Congress at Work Chapter 7

Legislation Bills Resolution Law – a proposed new law introduced within a legislature that has not yet been passed, enacted or adopted Resolution Make policy on unusual or temporary matters Law – a bill or act passed by a legislative body

Types of Bills Two types Private Public Individual people or places Only a small number of bills are private Public General matters and apply to the entire nation Controversial because the touch many people Ex. tax cuts, health care, civil rights

Types of Resolutions Make policy on unusual or temporary matters Three kinds Simple: matters affecting only 1 house of Congress and is passed by that house alone Joint: passed in same form by both houses force of law when signed by president Constitutional amendment Concurrent: actions of both houses; law not needed Ex. adjourning Congress

Earmarks aka Pork Barrel Projects Way that members of Congress specify that some part of a funding bill will go toward a certain purpose Pet projects that appeal to constituents Rider Attached to a bill likely to pass Provision on a subject other than the one covered in the bill Can cause a president to veto a bill

Congressmen Wear Many Hats Legislator Representative Partisan Committee Member Politician

Congressmen Wear Many Hats Representative: provide services and help constituents Legislator: make laws Committee Member: screen bills, provide oversight Partisan: support party agenda Politician: get re-elected

Step 1: An Idea for a Bill Sources: Member(s) of Congress Private Citizen Interest Group Federal Agency White House Governor(s) Mayor(s)

Step 2: Writing & Introduction of Bill House: Bill dropped in hopper Referred to committee by the Speaker Senate: Bill formally read aloud on floor Bill then given to clerk Referred to committee by Steering Committee Sen. Smith introduces bill on the Senate floor ~ Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Step 3: How a Bill Becomes a Law Committee Action Bills sent to committee that deals with their subject (143) Chairs send bill to sub-committee Experts Reject (ignore or “die” or “pigeonhole”) Kill (majority vote) Rewrite Amend Recommend for adoption as is

#3 How a Bill Becomes a Law Committee Hearing When decision to act is made Listen to testimony from experts on the bill’s subject Gather information Can be used to influence public opinion for or against bill Focus public attention on issue Outside groups influence bill

#3 How a Bill Becomes a Law Markup Session After hearings Go section by section through bill Decide on what changes, if any, to make Majority vote of committee required to change

How a Bill Becomes a Law Reporting a bill After changes committee votes to kill or report bill Send to House or Senate for action Sent with a committee report to explain actions, describe bill, list major changes and give opinions Recommendations: pass or unfavorable (why?)

Step 4: Floor Action - Senate Party leaders schedule bills for floor debate on the calendar Unlimited debate Filibuster - member(s) keep talking to block debate on a bill Cloture vote by 3/5 of Senators (60) can end filibuster Floor vote: Roll Call, Standing, Voice Senator Strum Thurman still holds the record for the longest filibuster - 24 hrs 18 min. on the 1957 Civil Rights Act

Step 4: Floor Action - House Rules Committee schedules bills on calendar & decides whether amendments may be added Limited debate Floor vote: Recorded, Standing, Voice

Step 5: Approved Bill Crosses Over to Other House Approved bill must pass each chamber by a simple majority

Step 6: Conference Committee Members from each chamber meet to reconcile differences in the two bills Senate-House Conference Committee works out details of the 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act

Step 7: Both Chambers Vote on Final Version of the Bill

Step 8: President Considers Bill President can: sign the bill into law veto bill pocket veto Note: Congress can override veto with 2/3 vote in each house; only 4% of vetos have been overriden

How a Bill Becomes a Law Final steps Bill must pass both houses in identical forms Conference committee Presidential action Sign to become law Keep bill for 10 days without signing, if Congress in session it becomes law Veto Pocket veto (last 10 days of session)

How a Bill Becomes a Law Congressional override of veto Line Item Veto 2/3 vote in each house = law Line Item Veto Reject specific lines of a bill while accepting the rest Unconstitutional

Taxing and Spending Bills Chapter 7 Section 2

Making Decisions About Taxes Taxes—Money paid by people & businesses to support the government #1 way in which the government gets money Revenue-income from taxes

House of Rep and Taxes House Power Over Revenue Bills All Revenue Bills must start in the House of Representatives House Ways and Means Committee--- 1.decides whether to go along with presidential requests for tax cuts or increases 2. Makes the rules that determine who will pay how much tax

House of Rep and Taxes Closed Rule —stopped members from offering any amendments to a bill from the floor. Only the House Ways & Means Committee Could have a say. 1.1973—House allowed members to amend tax bills from the floor. a. Critics—Tax bills became a collection of amendments written to please special interests.

Senate and Revenue Bills No closed rule Amendments allowed Perception of more special interest influence Committee on Finance deals with tax matters

Appropriating Money Appropriation-approval of government spending belongs to Congress Congress must pass laws to appropriate money Approve spending before departments and agencies of executive branch can spend money

How Congress Appropriates Money Two-step procedure Authorization Bill: sets up federal program and specifies how much money can be appropriated for it Ex. bill to build recreational facility in inner cities; limit of $30 million can be spent per year; administered by Dept of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) Appropriation Bill: when request is made to receive money that was authorized to run federal program Ex. HUD requests money that has been authorized for rec facilities

How Congress Appropriates Money Each year president presents budget to Congress Congressional Budget Office Appropriations committee creates own appropriations bills May only partially award grant of money Ex. Only $15 million award for rec facilities. HUD will have to ask for more money next year

The Appropriations Committee House and Senate have committees 12 subcommittees Each year they must return to Congress to request the money they need for the upcoming year Department heads and program directors answer questions about their budgets in hearings Explain why they need money Return yearly to request money Federal program familiarity Relationships and favor to certain agencies Special-interest influence

Chapter 7 Section 3 Influencing Congress

Senator Or Representative The President Voters in home states and districts The President Lawmaker’s Political Party Staff or Committee Members Senator Or Representative Speaker of the House Each Other Senate Majority Leader Campaign Fund Contributors and Campaign Workers Lobbyists for special interest groups and PACS

Chapter 7 Section 4 Helping Constituents

Handle Problems District/State Constituents Casework Response to variety of requests Why help? District/State Public Works Legislation pork barrel/earmarks Logrolling Winning grants and contracts Congressional Staffers act as caseworkers Why help constituents: get reelected, how Congress monitors the performance of the executive branch, help average citizen cope with huge national government Pork barrel: laws to appropriate money for local federal projects attached to other legislation that will/has to pass Logrolling: when two or more lawmakers agree to support each other’s bills Grants and contracts: lawmakers try to influence executive branch agencies, like Department of Labor, to award grants and contracts

Casework—Helping constituents with problems. Handling Problems Casework—Helping constituents with problems. Caseworkers handle the problems of the constituents, but when they cannot the lawmaker steps in. Purposes of Casework: Help lawmakers get reelected A way in which Congress oversees the Executive Branch Provides a way for the average citizen to deal with the huge national government Helping the District or State Pork-Barrel Legislation —laws passed by Congress that appropriate money for local federal projects Ex: post offices, dams, federally funded highways, veterans hospitals, etc

You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours When two or more congressman agree to help each other it is called “logrolling.” You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours