Oath of Office – Upon taking office, members of Congress must swear or affirm that they will “support and defend the Constitution…against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” that they will “bear true faith and allegiance” to the Constitution, that they take the obligation “freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion,” and that they will “well and faithfully discharge the duties” of their office. The oath is required by the Constitution; the wording is prescribed by a statue.

Obligated Balance – The amount of an appropriation that has been obligated but not spent. Usually this balance is carried forward to succeeding fiscal years until the obligations are paid.

Obligation – A binding agreement by a government agency to pay for goods, products, services, studies, and the like, either immediately or in the future. When an agency enters into such an agreement, it incurs an obligation. As the agency makes the required payments, it liquidates the obligation.

Omnibus Bill – A measure that combines the provisions of several disparate subjects into a single and often lengthy bill. Examples include reconciliation bills, continuing resolutions that contain all or most of the thirteen general appropriation bills, and omnibus claims bills that combine several private bills into one measure.

One-Year Appropriation – An appropriation made available for spending or obligation during a single year, usually the fiscal year specified in the enacting clause of the appropriation act. Any portion of an agency’s one-year appropriation that it does not spend or obligate during that fiscal year is said to lapse, and the agency loses it.

Open Hearing – A committee hearing that the press and public can attend.
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Open Rule – In the House, germane amendments are permitted to be proposed on the House floor and adopted by majority vote.

Override a Veto – Congressional enactment of a measure over the President’s veto. A veto override requires a recorded two-thirds vote of those voting in each house, a quorum being present. Because the President must return the vetoed measure to its house of origin, that house votes first, but neither house is required to attempt an override, whether immediately or at all. If an override attempt fails in the house of origin, the veto stands and the measure dies.

Oversight – Literally, the “overseeing” of a jurisdiction by its congressional committee. The federal agency charged with implementing a given law is evaluated as to its effectiveness in what are termed “oversight hearings.”