From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Constituent / Case Work Constituent: A person who can or does elect a public official to office. A person eligible to vote for a candidate for a particular public office. A House member’s local offices (district offices) are located in the represented congressional district, and … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Congressional Record The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. At the back of each daily issue is the Daily Digest, which summarizes the day’s floor and … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Journal photo credit: grongar The official record of the proceedings of the House and Senate. The Journal records the actions taken in each chamber, such as motions agreed to and votes taken, but unlike the Congressional Record, it does not include the substantially verbatim report … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Slip Laws photo credit: Digital Sextant A few days after a law has been enacted, it is officially published first as a “slip law.” The first official publication of a bill that has been enacted and signed into law. Each is published separately in unbound … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms U.S. Code (U.S.C.) (USC) photo credit: AngryJulieMonday Following the assignment of a public-law number and statutory citation, and the publication of a slip law, the House of Representatives’ Office of Law Revision Counsel, working largely under the auspices of the Speaker of the House, organizes … Read more
. . .it is not far from the truth to say that Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee rooms is Congress at work. Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government, 1885. Most matters are accomplished by Congress in committees. Each chamber of Congress has committees that are established to perform very … Read more
Federal legislation is introduced as a proposal by either a Senator or a Representative in the House of Representatives. Before a bill can actually become a law, the proposal must be passed by the Senate as well as the House by a majority vote. It must then be signed into law by the president, or … Read more
The United States Constitution Article. II. (The Executive Branch) Section. 2. (Civilian Power over Military, Cabinet, Pardon Power, Appointments) The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may … Read more