From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Political Action Committee / PAC / Leadership PAC PAC-MAN (REMI GAILLARD) Political Action Committee (PAC): A private group organized to elect or defeat government officials or to promote or defeat legislation. PACs are defined and regulated by state and federal law. A leadership … Read more
George Wythe (pronounced “with”) was the personal mentor to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison (1749-1812) [a cousin to the more famous James Madison], John Marshall, and many other notable founders of the United States. Consequently, he was known as America’s “Teacher of Liberty.” A statesman in his own right, Wythe signed the Declaration of Independence, served … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Appeal the Ruling of the Chair The right to appeal from a decision of the Chair on a question of order is derived from the English Parliament and is recognized under clause 5 of House Rule I, which dates from 1789. This right of appeal, … Read more
George Mason is known, together with James Madison, as the “Father of the Bill of Rights.” However, George Mason would be better named the “Grandfather of the Bill of Rights” since the basis for the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was the Virginia Declaration of Rights. That all men are born equally free … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms President of the United States / State of the Union
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Executive Branch EXECUTIVE BRANCH – Cram for the Exam The president is the head of the executive branch of the government, which includes many departments and agencies. The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Executive Privilege / Qualified Privilege Mark Rozell – The Looming Battle Over Executive Privilege The phrase “executive privilege” is a shorthand reference to the “qualified privilege” of the executive to decline to respond to a request for information–documents or testimony or both–from either … Read more
As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), P.L. 111-148, as amended, Congress enacted a “minimum coverage provision,” which compels certain individuals to have a minimum level of health insurance (i.e., an “individual mandate”). Individuals who fail to do so may be subject to a monetary penalty, administered through the tax code. … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Amending the Constitution How to Amend the U.S. Constitution One of the ways in which federalism is most clearly expressed in the Constitution is in the process for its amendment. Nine of the thirteen original states were required to ratify the … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Presidential Succession President Gerald Ford – Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office, August 9, 1974 Under Article II and the Twelfth, Twentieth, and Twenty-fifth Amendments to the Constitution, Congress has critical roles to play in the selection of the president and vice … Read more