From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Seniority / Junior Senator / Senior Senator Cartoon explanation here. The status given members according to their length of service in the chamber, which entitles a member with greater seniority to preferential treatment in matters such as committee assignments. In the House, the Press Gallery … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Gang of Four “Gang of Four” intelligence notifications generally are oral briefings of certain particularly sensitive non-covert action intelligence activities, including principally, but not exclusively, intelligence collection programs, that the intelligence community typically limits to the chairmen and ranking members of the two congressional intelligence … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Bipartisan When members from two different political parties (in the contemporary Congress, Democrats and Republicans) work together to find a common solution, or when members from both parties work together in a group or jointly sponsor or co-sponsor legislation. In the House, the Speaker consults … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms At-large Representative An at-large representative is a member of the House whose congressional district is their entire state. Under the Constitution, seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states. They are reapportioned every ten years following the decennial census. Every state is … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Government Printing Office / Government Publishing Office / GPO / Federal Depository Libraries The Government Printing Office (GPO) is a legislative branch agency. The name changed in 2014 to Government Publishing Office. GPO’s core mission of “Keeping America Informed,” dates to 1813 when Congress determined … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Legislative Branch Agencies / Architect of the Capitol / AOC To ensure that Congress has independent sources of information from the executive branch to support it in its legislative and oversight responsibilities, Congress formed several legislative branch agencies. Stone Preservation on Capitol Hill … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Government Accountability Office / GAO / Comptroller General The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan legislative agency that works for Congress. Often called the “congressional watchdog,” GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Dear Colleague letters Members of Congress circulate Dear Colleague letters to urge their colleagues to co-sponsor their legislation. It is common in both chambers for the key proponent of a measure to send a Dear Colleague letter (in print or electronically) to other members requesting … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Exclusion / Disorderly Behaviour / Censure / Reprimand / Expulsion Members of Congress are subject to disciplinary procedures in their respective chambers. The Constitution states (Article I, Section 5, cl. 2): “Each House may . . . punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Congressional Budget Office / CBO Introduction to the Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) principally serve congressional committees with a variety of reports. The Congressional Budget Office assists Congress in understanding the economic and fiscal environment … Read more