Terms starting with "H"

House Rules Committee The House Committee on Rules, often called the Rules Committee, reports out "special rules" — simple House resolutions that set the terms of floor debate on a bill, such as how long debate will last, which amendments may be offered, and what procedural motions are in order. Because the House operates largely by these rules rather than by unanimous consent, the committee acts as a gatekeeper for what reaches the floor and in what form. Human Rights Universal moral and legal entitlements inherent to all human beings, regardless of nationality, sex, ethnicity, or religion, often codified in international treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Hyperpartisan A political environment or behavior characterized by extreme, rigid adherence to party ideology, where compromise with the opposing party is viewed as a betrayal, and political strategy is focused entirely on defeating the opposition rather than governing. Hypothetical Question A question posed to a witness, typically an expert, that asks them to assume certain facts are true and then offer an opinion based on those assumed facts. House of Representatives The lower chamber of the United States Congress, in which each state is apportioned voting Members roughly in proportion to its population, as counted in the decennial census. Since 1929 its voting membership has been fixed at 435, every Member elected to a two-year term. House Rule The internal procedural guidelines adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives (or a state house) at the beginning of each new Congress to govern its daily operations, debate, and voting. House Member House Member is a legislative term used to describe bills, votes, committees, debates, oversight, budgets, or lawmaking procedure. Holding A holding is a court’s answer to the legal issue it decides in a case. It states the rule or conclusion the court reaches; the case’s disposition separately says whether the lower court’s judgment is affirmed or reversed. Home Rule The power of a local government to govern itself and pass local ordinances without requiring specific, individual approval from the state legislature for each action. It is granted by state constitutions or statutes. Honorarium A voluntary payment given to a person for services for which fees are not legally or traditionally required, often given to guest speakers, politicians, or public officials. Hopper The hopper is the box on the House floor into which Members drop bills to introduce them. As the House historian's office describes it, Representatives introduce bills by placing them in the bill hopper attached to the side of the Clerk's desk in the Chamber — the term comes from the funnel-shaped containers that feed grain or material into a mill. Hearing Officer A hearing officer presides over an administrative hearing — the formal, trial-like proceeding an agency uses to decide disputed cases. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, the presiding officer in formal adjudication is an administrative law judge, an officer insulated by statute (5 U.S.C. § 556), though the term "hearing officer" also covers other presiding officials in informal proceedings. The officer runs the hearing, takes evidence, and issues or recommends a decision.