Glossary of Congressional Terms

A Senate vote to end debate on a bill or nomination and move toward a final vote. For most legislation it takes three fifths of the Senate, usually 60 votes. Since 2013 and 2017, cloture on nominations needs only a simple majority.

A House procedure that forces a bill out of committee and onto the floor once a majority of members, 218 when every seat is filled, sign it.

Extended debate in the Senate used to delay or block a vote. Ending it takes a successful cloture vote.

A Senate motion to begin debate on a bill. It can itself be filibustered, so it may need its own cloture vote.

The number of members needed to do business: a majority of each chamber, 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate when every seat is filled.

A budget process that lets certain tax and spending bills pass the Senate by simple majority without a filibuster, under strict rules enforced by the Senate parliamentarian.

The standard path for a bill: introduction, committee referral, markup, floor debate with amendments, and a vote.

A House procedure for quick passage: debate is limited to 40 minutes, no amendments are allowed, and the bill needs a two-thirds vote.

An agreement that lets a chamber act without a formal vote unless a member objects. A single objection blocks it.

The party leader responsible for counting votes and keeping members in line. Each party has a whip in each chamber.

The written document that goes with a bill when it leaves committee. It explains what the bill does and why, and can include dissenting views.

A temporary panel of House and Senate members formed when the two chambers pass different versions of the same bill. It writes one text that both chambers then vote on.

The compromise text a conference committee produces. Each chamber votes yes or no on it as a whole; it cannot be amended.

A member who formally signs on to support a bill after the sponsor introduces it.

The committee meeting where members debate, amend and vote on a bill before it goes to the full chamber.

The member who introduces a bill. Each bill has one sponsor.

Any vote where each member’s position is logged by name. Roll-call and electronic votes are recorded votes; voice votes are not.

A recorded vote in which each member’s yea, nay or present is logged. Purple Voice tracks every roll-call vote in the House and Senate. See recent votes.

A vote where members call out yea or nay together and the presiding officer judges the result. No individual positions are recorded.

Political spending by groups, often 501(c)(4) nonprofits, that are not required to disclose their donors.

Contributions given directly to a candidate or party, subject to federal limits and disclosed to the Federal Election Commission.

A committee that raises money for several candidates or party committees at once and splits it among them.

A report required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act showing who lobbied, for which client, on which issues, and roughly how much was spent. Filed with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House.

A committee that pools contributions and gives to candidates within federal limits. Corporations, unions and trade groups often sponsor PACs.

A disclosure members of Congress file for stock, bond and other securities trades over $1,000, required by the STOCK Act. Trades are reported within 30 days of notice and no later than 45 days after the trade. See the STOCK Act Tracker.

The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012. It bars members and staff from trading on nonpublic information and requires them to disclose securities trades.

An independent expenditure-only committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts for or against candidates, as long as it does not coordinate with them or give to them directly.