1. Making Law: The Senate
Chapter 12
Section 4

2. Key Terms
Filibuster
Cloture
Veto
Pocket veto

3. The Senate Floor
Chief difference between house and Senate is consideration of measures on the floor
Measure
Introduced by a Senator
Read twice
Sent to a standing committee

4. Senate Floor Proceedings are less formal Rules less strict
Senate has only one calendar for bills
Bills called to the floor by the majority leader

5. Rules for Debate Unrestrained in the Senate
Called the greatest deliberative body in the world
Usually can speak for as long as they want
Can talk about anything they want

6. Rules of Debate
Most bills in the senate come to the floor with unanimous consent agreement
Majority leader negotiates these agreements with the minority leader
This agreement usually limits floor debate

7. Rules for Debate Has a two speech rule
May only speak twice on a given issue in a day
By recessing and not adjourning they extend the day
Freedom of debate is to encourage fullest possible discussion o floor matters

8. The Filibuster
Filibuster- is an attempt to talk a bill to death, stalling tactic used by a minority Senator
Used to monopolize the Senate floor to either have a bill dropped or change it
Talk and more talk is the filibusters weapon

9. The Filibuster
Can also use quorum calls, and other parliamentary procedures to delay
Senator Hughie Long talked for 15 hours in 1935 reading the Washington phone book

10. The Filibuster
Strom Thurmond holds the record at 24 hours 18 minutes in a one-person-effort to stop civil rights legislation in 1957
Most filibusters are team efforts
Over 300 measures have been killed by filibuster

11. Filibuster
Senate tries to beat off filibusters by holding day and night sessions
Enforce rules
Must stand
Not sit or lean on desk
Not walk about
These countermeasures rarely work

12. The Cloture Rule Senate’s real check on filibuster Cloture rule XXII
Adopted 1917 filibuster had lasted three weeks
Dealt with arming civilian vessels
Passed the House

13. The Cloture Rule Rule is not used often
Brought in play by special procedure
Vote taken two days after petition
If 3/5ths or 60 Senators vote for it
If successful no more than 90 hours of floor time can be used for the measure

14. The Cloture Rule 700 attempts Only 1/3 have been successful
Many Senators do not vote for cloture because
They honor the tradition of free debate
Worry that frequent use will undercut its value

15. Situation Today Filibusters more common in recent years
Party control of the upper house has been narrow
Minority party has made frequent use of the filibuster
60 votes are needed to pass a bill same as cloture
Minimum number to pass an important bill

16. Conference Committees
Bill must survive a number of challenges
If it makes it through committee it must survive a vote in both houses
Must be passed in identical form
If houses pass different versions

17. Conference Committees
When one house will not accept the others bill is sent to conference committee
Conference managers named by respective presiding officers
Mostly leading members of standing committees

18. Conference Committees
Can only consider the parts of the bill that they disagreed on
Once they agree they report the bill
Must be accepted or rejected without amendment
Rarely does either house turn down their work

19. Conference Committees
Two reasons for this
The powerful membership of the typical conference committee
Report usually comes near the rush of adjournments
Conference committee is a strategic step called “the third house”

20. The President Acts
Constitution requires that bills and resolutions be sent to the president
The President may sign the bill and it becomes law
President may veto the bill (return to the house it originated from)
Can be overridden by 2/3 votes

21. The President Acts
The President may allow it to become law without signing it, by not acting on it for 10 days after receiving it
Pocket veto- if congress adjourns within 10 days of submission and President does not sign does not become law

22. The President Acts
Since Congress can seldom get enough votes to override a veto it is powerful
The mere threat of a veto is enough to defeat a bill