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Glossary

Plain-language definitions for the words around Congress and your league.

3 min read

Plain-language definitions for the words you will run into around Congress and your league. Skim it anytime. Lex keeps things simple.

A few terms to start. The full list is below.

How Congress is built

Term	Means
Chamber	One of the two halves of Congress, the House or the Senate.
House of Representatives	The larger chamber, with seats set by state population and two-year terms.
Senate	The smaller chamber, with two seats per state and six-year terms.
Session	A year of work within a two-year Congress.
Recess	A scheduled break when Congress is not meeting.

Term	Means
Bill	A proposed law.
Sponsor	The member who introduces a bill.
Cosponsor	A member who signs on to support someone else's bill.
Committee	A group of members that reviews bills in a subject area before the full chamber does.
Amendment	A proposed change to a bill.
Veto	The President's rejection of a bill, which Congress can override with a two-thirds vote.

Term	Means
Vote	A member's recorded position, usually Yea or Nay.
Quorum	The minimum number of members who must be present for the chamber to act.
Bipartisan	Supported by members of both major parties.
Resolution	A formal statement of a chamber's position; many do not carry the force of law.

Term	Means
Roster	The legislators on your team.
Lineup	The members you start in a given week, the only ones who score.
Key Legislator	Your weekly pick whose points are doubled.
Matchup	Your head-to-head contest against another team for the week.