A tax-exempt organization, named after a section of the U.S. tax code, that can engage in election activities on behalf of causes or issues.

527 Group

The power of Congress to confirm or deny presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts and for the approval of international treaties.

advice and consent

A policy aimed at helping those previously discriminated against receive extra advantages and opportunites such as economic, educational, and political positions. New arguments have been based on the idea that it reverses discrimination against majority citizens.

Affirmative Action

The main form of individual welfare payments until the mid 1990s. More recent programs come in the form of grants to states, where the state distributes the family assistance as needed.

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

The organization that ranks judicial nominees as well qualified, qualified, or not qualified. These rankings are used to assess nominees prior to their hearings in the Senate.

American Bar Association (ABA)

 Summary case arguments given by interested parties who may be affected by the outcome of a case. This "friend of the court" summary is supposed to give judges more information about the arguents and the possible outcomes.

amicus curiae brief

Members of the opposition to the new Constitution who lost the vote, but forced the promises of a set of rights to be added as amendments by the new government. (BOR)

Anti-Federalists

The division of representative seats according to population.

apportionment

Legislation that concerns the raising of revenes by the government.

appropriation

A bill that provides funding for a program that has been authorized, usually for one year at a time.

Appropriation bill

A measurement of how popular, or unpopular, a leader or program is among the public.

approval rating

A nickname given to newer members of Congress who have few important positions or those more senior members who tend to avoid positions of power or controversy.

back-bencher

The goal of the federal government to spend only the amount of money collected from tax revenues. Previous efforts to legislate such spending limits have failed.

 balanced budget

A form of direct democracy that allows citizens to petition for issues that will be decided by a direct ballot and not by the legislative branch. (popular in CA where taxes were reduced and reorganized)

ballot initiative

A critical term refercing to the highway loop that surrounds the greater Washington, DC area and seems to isolate the leaders of the country. If leaders concern themselves only with lobby groups and the hallways of power and are not concerned with the general interests of the nation at large, they are ______.

Beltway, ("Inside the Beltway")

two chambers of Congress, the HOR and the Senate

bicameral

The resulting agreement when two nations create a joint policy.

bilateral agreement

A proposed law being debated in Congress

Bill

A label given if support for something comes from members of both parties.

Bipartisan

A voting group that tends to include those with common interests and views.

Bloc

Monies given to communities and states for general programs, such as social services and development projects.

Block grants

A media outlet that presents rumors, opinions, and some news. They tend to be highly partisan. Criticisms about them include lack of filtering and editing and lack of responsibility touward facts.

Blogs

The label given to states where the Democratic Party wins the electoral votes.

Blue States

Southern Democratic members of Congress who openly voted for conservative issues and with the Republican Party in the 1980s. Many have now officially switched to the GOP.

Boll Weevils

A summary of case arguments given to the judges and justices before a hearing to outline the parameters of the case.

brief

A congressional resolution binding the legislature to a specific total budget amount for the fiscal year.

Budget Resolution