Congress at Work

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Section 1

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Legislation

 Bills  Resolution

Types of Bills

 Two types  Private  Individual people or places  Ex. Claims against government or person’s immigration problem (Black Farmers)  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

Why so few bills become law

 Bill creation long and complicated  Sponsors must be willing to compromise  Introduced as a symbolic gesture  Show support for a policy, attract media attention, satisfy a group of supporters

How a Bill Becomes a Law (185)

 Introduced  House: drops bill in hopper near clerk’s desk  Senate: formal presentation after recognition  Title, number (H.R. 1), printed, distributed (1 st reading)  Ideas from citizens, interest groups, executive branch  Drafted by legislators, their staffs, lawyers for Senate/House committee, interest groups

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Committee Action  Bills sent to committee that deals with their subject (143)   Chairs send bill to sub-committee Reject (ignore or “die” or “pigeonhole”)  Kill (majority vote)  Rewrite  Amend  Recommend for adoption as is

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

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Committee Hearings  Use of internet  Interactive hearings using expert witnesses  Broadcast hearings, give chance for email questions  Report status of bill on individual web pages  Make info available in second language

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?)

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Floor Action  Debate/Amend  Amendments added to bill (unless closed)  2 nd reading  Types of Amends  Major changes   Correct typographical errors Slow bill’s progress  Kill bill

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Voting on bill  Quorum: majority of members present  3 rd reading  Vote  Voice “aye” or “no”  Standing or division to count “ayes” or “nos”  Roll call: alpha order  Electronic (1973)

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  2/3 vote in each house = law  Line Item Veto  Reject specific lines of a bill while accepting the rest  Unconstitutional

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Registering Law  Bill becomes law and registered with National Archives and Records Service   Labeled private or public Numbered (Ex. PL105-187) http://www.archives.gov/  Tracking Legislation on the Internet   THOMAS http://thomas.loc.gov/ Congressional Quarterly www.cq.com

 Roll Call http://www.rollcall.com/

Taxing and Spending Bills

Chapter 7 Section 2

Making Decisions About Taxes

 Most of government revenue is from taxes  Revenue-income from taxes  Taxes-money that people and businesses pay to support the government

House of Representatives and Revenue Bills  Has exclusive power to start all revenue bills  Almost all work on tax law occurs in the Ways and Means Committee  Decides whether to go along with presidential requests for tax cuts or increases  Makes rules for who will pay how much tax  Influences tax deductions for parents or benefits for businesses

House of Representatives and Revenue Bills  Tax bill used to be debated under closed rule  Forbids amendments to bill from the floor  Only members of Ways and Means had direct hand in writing bill  1973: amendments from floor allowed

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  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

Uncontrollable Expenditures

 Appropriations committees do not have voice in all current spending  Earlier laws dictate certain spending  Ex. Medicare, Social Security  Entitlements: social programs that entitle individuals to a certain program or monetary benefit

Chapter 7 Section 3

Influencing Congress

Influences on Lawmakers

 Temperament: risk taker or safe  The nature of the issue  Congressional staffers  Rank  Elections  Visit to District  Messages from home  Surveys and Polls  Key Supporters

Chapter 7 Section 4

Helping Constituents

Handle Problems

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Constituents

Casework Response to variety of requests Why help?

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District/State

Public Works Legislation  pork barrel/earmarks Logrolling Winning grants and contracts