All terms in this list:

Bicameral: Having, or pertaining to, two separate legislative chambers or houses.

term: A limitation, restriction or regulation.

session: A meeting of a council, court, or legislative body to conduct its business.

convene: to begin a new session of Congress.

adjourn: suspend as in a session of Congress.

recess: a time when both houses of Congress temporarily suspend business.

prorogue: To suspend a parliamentary session or to discontinue the meetings of a parliament without formally ending the session.

Special session: an extraordinary session of a legislative body called to deal with an emergency situation.

apportion: distribute, as in seats in a legislative body.

reapportion: To apportion again; to redistribute or reallocate.

off-year election: congressional election that occurs between presidential election years.

single-member district: electoral district from which one person is chosen by voters for each elected office.

at-large: election of an officeholder by the voters of an entire governmental unit rather than by the voters of a district or subdivision.

gerrymander: To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain.

incumbent: the current officeholder

continuous body: governing unit whose seats are never all up for election at the same time.

constituency: the people and interests that an elected official represents.

delegate: representatives members of Congress who cast votes based on the wishes of their constituents.

trustee: lawmakers who votes based on his or her conscience and judgement, not the views of his or her constituents.

partisan: lawmakers who owes his/her first allegiance to his/her political party and votes according to the party line.

politico: lawmakers who attempt to balance the basic elements of the trustees, delegates, and partisan roles.

bill: a proposed law presented to a legislative body for consideration.

floor consideration: the process by which proposed laws are considered and acted upon by the full membership of the House or Senate

oversight function: review by legislative committees of the policies and programs of the the executive branch.

franking privilege: benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage free.