ABSOLUTE
VETO
The Governor's rejection of a proposed law passed by
the Legislature. A bill vetoed in this manner cannot become
law unless the Legislature overrides the veto by a vote of at
least two-thirds of the members of each house.
(27 votes in the Senate; 54 votes in the General Assembly)
AD
HOC STUDY COMMITTEE OR COMMISSION A committee or commission established by
law, resolution, or order of the presiding officer to investigate special issues and
make recommendations for legislative or executive agency action.
ADJOURNMENT
SINE DIE Literally
adjournment "without a day," it is an adjournment
without definitely fixing a day for reconvening. Since 1970 in New Jersey, it is the final adjournment of the two-year
legislative session and the end of all legislative business.
ADMINISTRATIVE
COMMITTEE A committee
that deals with internal housekeeping functions of the Senate
or General Assembly.
ADMINISTRATIVE
RULES Rules and
regulations issued by state executive branch agencies.
ADOPT
To vote official approval or acceptance.
ADVANCE
LAWS Advance copies
of each law published and distributed prior to printing of the
annual volumes.
ADVICE
AND CONSENT The
power vested in the Senate by the State Constitution to review
and approve or reject the Governor's nominations for judges,
cabinet officers, and other officials.
Appointments are confirmed by an absolute majority vote.
(21 votes in the Senate)
AMENDMENT
Any modification made or proposed in a bill, resolution
or motion by adding, substituting or deleting language.
AMENDMENT
TO THE CONSTITUTION A change of the State Constitution proposed by the Legislature and
presented to the voters as a public question on the general
election ballot. If rejected by the voters, the proposal or
a similar one may not be resubmitted to the public for three
years.
APPORTIONMENT
The allocation of legislative seats among the legislative
districts according to district population.
APPROPRIATION
A legislative enactment authorizing the expenditure of
public funds for a specific governmental purpose.
ASSEMBLY
(See GENERAL ASSEMBLY)
ASSEMBLY
CLERK (See CLERK
OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY)
ASSEMBLY
MINUTES The official
record of the actions of the New Jersey General Assembly. This record is published in an annual volume.
ASSEMBLY
SPEAKER (See SPEAKER
OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY)
BICAMERAL
A legislature composed of two houses.
The New Jersey houses are the Senate and the General
Assembly.
BIENNIAL
SESSION A two-year
meeting period of a legislative body.
BILL
A proposal to establish a new law, or to change or repeal
an existing law.
BILL
DRAFTING The writing
of bills and resolutions according to a prescribed form.
BILL
GUIDE A publication
produced by the Office of Legislative Services' Data Management
Unit containing a cumulative listing of bills by subject, by
sponsor and in numerical order, passed into law and vetoed. It also includes a list of chapter laws organized
by subject matter and leadership and committee assignments.
BILL
STATEMENT A brief
statement printed at the end of a bill or resolution that described
its provision or purpose. It
is also called a "sponsor's statement."
BIPARTISAN
An adjective indicating that a committee or group is
composed of members of both major political parties, or that
an action or idea has support from members of both parties.
BUDGET
A document of proposed governmental expenditures for
a given fiscal year and the proposed means of financing these
expenditures.
BUDGET
MESSAGE A general
description of the proposed annual budget presented by the Governor
before the Legislature and in writing.
CAUCUS
(See PARTY CONFERENCE)
CEREMONIAL
RESOLUTION A formal
statement by which a house honors an individual or organization
or pays tribute to the memory of a deceased citizen. Ceremonial resolutions are not subject to the same strict rules
of form and procedure as other resolutions.
CHAMBER
The official room or location for meetings of a legislative
body.
CHAPTER
LAW Each act passed
by the Legislature and approved by the Governor. Chapter Laws are organized numerically in order
of the Governor's approval and compiled annually.
CITATION
A certificate issued by a legislator to mark a notable
achievement by an individual or an organization or to offer
a memorial tribute. (See IN-MEMORIAM CERTIFICATE)
CLERK
OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY A person, not a member of the Legislature, who is elected by the
General Assembly to serve as its chief administrative officer. The Clerk's duties include reading all bills
and resolutions on first, second and third reading; recording
the vote on all bills and resolutions; and providing general
supervision over certain employees of the house.
CODIFICATION
OF LAWS The systematic arrangement of laws.
In New Jersey, chapter laws are codified according to
subject matter.
COMMITTEE
AIDE A professional
legislative staff member provided by the nonpartisan Office
of Legislative Services or partisan offices, to assist each
committee in administrative, technical and research capacities.
COMMITTEE,
COMMISSION A group
established by law, resolution or order of the presiding officer
to investigate a particular issue or area and make recommendations
for legislative or administrative action. Committees or commissions are frequently comprised
of legislators of one or both houses, subject area experts or
public members appointed by merit of the positions they hold
in state agencies and private organizations.
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION A resolution
adopted by both the Senate and General Assembly to express the
policy or opinions of the Legislature; often used to petition
Congress to take certain actions; to establish study commissions
composed entirely of legislators or appointees of the presiding
officer, to adopt joint rules; and to propose amendments to
the State Constitution. Requires no action by the Governor.
CONDITIONAL
VETO A veto in which
the Governor objects to parts of a bill and proposes amendments
that would make it acceptable.
If the Legislature re-enacts the bill with the recommended
amendments, it is presented again to the Governor for
signature.
CONFLICT
OF INTEREST A situation
occuring when an official's private interests may benefit from
his or her public actions.
CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT One of
13 districts in New Jersey from which a congressional representative
is elected. The districts are established by state law
and are redrawn following a decennial census to maintain equal
population in each.
CONSENT
LIST A list of bills
which, by prearrangement of the two parties, are passed without
objection or debate.
CONSTITUENT
A resident of a legislator's district.
CONSTITUTION
A written instrument defining and limiting the duties
and powers of a government and guaranteeing certain rights to
the people who are subject to that government's laws.
New Jersey's first constitution was adopted in 1776,
its present one in 1947.
CO-SPONSOR(S)
The sponsor(s) of a bill or resolution in addition to
the prime sponsor.
DEBATE
The formal discussion and argumentation of a matter by
the members of the Senate and General Assembly during a session.
Precise limitations on debate in the New Jersey Legislature
have been set by the rules of each house.
DISTRICT
(See LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT)
DISTRICT
OFFICES The offices
maintained by legislators in their respective districts for
the purpose of serving their constituents.
DRAFT
The copy of a preliminary bill, not yet officially introduced.
EMERGENCY
RESOLUTION A motion
used to expedite the passage of legislation by advancing a bill
from second and third reading on the same day.
Requires an affirmative vote of three-fourths of house
membership. (30 votes in the Senate; 60 votes in the General
Assembly)
EX-OFFICIO
Membership on a committee or board by virtue of a particular
office or position held.
EXPENDITURE
Charges incurred, whether paid or unpaid.
FIRST
REPRINT (SECOND, THIRD, ETC.) The designation that indicates the number of
times that a bill or resolution has been reprinted after being
amended either by committee or floor action.
FISCAL
NOTE A statement
that indicates the anticipated financial impact of proposed
legislation on state or local government.
FISCAL
YEAR An accounting
period of 12 months. In
New Jersey State government, this period runs from July 1 to
June 30.
FLOOR
The area of the legislative chamber occupied by the members
and staff of the house. A legislator "has the floor" when
he or she has been granted permission by the presiding officer
to address the house.
GALLERY
The area of the legislative chamber from which proceedings
may be viewed by visitors.
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY In New
Jersey, one of the two houses that comprises the state Legislature.
The General Assembly has 80 members - 2 elected from
each legislative district - and is presided over by the Speaker
of the General Assembly.
GERRYMANDERING
The act of drawing legislative district boundaries to
gain partisan or factional political advantages.
GRANDFATHER
CLAUSE A provision
within a bill that allows activities, individuals or groups
involved prior to its enactment, to be exempt from that legislation.
HEARING
A formal meeting, usually of a committee or commission,
at which testimony on a question or issue is accepted from the
general public and /or invited witnesses.
HOUSE
This term can refer to the room or chamber in which a
legislative body meets, but most often refers to the body itself.
The Senate is one house and the General Assembly another.
HOUSE
UNDER CALL A motion
requiring all members of a house to remain in the legislative
chamber during a voting session until the house concludes its
business. This may be
done to maintain a quorum, or during consideration of an important
issue.
IMMUNITY
The privileges afforded by the Constitution whereby legislators
are exempt from arrest while attending a session or when traveling
to and from a session (except in cases of treason
or high misdemeanor, now classified as a crime of the third
degree or greater); also, the exemption from questioning on
remarks made in speech or debate during a session or committee
meeting.
IN-MEMORIAM
CERTIFICATE A certificate
issued by legislators to offer a memorial tribute.
INTRODUCTION
The presentation of a bill or resolution to the legislative
body for its consideration.
It is formally accomplished when the Secretary of the
Senate or Clerk of the General Assembly, in open session, announces
the bill's number and sponsor(s) and reads its title.
JOINT
RESOLUTION A formal
action adopted by both houses and approved by the Governor. A joint resolution has the effect of a law
and is often used instead of a bill when the purpose is of a
temporary nature, or to establish a commission or express an
opinion.
JOINT
SESSION The combined
meeting of the Senate and General Assembly for such purposes
as receiving the Governor's annual "State of the State"
and budget messages and other addresses by the Governor or distinguished
visitors, and to hold special commemorative ceremonies.
Also, the Constitution provides that the two houses meet
in joint session when appointing the State Auditor.
JURAT
A certificate attached to a bill confirming its passage
in one house before being delivered to the second house for
consideration.
LAW
All the official rules and codes that govern citizens’
actions, including the Constitution, statutory laws enacted
by the Legislature, case laws established by court decisions,
and administrative law as set forth by executive branch agencies.
LEGISLATIVE
AIDES Assistants
employed by a legislator to perform a variety of duties, including
addressing concerns of constituents, researching and tracking
legislation, and handling administrative functions.
LEGISLATIVE
COUNSEL The chief
legal officer of the Legislature and adviser to the legislative
leadership, committees and commissions on matters of parliamentary
procedure and legal matters affecting the Legislature as well
as issues pertaining to the Conflicts of Interest Law and the
Legislative Code of Ethics.
LEGISLATIVE
DELEGATION All the
legislators representing one district or county.
LEGISLATIVE
DIGEST (See "NEW JERSEY LEGISLATIVE DIGEST")
LEGISLATIVE
DISTRICT One of
the forty areas in New Jersey from which one senator and two
General Assembly members are elected.
Districts, many of which cross county lines, are established
by a special Apportionment Commission and are of equal population.
LEGISLATIVE
INDEX A private publication that provides a cumulative listing of all
bills and resolutions introduced in each house. Includes the action taken and synopsis of each.
LEGISLATIVE
INFORMATION AND BILL ROOM (LIBR) A unit under the Director of Public Information
of the Office of Legislative Services that supplies a variety
of information about the Legislature to legislators and the
public.
LEGISLATIVE
LIAISON A person
who represents an executive department before the Legislature
and who assists the Legislature with technical expertise and
information about the department.
LEGISLATIVE
MANUAL A private
publication (commonly referred to as the Fitzgerald’s Red Book)
that serves as an almanac of information about the State of
New Jersey and its government, including biographies of present
and former governors, legislators and cabinet officials.
LEGISLATIVE
SERVICES COMMISSION A bipartisan panel, comprised of eight members from each house,
that oversees the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services
and coordinates other services for the Legislature, including
legislative facilities, computer services, legislative printing,
the district office program and personnel policies.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION The
formal two-year term for each New Jersey Legislature. The term
is divided into two annual sessions. (See SESSION YEAR) Scheduled voting meetings of either house are also called legislative
sessions. Voting sessions
(meeting days) of the New Jersey Legislature are usually held
on Mondays and/or Thursdays.
LEGISLATURE
The elected, representative branch of State government
formed by the constitution to make and revise laws, approve
certain executive nominations, and propose constitutional changes.
LINE-ITEM
VETO Applying only
to bills containing an appropriation, this veto action allows
the Governor to approve the bill but reduce or eliminate monies
appropriated for specific items.
(See VETO)
LOBBYIST
A person who communicates with the Legislature and the
Governor to support or oppose legislation. Officially, a lobbyist
is called a legislative agent.
MAJORITY,
MINORITY These terms
refer to the political party having the most (majority) or fewest
(minority) representatives in either house.
MAJORITY
LEADER The floor
leader of the majority party in each house, elected by the members
of the majority party.
MINORITY
LEADER The floor
leader of the minority party in each house, elected by the members
of the minority party.
MOTION
A proposal calling for specific action.
NEW
JERSEY LEGISLATIVE DIGEST A publication produced by the Office of Legislative Services, Legislative
Information and Bill Room (LIBR), the day after each session
of either house providing up-to-date information of legislative
activity. The publication contains various categories of bill
status including bills introduced, bills passed, and bills signed
into law since the last session.
Single copies are available free of charge through the
LIBR office.
OFFICE
OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES An agency of the Legislature established by law to provide professional,
non-partisan staff services to the Legislature and its officers,
members, commissions and committees.
These services include general, legal and fiscal research
and analysis, bill drafting committee staffing, and computer
data base management.
ONE-HOUSE
RESOLUTION A resolution
adopted by one house to express policy or opinions, regulate
its internal organization or procedures, or establish a study
committee under its sole jurisdiction.
PAMPHLET
LAWS The official
name of the collection of New Jersey’s Chapter Laws. (See CHAPTER
LAWS)
PARTISAN
STAFF Staff members
who serve under the direction of the majority and minority leadership
to provide research, policy, public relations and administrative
services to their respective party leaders and legislators.
PARTY
CONFERENCE A meeting
of party members from one house of the Legislature to discuss
legislative business. Also
called a caucus.
PERSONAL
PRIVILEGE The parliamentary
procedure whereby members of both houses have the opportunity
to express their feelings regarding the “safety, dignity, and
integrity” of the proceedings or the “rights, reputation and
conduct of members” by gaining recognition from the presiding
officer.
POCKET
VETO The only type
of veto in which the Governor does not return the bill to the
Legislature for a possible vote to override.
This veto applies only to bills passed within the last
10 days of a 2-year legislative session.
The Governor, in essence, “pockets” the bill.
PRE-FILING
OF BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS The process whereby members and members-elect
the Legislature may file bills and resolutions for introduction
in the new annual legislative session before that session begins.
The pre-filing period runs from November 15 to the first
Tuesday in January, according to the Joint Rules of the Senate
and General Assembly. Bills
and resolutions filed in this way are numbered, printed and
available for distribution prior to the start of the new session. Formal introduction occurs after the session is commenced, at either
the first or second meeting of the house.
PRESIDENT
OF THE SENATE A
legislator, elected by members of the Senate to serve as the
chief presiding officer during sessions, who appoints committee
chairs and members of committees and commissions, refers bills
and resolutions to reference committees, sets the agenda for
session days, and supervises the administration of the day-to-day
business of the Senate.
PRESIDENT
OR SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE (PRO TEM) A member of the Senate or General Assembly
who is elected to serve as that house’s presiding officer in
the absence of the President or Speaker.
PRIME
SPONSOR The legislator
whose name appears first among the sponsors of a bill or resolution.
The prime sponsor has the right to select co-sponsors
and may exercise a number of other prerogatives in regard to
the proposed legislation.
QUORUM
The minimum number of members of a house of the Legislature
who must be present for the house to conduct business.
(21 members in the Senate; 41 members in the General
Assembly)
QUORUM
CALL A roll call
to determine whether a quorum of that house is present.
READING
The reading of a bill’s number, sponsor(s) and title
in open session by the Senate Secretary or Assembly Clerk.
A bill must be read three times before it can be passed. A bill is given first reading upon introduction, second reading
when reported by a committee (or may be sent directly to second
reading without committee reference), and third reading when
posted for a final vote.
REAPPORTIONMENT
The redrawing of the state legislative districts by an
Apportionment Commission to maintain an equal population in
each district. New Jersey’s
districts are reapportioned every ten years following the federal
census.
RECESS
A temporary break during a floor session or a period
when no legislative sessions are held.
REDISTRICTING
The redrawing of congressional districts, usually following
a new population census, to maintain an equal population in
each district.
(See REAPPORTIONMENT)
RESCIND
To annul or undo a previously taken action.
RESOLUTION
An action of the Legislature that expresses the policies,
sentiment, opinions or direction of one or both houses. Types
include joint, concurrent, ceremonial, and one-house resolutions.
REVENUE
Income from taxes, fees, fines, federal grants and other
sources.
ROLL
CALL VOTE The recording
of each member’s vote, usually electronically. Roll call votes are also known as recorded
or machine votes.
ROUTINE
BUSINESS A period
during a daily legislative session, usually after all voting
is concluded, when the Secretary/Clerk records and reads bill
introductions, committee reports and takes administrative actions.
RULES
OF THE HOUSES Rules
established independently by each house to regulate its internal
organization, operation and procedures.
Houses also adopt joint rules to govern matters of mutual
interest.
SECRETARY
OF THE SENATE A
person, not a member of the Legislature, who is elected by the
Senate to serve as its chief administrative officer.
The Secretary’s duties include reading all bills and
resolutions on first, second and third reading; recording the
vote on all bills and resolutions; and providing general supervision
over certain employees of the house.
SELECT
COMMITTEE A legislative
committee established for a limited period that may be created
by either house and may include members of one or both houses
to study a specific subject area.
SENATE
In New Jersey, one of the two houses that comprises the
state Legislature. The Senate has 40 members - 1 elected from
each legislative district - and is presided over by the President
of the Senate.
SENATE
JOURNAL The official
record of the actions of the New Jersey Senate.
SENATE
PRESIDENT (See PRESIDENT
OF THE SENATE)
SENATE
SECRETARY (See SECRETARY
OF THE SENATE)
SENATORIAL
COURTESY Describes
the custom in the advice and consent process whereby the Senator
from a nominee’s county must approve the nominee before the
nomination will be considered by the Senate.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
A member of the session day staff under the jurisdiction
of the Secretary of the Senate or Clerk of the General Assembly
who assists in maintaining the security and decorum of the house.
SESSION
(See LEGISLATIVE SESSION)
SESSION
DAY STAFF Part-time
personnel, including sergeants-at-arms, clerks, supervisors
of bills, and pages, who perform functions related to the conduct
of a session.
SESSION
YEAR New Jersey’s
session year begins on the second Tuesday of each January. All business conducted during the first year
of the two-year legislative session may be continued into the
second year, but unfinished business expires at the end of the
second year.
SPEAKER
OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY A member of the General Assembly who is elected by the members of
the house to serve as the chief presiding officer during sessions,
who appoints committee chairs and members of committees and
commissions, refers bills and resolutions to reference committees,
sets the agenda for session days, and supervises the administration
of the day-to-day business of the General Assembly.
SPONSOR
A legislator who introduces a bill or resolution.
STANDING
REFERENCE COMMITTEES Committees established by each house to consider bills and resolutions
referred by the presiding officer and to review activities of
state agencies.
STATE
HOUSE New Jersey’s
capitol building, located on State Street in the City of Trenton,
which is the official location of the State government. It houses both the executive (Governor’s offices)
and legislative branches (Senate and General Assembly chambers
and offices).
STATE
HOUSE ANNEX The
building adjacent to the State House. It houses the Office of Legislative Services, legislative offices
and committee rooms.
STATE
HOUSE PRESS CORPS Media
representatives of daily and weekly New Jersey newspapers, national
news wire services and area radio and television stations who
cover legislative news. Most
have offices in the State House complex. Regular capitol reporters are known as “legislative correspondents.”
STATUTES
The laws created by acts of the Legislature.
(See LAW)
STOPPING
THE CLOCK An infrequently
used strategy on the morning of the end of the annual legislative
session, which occurs at noon on the second Tuesday in January
of each even-numbered year, whereby the proceedings continue
past noon but the journal indicates occurrence of the action
on the final legislative day.
TABLE
To defer action on legislation.
THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE During debate, a legislator’s way of referring to members of the
“other” political party. The phrase pertains to the custom of seating
all Democrats in one area of the legislative chamber and Republicans
in another, separated by an aisle.
UNICAMERAL
A legislature composed of one-house, e.g. the Nebraska
Legislature.
VETO
An official action of the Governor to nullify legislative
action. Forms include absolute veto, conditional veto, line item veto and
pocket veto.
VOICE
VOTE A method of
voting in which individual votes are not recorded, but instead
the members respond orally, in unison, to vote yes or no.
WHIP
A legislator who assists the party floor leader in maintaining
party discipline and ensuring attendance at legislative sessions
and committee meetings.