Bills and Laws American Government

Bills Bill- public bill: private bill: A proposed law. Applies to the entire nation. private bill: Applies only to certain people or places.

Bill in the house Introduction Committee action: Floor Action The bill is first introduced in the House. Committee action: The bill is then referred to its respective standing committee . It then goes to a subcommittee for study, hearings, revisions, and approval. It then goes back to full committee for more hearings and revisions. The bill then goes to the rules committee to set conditions for debate and amendments. The rules committee can speed, delay, or kill the legislation Floor Action Its then debated on the floor then passed or defeated. If its passed it then goes to the Senate.

Bill in the senate Senate Committee action The bill is first introduced in the Senate. Committee action The bill is then referred its respective standing committee. It then goes to a subcommittee for study, hearings, revision, and approval. It then goes back to full committee for more hearings and revisions.

Bills in the senate In order to receive debate and a floor vote the bill must be placed on the calendar by the Majority Floor Leader The bill is then debated then passed or defeated. If passed it then goes to the House.

Road to the white house Conference Committee Congressional Approval The Conference Committee reconciles differences between House and Senate versions of a bill. Congressional Approval The House and Senate vote on the final passage of the bill The approved bill is then sent to the president President The President then signs the bill into law or the bill is vetoed. A Presidential veto can be overturned by two-thirds vote in each house in Congress.

Procedure Filibuster Cloture The filibuster is a tactic used in the Senate whereby a vote on legislation can be delayed through debate. The longest filibuster was made by Strom Thurmond and lasted 24 hours This tactic is rarely used in the traditional sense in today’s Senate Generally if a filibuster is threatened (and the required number of Senators can’t be reached for cloture) the bill is returned to committee Cloture This is the process in which it takes 40 senators to cut off a filibuster and is aimed at protecting minority interests

Resolutions Joint Resolution- A joint resolution is a proposal for some action that has the force of law when passed. Joint resolutions usually deal with special circumstances or temporary matters.

cont Concurrent Resolution- Resolution- A concurrent resolution is a statement of position on an issue, adopted by the House and Senate acting jointly. A concurrent resolution does not have the force of law and it does not require the presidents signature. Resolution- A resolution is a measure dealing with some matter in one house of Congress. A resolution does not have the force of law and it does not require the President’s signature.

Gridlock One of the major issues with the current Congress is the perception of gridlock Gridlock is the belief that Congress and the president are in a state of disagreement that results in little legislation being passed

Imperial congress The concept of the Imperial Congress describes a Congress that succeeds in establishing itself as the dominant player in legislation and foreign policy