constitution


Testifying Before Congress

Testifying Before Congress


Congressional Procedure

Congressional Procedure

 



Common Sense Rules of Advocacy for Lawyers
Common Sense Rules of Advocacy for Lawyers
 

Congressional Deskbook

Congressional Deskbook: The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress


Citizen's Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials

Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials: Citizen Advocacy in State Legislatures and Congress


The Federal Budget Process 2E

The Federal Budget Process 2E: A description of the federal and congressional budget processes, including timelines


Black's Law Dictionary
Black’s Law Dictionary



Media Relations Handbook, 2e

Media Relations Handbook, 2e



The Synonym Finder


The Synonym Finder


Oxford Picture Dictionary

Oxford Picture Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary


Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary



Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus


Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus


The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms


The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms


Roget's International Thesaurus


Roget’s International Thesaurus






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