All > Law > US Legislature
Legislation (a bill or joint resolution, see below) which has passed both chambers of Congress in identical form, been signed into law by the President, or passed over his veto, thus becoming law. Technically, this term also refers to a bill that has been passed by one house and engrossed (prepared as an official copy).
Also listed in:
- All > Business > Finance > Insurance > Flood Insurance
All > Law > US Legislature
A motion to adjourn in the Senate (or a committee) ends that day's session.
- Browse Related Terms: adjourn, adjourn for more than 3 days, adjournment sine die, adjournment to a day and time certain, Calendar of Business, conditional adjournment, layover, legislative day, pocket veto, pro forma session, recess
All > Law > US Legislature
Under the Constitution, neither chamber may adjourn for more than three days without the approval of the other. Such approval is obtained in a concurrent resolution approved by both chambers.
- Browse Related Terms: adjourn, adjourn for more than 3 days, adjournment sine die, adjournment to a day and time certain, Calendar of Business, conditional adjournment, layover, legislative day, pocket veto, pro forma session, recess
All > Law > US Legislature
The end of a legislative session "without day." These adjournments are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session of a Congress.
- Browse Related Terms: adjourn, adjourn for more than 3 days, adjournment sine die, adjournment to a day and time certain, Calendar of Business, conditional adjournment, layover, legislative day, pocket veto, pro forma session, recess
All > Law > US Legislature
An adjournment of the Senate that fixes the day and time for its next session.
- Browse Related Terms: adjourn, adjourn for more than 3 days, adjournment sine die, adjournment to a day and time certain, Calendar of Business, conditional adjournment, layover, legislative day, pocket veto, pro forma session, recess
All > Law > US Legislature
Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
- Browse Related Terms: advice and consent, committee jurisdiction, confirmation, executive business, Executive Calendar, executive communication, Journal, morning business, nomination, simple resolution
All > Law > US Legislature
A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, the Senate must agree to it.
- Browse Related Terms: "christmas tree" bill, Amendment, amendment in the nature of a substitute, clean bill, committee substitute, filibuster, floor amendment, germane, markup, measure, nongermane amendment, question, Referral, relevant
Also listed in:
- All > Law > Intellectual Property > Patent
All > Law > US Legislature
An amendment that would strike out the entire text of a bill or other measure and insert a different full text.
- Browse Related Terms: "christmas tree" bill, Amendment, amendment in the nature of a substitute, clean bill, committee substitute, filibuster, floor amendment, germane, markup, measure, nongermane amendment, question, Referral, relevant
All > Law > US Legislature
When the Chair rules on a point of order, any Senator may appeal the ruling, in which case the full Senate makes a final decision on the point of order by voting whether to sustain or reverse the ruling.
Also listed in:
- All > Business > Finance > Personal Finance > Income Tax
- All > Healthcare > Health Insurance
- All > Law > Bankruptcy
- All > Law > Common Legal Terms
- All > Law > Court
- All > Law > Criminal Law
- All > Law > Divorce
- All > Law > Intellectual Property > Patent
All > Law > US Legislature
The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation. Legislation status tables and information about the appropriations process are available on the Appropriations page.
- Browse Related Terms: "must pass" bill, appropriation, authorization, authorizations act, continuing resolution/continuing appropriations, entitlement, fiscal year, Hearing, item veto, oversight, public debt, Rescission, Rider, statutory limit on the public debt, supplemental appropriation, trust funds, user fees
Also listed in:
All > Law > US Legislature
A statutory provision that obligates funding for a program or agency. An authorization may be effective for one year, a fixed number of years, or an indefinite period. An authorization may be for a definite amount of money or for "such sums as may be necessary." The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation.
Also listed in:
- All > Business > Banking
- All > Business > Finance > Personal Finance
- All > Science > Water
- All > Technology > Collaboration > SharePoint
- All > Technology > Operating System > Microsoft Windows > Microsoft Windows Server > Microsoft Active Directory
- All > Technology > Programming > Java
- All > Technology > Security
- All > Technology > Telecommunications
All > Law > US Legislature
A law that establishes or continues one or more Federal agencies or programs, establishes the terms and conditions under which they operate, authorizes the enactment of appropriations, and specifies how appropriated funds are to be used. Authorizations acts sometimes provide permanent appropriations.
- Browse Related Terms: "must pass" bill, appropriation, authorization, authorizations act, continuing resolution/continuing appropriations, entitlement, fiscal year, Hearing, item veto, oversight, public debt, Rescission, Rider, statutory limit on the public debt, supplemental appropriation, trust funds, user fees
All > Law > US Legislature
A budget in which receipts equal outlays.
- Browse Related Terms: balanced budget, baseline, budget authority, deficit (surplus), discretionary spending, mandatory spending, obligation, off-budget entities, outlays, permanent appropriation, receipts, scorekeeping
All > Law > US Legislature
Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
Also listed in:
- All > Healthcare > Medicine > Cancer
- All > Science > Energy > Energy Market
- All > Technology > Defense
- All > Technology > Records Management
All > Law > US Legislature
The principal vehicle employed by lawmakers for introducing their proposals (enacting or repealing laws, for example) in the Senate. Bills are designated S. 1, S. 2, and so on depending on the order in which they are introduced. They address either matters of general interest ("public bills") or narrow interest ("private bills"), such as immigration cases and individual claims against the Federal government.
Also listed in:
- All > Business > Finance > Personal Finance > Consumer Credit > Credit Card
All > Law > US Legislature
Authority provided by law to enter into obligations that will result in outlays of Federal funds. Budget authority may be classified by the period of availability (one-year, multiyear, no-year), by the timing of congressional action (current or permanent), or by the manner of determining the amount available (definite or indefinite).
- Browse Related Terms: balanced budget, baseline, budget authority, deficit (surplus), discretionary spending, mandatory spending, obligation, off-budget entities, outlays, permanent appropriation, receipts, scorekeeping
Also listed in:
- All > Technology > Defense
All > Law > US Legislature
Legislation in the form of a concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget. The budget resolution establishes various budget totals, divides spending totals into functional categories (e.g., transportation), and may include reconciliation instructions to designated House or Senate committees.
- Browse Related Terms: budget resolution, committee, committee amendment, committee calendar, committee print, conference report, joint committee, reconciliation bill, reconciliation instruction, reconciliation process, report, select or special committee, Senate Manual, subcommittee, supplemental, minority, and additional views
All > Law > US Legislature
A Senate publication sent to each lawmaker's office (and other offices) every day the Senate is in session. It contains information on, for instance, measures reported from the various standing committees, bills in conference, and the status of appropriation bills.
- Browse Related Terms: adjourn, adjourn for more than 3 days, adjournment sine die, adjournment to a day and time certain, Calendar of Business, conditional adjournment, layover, legislative day, pocket veto, pro forma session, recess
All > Law > US Legislature
From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of Members of the House or the Senate, or both, that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
- Browse Related Terms: "lame duck" session, caucus, chaplain, Congressional Record, executive session, joint meeting, joint session, legislative session, Session
All > Law > US Legislature
The presiding officer of a committee or subcommittee. In the Senate, chairmanship is based on seniority of committee tenure, but a Senator may not chair more than one standing committee.
- Browse Related Terms: chairman, committee membership, ex officio, floor manager, leave to sit, original bill, ranking minority member, regular meeting day, seniority, standing committee