Legislative branch: Influencing Law Making UNIT IV – Legislative and Executive Branches
Law Making process The process of making a law is very difficult Before a law is made there are many outside influences that will affect the final version of a law Political Parties Special Interest Groups and Lobbyists Media Public Opinion
Political parties Legislators have a goal to get as many achievements for their political party and their constituents (people they represent) as possible Doing this often takes compromising skills and political strategy to get enough votes for a bill to pass There are 3 methods often used by political parties to get the votes for the laws they want to see passed
Political parties (cont.) Method #1 – Pork Barrel Spending Adding spending for a tangible item (like a bridge, money to build schools, etc.) to a bill to get another Congressmen’s vote Method #2 – Earmarking Adding spending for a non-tangible item (researching DNA, funding for disease research, etc.) to get another Congressmen’s vote Method #3 – Logrolling Legislators agreeing to vote for a bill because another voted for a bill they supported (“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”)
Special interest groups Groups that share a common view for a cause that unite to promote that cause Can come in many forms, here are a few… Business groups – represent business owners (i.e. Tobacco Companies) Labor Unions – represent workers (i.e. AFL-CIO) Single issue groups – focus on a single topic (PETA, MADD) Ideological groups – focus on certain groups of people (NOW, NAACP) Use multiple methods of influence…
Special interest groups (cont.) Method #1 – Publicity and Mass Mailings Try to influence laws by influencing the people by using their freedom of press and speech Method #2 – Court Action (Litigation) Use the courts to make ruling about laws to affect their usage Method #3 – Elections Can run their own candidates OR heavily support a political party/candidate that has the same views Method #4 - Lobbying
Lobbyists Work for interest groups to influence law-making Their job is to talk with legislators and encourage them to pass laws that support their group or vote for or against certain bills based on their groups belief Often criticized for having too much influence in lawmaking
Lobbying – friend or foe? Friend – video explains why lobbying is good and essential Foe – video explains how lobbying can become scandalous and wrong Thank You for Smoking clip – explains the strategies a lobbyist may use
media Although the media is SUPPOSED to be unbiased in its delivery of the news, that is not always the case The media plays a large role in affecting the way citizens think about different topics They control our public agenda (what the people find to be important) As an informed citizen you should know about the news sources you rely on (i.e. who is liberal/conservative) The media influences laws indirectly by influencing the people who then talk to their legislators and join interest groups
Public opinion Due to popular sovereignty, public opinion is one of the most important influences on law-making Legislators are very concerned with how their constituents will react to their decisions because they want to get re-elected Citizens can contact their legislators to influence their decisions Legislators often look at public opinion polls to help them make decisions