Up to Chapter 16!

So this will probably end up being fairly short, I’m getting further into the book, but like, seem to have to look up less. I also feel like I’m reading a lot because I’m blowing past the chapters, the chapters in this book are only a couple pages long though. It makes it easier to digest the information in short bursts but I’m only on page 64, chapter 16.

Anyways,

• Something fairly basic, and I may have mentioned it before, but the House is more structured where-as the Senate is a little more free. The House gets 5 minutes to state a case, and the Senate gets unlimited. It explains why people in positions like that just drone on and on and never seem to get to the point. Watch some interviews on C-SPAN. You will see.
• I don't know by who, but it's said “The Senate is the only place somebody stands to speak, nobody listens, then everybody disagrees”
• Congressional Record: daily transcript of the House and Senate action. Not everything is recorded (for example if it is Top Secret), but with a 1/5 vote any yea/nay action can be recorded in it as well.
• Vice President is the President of the Senate - supposedly presides over sessions, but nowadays only does so in emergencies or when not doing executive things.
• Mothers will always be mothers, a natural constant. There have been at least 2 stories of moms holding sway and giving advice to their children in office.
• President Pro Tempore - Means ‘For the Time Being’. The poor sod the Vice President slides all his ‘President of the Senate’ work onto. The position is voted into power by the Senate, it usually ends up being the most senior person for the major party. Technically the 2nd most powerful person in the Senate AND 3rd person in line for the presidency if the worst happens. (Vice President, Speaker of the House, Pro Tempore, Secretary of State)

Now we can get to the fun stuff, that I wanted to look up for either clarification or to get a solid definition.

• Executive Oversight - The inability to watch over the executive branch and keep them in line. The Wikipedia article mentions that Congress does have the ability to start investigations and such into the executive branch of things but is also supposed to keep an eye on federal level programs as well, and that’s quite a list.
• White House Council - Somebody who helps legally with legislation and advises the president on a whole slew of issues. Specifically the President and only the President. If President Barack Obama needed his help with a personal matter, President Obama would have to use his personal attorney instead. I was surprised it looks like just one person holds this office (it does say council, so I was thinking plural) AND they seem to last a pretty short amount of time. 1-6 years?
• Pro Forma Session - and the .gov website. Basically a short session to meet the bare minimum of requirements for them to say ‘Yep, went to work today’. Normally it’s for political reasons, and is normally an empty floor. I wrote down Pro Forma Legislative, but couldn’t find it. I am assuming that this would be if something passed the Senate but with the bare minimum present, the ‘Quorum’ if you will. (Merlin, I hoped I used the term right.)
• Moratorium - A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law.
• Earmarking Banned? - So there was a mention of Earmarking things banned in the book,  I had no idea there was a ban on it (goes to show how much I used to follow the news). I guess it’s self-imposed, but it is a rule that they have broken if the Citizens Against Government Waste are to be believed.
• Whips (Kinky) - That was a lie, it’s not kinky. Whips are there to make sure everyone doesn’t sit around and complain. Whips keep everyone on point, in touch, and working for their party and is a party important position because you keep in touch with everyone and that makes it easier to make friends in business.

I take it back, I had to still look up a ton. It was just all at the bottom of my paper. T.T