Government Glossary of Terms

Act: Legislation that has passed both Houses of Congress and has been either approved by the President, or passed over his veto, thus becoming law.

Alien: A person residing without being a citizen of his non-native country.

Amendment: A proposal by a congressional member to alter the language or provisions of a bill or act.

The Constitution of the United States, as provided in Article V, may be amended when two thirds of each house of Congress approves a proposed amendment and three fourths of the states thereafter ratify it.


Bill: Formally introduced legislation.


Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.



Centralized Government: A form of government in which the national government maintains the power (as in Washington DC).

Checks and Balances: A system of limits imposed by the Constitution of the United States on all branches of a government.

Citizen: A native or naturalized member of a state or nation.




Delegate: A person designated to act for or represent another or others. Delegates are seen at a political convention.

Democratic: Characterized by the principle of political or social equality for all.



Federalists: A group of people who supported the adoption of the Constitution. Leading Federalists included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.



Hearing: A meeting or session of a committee of Congress. These are usually open to the public. Their purpose is to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or oversee something.

Hopper: A box into which a proposed legislative bill is dropped and thereby officially introduced.

Immigrant: A person who migrates to another country. They usually migrate for for permanent residence.

Impeachment: A formal accusation issued by a legislature against a public official charged with crime or other serious misconduct.



Initiative: A procedure by which a specified number of voters may propose a statute, constitutional amendment, or ordinance.

Judicial Review: The power of a court to judge the constitutionality of the laws of a government or the acts of a government official.

Law: A rule of conduct. They are established and enforced by an authority.



Line-Item Veto: The power of the executive to disapprove of particular items of a bill without having to disapprove of the entire bill.

National: A person under the protection of a specific country. Also known as a citizen or subject.

Naturalization: The official act by which a person is made a national of a country other than his native one.



Primary Election: An election held to decide which candidates will be on the November general election ballot.



Ratification: The act of approval of a proposed constitutional amendment by the legislatures of the States. Can also mean the Senate process of advice and consent to treaties negotiated by the President.



Redistricting: The process within the States of redrawing legislative district boundaries to reflect population changes following a census.

Referendum: The submission of a law, proposed or already in effect, to a direct vote of the people.


Republic: A state or nation in which the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote. There are representatives elected, directly or indirectly, by them and responsible to them.

Separation of Powers: The distribution of power and authority among the branches of government- legislative, executive, and judicial.



Tabling Motion: A motion to stop action on a pending proposal and to lay it aside indefinitely. The measure which has been tabled is effectively defeated.

Veto: The constitutional procedure by which the President refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. It can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in each House. A pocket veto occurs after Congress has adjourned and is unable to override the President’s action.