By Brenda Erickson

What do the terms “pork,” “hog house,” “smoke out” bring to mind? Your favorite BBQ joint? A farm?

Bet a state legislature wasn’t the first thing that popped into your head, was it? Yet these terms are commonly used by some legislatures.

Almost every profession has vernacular unique to it, and state legislatures are no different.

To the South Dakota Legislature, “smoke out” means invoking of Joint Rule 7-7, whereby one-third of the members of a house can require a committee to deliver a bill to the full body by the next legislative day. 

And “hog house” refers to a procedure occasionally used in the South Dakota Legislature, whereby a committee or a member from the floor will move to strike everything after the enacting clause of a bill and insert in lieu thereof the substance of an entirely new bill.

Where do X-files have nothing to do with aliens? In Washington state. The X-file is where bills that will go no further in the process may be placed by the Senate or House Rules Committees.

To what does “blue pencil” refer? The California governor has line item veto authority to reduce or eliminate any item of appropriation from any bill including the budget bill. Thirty years ago the governor used an editor's blue pencil for the task.

Ever heard of a slash number? In Wisconsin, this is the number signifying the version of a document drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau. The higher the number, the newer the version.

Where is a one-liner not a short joke? In Nebraska, where this is a brief, one-line description of a bill or resolution.

And finally, keep in mind that a term may not have the same definition from one legislature to the next. So it's always good to verify terminology definitions. Check the legislature’s website; it may include a glossary of its legislative terms.

So what colorful or unique phrases does your legislature use? Contact Brenda Erickson.

Brenda Erickson tracks processes and procedures of state legislatures.