1. Act – legislation enacted into law. A bill passed by both houses of the General Assembly, enrolled, ratified, signed by the governor or passed over the governor’s veto or becomes law without signature. An act is a permanent measure having the force of law until repealed.
2. Adjournment – the end of the session for the day, with the hour and the day of the next meeting set before adjournment.
3. Adoption – approval or acceptance of an amendment, resolution or bill.
4. Amendment – any change made or proposed in a bill by adding, changing, substituting or omitting language.
5. Appropriations bill – legislation that allocates funds from the state treasury to various departments of government for specific use.
6. Bicameral – a legislature containing two houses. (i.e., Senate and House of Representatives)
7. Bill – a draft of a proposed law presented to the legislature for consideration.
8. Budget – suggested allocation of state funds presented to the legislature for consideration. The governor is the first to draft a budget.
9. Calendar – list of pending legislation, according to the order of business scheduled for consideration by the rules on a legislative day. Printed daily and placed on members’ desks. Available daily from www.scstatehouse.gov.
10. Caucus – an informal meeting of a group of the members of the House of Representatives or Senate with a common interest.
11. Chair – designation of a presiding officer or chairperson of a committee.
12. Chamber – the hall for the meeting of a legislative body.
13. Committee – members appointed to consider and recommend disposition of bills, resolutions and other related matters.
14. Committee, ad hoc – committee appointed for a specific purpose. An ad hoc committee dissolves upon the completion of that specified task.
15. Concurrence – an agreement where one house agrees to a proposal or action that the other house has approved.
16. Concurrent resolution – a legislative measure used to express the general sentiment of the House and Senate. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the governor and do not have the force of law.
17. Conferees – three members of the Senate and three members of the House appointed to a conference committee.
18. Conference Committee – composed of three members of the Senate and three members of the House appointed by the presiding officers to resolve differences between the two chambers on an amended bill.
19. Conference Report – written notice from a conference committee to the House and Senate of action taken in committee on the bill.
20. District – the area of the state represented by a legislator. Each district is determined by population and is known by a number. There are 46 senate districts and 124 house districts.
21. Division Vote – vote taken by standing in the Senate or by a 30-second roll call in the House, with no record other than the total recorded in the journal.
22. Filibuster – a strategy by which a member can control the floor through extended debate on a measure thus delaying or preventing passage.
23. First Reading – the introduction of the bill and the first of three readings.
24. Fiscal Year – the accounting period of 12 months. State government runs July 1 through June 30.
25. Floor – the portion of the General Assembly chamber re-served for members, officers and staff.
26. Free Conference Committee – same as the conference committee except with additional power to insert new matter into the legislation to achieve a compromise. Free conference powers are granted by two-thirds vote of the membership of each chamber.
27. Germaneness – the relevance or appropriateness of amendments, speeches, etc.
28. Joint Session/Assembly – a meeting of the House and Senate usually in the House chamber. It is called by resolution for specific purposes such as elections or speeches.
29. Journal – a record of the previous day’s proceedings, including messages, roll calls, remarks made by members that are requested to be printed and action taken on all legislation considered that day. Available daily from www.scstatehouse.gov.
30. Majority Leader – a member of the majority party elected to be leader by members of the party.
31. Majority Vote – a vote of more than half of the legislative body considering a measure.
32. Minority Leader – a member of the minority party elected to be the leader by members of the party.
33. Motion – formal proposal offered by a member during a committee hearing or floor session.
34. Point of Order – a motion calling attention to a breach of order or of the rules.
35. Point of Personal Privilege – a statement defending the rights, reputation or conduct of a legislator in his or her official capacity.
36. Quorum – the required number of members present to conduct business.
37. Ratify – sign or give formal consent to legislation making it officially valid.
38. Reading – presentation of a bill before the Senate or House by reading the title. A bill is either in first, second or third reading until passed by both chambers.
39. Reapportionment – redivision of citizens into equally populated election districts, based on the census.
40. Recess – intermission in a daily session.
41. Reconsideration – a motion giving the opportunity to take another vote on the item in question. The motion for recon-sideration must be accepted by a majority of the members present and voting.
42. Resolution – an opinion expressed by one or both bodies but does not have the force of law.
43. Roll Call – the recorded vote on an issue. In the House, roll calls are taken by an electronic voting system connected to the individual members’ desk. In the Senate, roll calls are taken by voice vote, with the names of the members being called in alphabetical order by the reading clerk. Roll call votes are published in the daily journal.
44. Rules – methods of legislative procedure. Joint rules govern both chambers. Senate or House rules regulate only the one chamber.
45. Second Reading – each bill introduced must be read three times before final passage. Second reading occurs after a bill has been reported from committee.
46. Sine Die – final adjournment. Its literal meaning is adjournment without delay.
47. Speaker of the House – the presiding officer in the House of Representatives, elected by the membership.
48. Speaker Pro Tempore of the House – substitute presiding officer, taking the chair on request of the speaker in his absence. Elected by the membership.
49. Special Order – matter of business set for designated time and day.
50. Sponsor – legislator who introduces a bill, amendment or resolution. A bill can have multiple sponsors.
51. Standing Committee – regular committees of the legislature, set up by the rules to perform certain legislative functions.
52. Table – a means of disposing of a bill or other matter.
53. Take a Walk – to purposely be absent to avoid voting on a measure.
54. Third Reading – occurs when the measure is about to be taken up on the floor of either house for final passage.
55. Unfunded Mandates – any provision of legislation that imposes a responsibility on a state, locality or tribal government, for which adequate funding to carry out the responsibility is not appropriated.
56. Veto – the action of a governor in disapproval of a measure. On its return to the legislature, each house either sustains the veto or overrides it. To override means to pass the bill over the governor’s veto. Sustain means to agree with the governor’s veto.
57. Voice Vote – oral expression of the members when a question is submitted for their determination. Response is given by “ayes” and “nays.” The presiding officer states his decision as to which side prevailed.