chapter 7

purposes of casework

1) reelection ( law makers know that helping voters with problems is part of what they can do for the people in their states or districts.) 2 case work is one way in which congress oversees the executive branch. case work brings problems with the federal programs to the attention of members of congress. it provides opportunities for lawmakers and their staffs to get an closer look at how ell the executive branch is handling such federal programs as social security, veteran benefits, or workers compensation 3) casework provides a way for the average citizen to cope with the huge national government. in the years before the national government grew so large, most citizens with a problem turned to their local politicians- called ward heelers for help.

major bills account for

30 percent of the bills passed in each term of congress

senate

51 percent

political action committee

Extention of an interest group that contributes money to political campaigns-financial arm of the interest group

rider

a provsion on a subject other than the one covered in the bill.

law makers try to influence

agency decisions in several ways. they may pressure agency officials to give a favorable hearing to their states requests.

committees hold hearings and

make changes to the bill

conferees

managers. **If one house will not accept the version of a bill the other hose has passe, a conference committee must work out difference between the versions. They usually come from the house & senate committee members that handled the bill originally.

who can only introduce a bill

member of congress

voice vote

members call out aye or no

recorded vote

members votes are recorded electronically and displayed on the house chamber.

bills can be considered by the whole house at

once called committee of the whole

in addition to passing tax laws, to raise money, congress also has another important power over government spending

the power of appropriation or approval of government spending, is a congressional responsibility.

when both houses pass a joint resolution

the president's signature gives it the force of law.

in 1974: committee chairperson

wilbur mills resigned following a personal scandal.

congress can override a president's veto

with 2/3rds of a vote.

as in the house, the bill must

be referred to the appropriate standing committee

in a hearing

emails, letters, telegrams have the greatest impact on a bill

cloture

end debate over bill senate (3/5) (60)

closed rule

forbids members to offer any amendments to a bill from the floor. for many years the committees tax bills were debated on the house floor under a closed rule. this rule meant that only members of the ways and means committee could have a direct hand in writing a tax bill.

the bill must also pass through the

house rules committee

to introduce a bill in the senate

the presiding officer must recognize the senator who formally represents it

presidents may also use their powers to influence individual members of congress.

they can give or withhold support of lawmakers.

many lawmakers complain that although voters say they want less government

they demand more services from their members of congress.

all lawmakers have staff members called case workers

to handle the problems of their constituents. in most instances the case workers are able to handle the requests for help themselves. sometimes the problem can be solved with a simple question from a caseworker to the agency involved. at other times, however, the senator or representative may have to get directly involved.

the constitution gives the house of representatives the exclusive power

to start all revenue measures. almost all important work on tax laws occurs in the house ways & means committee. the ways and means committee decides whether to go along with presidential requests for tax cuts or increases. it also makes the numerous rules and regulations that determine who will pay how much tax?

roll-call vote

voting menthod in which everyone responds aye or no as their names are called in alphabetical ordder.

law makers also encourage their constituents to

write emails, telephone, email. IF problems come up when some one from the state is arranging a grant or federal contract, congressional members might step in.

more often lawmakers take the approach

" you scratch my back and i'll scratch yours" approach to public works legislation. believing that getting federal projects for the home state is a key part of their job, they usually help each other. such agreements by two or more lawmakers to support each other's is called logrolling.

law makers respond to thousands of requests from voters for help in dealing with executive agencies

1) a solider would like to move to a base closer to home due to his ill parents 2) a local business claims that the FTC is treating her business unfairly 3) a veteran had his GI insurance policy cancelled by a government agency the agency claims that the veteran forgot to fill out the form and return it. the veteran says he never got the form but he wants the life insurance 4) a new high school graduate would like help finding a job in washington.

helping constituents they must

1) act as problem solvers for voters who have difficulties with departments or agencies of the federal government. second they must, make sure their district or state gets its share of federal money for projects.

why so few bills become laws

1) law making process long & complicated 2) so many steps 3) law makers sometimes introduce bills they know that have no chance in becoming a law

for many years the committee's tax bills were debated on the house floor under a closed rule.

a closed rule forbids members to offer any amendments to a bill from the floor. this rule meant only members of the ways and means committee could have a direct hand in writing a tax bill.

when accepting a bill,

a committee can first completely re write it, make changes, or recommend that it be adopted as is before sending it back to the house or senate for further action. committee members & staff are considered experts on their subjects. if they think a bill should move ahead, other lawmakers will usually agree with them. time is a also a factor, lawmakers have heavy workloads and depend on the judgment of their peers.

when accepting a bill:

a committee must completely re write it recommend changes before sending it back to the house or senate for further action.

conference report

a majority of the memebrs of the conference committee from each house drafts the final bill, once accepted, this bill can be submitted to each house of congress for final action.

to introduce a bill in the house:

a representative drops the bill intoa hopper

line-item veto

allows a leader to reject specific lines or items in a bill while accepting the main body of legislation

bills must be referred to

appropriate standing committee

lawmakers attach riders to

bills they are likely to pass, although the presidents have sometimes vetoed such bills because of a rider they did not like.

to become a law, a bill must pass

both houses of congress in identical form. a bill passed in the house of representatives often differs at first from a senate's bill on the same subject.

each committee has a

chair from the majority and a rankign member from the miniority

how are bills introduced

citizens, interest groups, the president, officials in the executive office.

ideas of new bills come from

citizens,interest groups, president, or officials in the executive branch. various people may write new bills, such as lawmakers or their staff, lawyers from a senate or house committee, a white house staff member, or even an interest group itself.

senate rules committee is much weaker than the house

comittee

70 percent of the money the federal government spends is already

committed to other uses.

reporting a bill:

committees actions, changes, opinions

bills are considered by a

conference committee

public works bills

congress appropriates billions of dollars for a variety of projects. ( benefit the public) post offices, damns, military bases, harbor, and river improvements, highways

pocket veto

congress can refuse to act on abill.

how congress appropriates money

congress follows a two step process- an authorization bill & appropriations bill.

congress must pass laws to appropriate money for the federal government.

congress's approval is needed before departments and agencies of the executive branch such as the department of defense or the federal communications commission can actually spend money

each house has a standing committee that

considers their bills.

when is a joint resolution used

correct a law, appropriate money for a special purpose

simple resolution

covers matters affecting only one house of Congress and is passed by that house alone. ( not sent to the president for signature)

concurrent resolution

covers matters requiring the action of the house & senate , but on which a law is needed.

markup sessions

decide what changes if any are made to a bill

besides providing services for their constituents, members of congress also try to bring federal government projects and money to their

districts & states. lawmakers do this in three ways. 1) pork barrel legislation 2) federal grants & contracts 3) keeping federal projects.

in the senate no closed rule exists, and taxes

do become collections of amendments. many tax bills are amended so often on the senate floor, they become "christmas tree" bills similar appropriations bills that include many riders.

bills introduced in the house & senate are printed and distributed to lawmakers

each bill is given a title & a number. the first bill introduced during a session of the senate is designated as s.1, the second bill as s.2, and so forth. in the house, the first bill is h.r.1, and the second bill is h.r.2, this process is called first reading of a bill.

the appropriations committees

handle appropriation bills. house & senate 13 subcommittees- deal with the same policy areas in each house

in more recent years congress

has taken steps to limit the president's influence, letting congress remain more of a autonomous legislative group.

all law makers today are invovled in casework

helping constituents with their issues.

51 percent of 435 which is 218

house

all revenue bills start in the

house

the bill is reported to the floor

if the bill is passed by the committee, it is sent to the whole house for debate & vote the committee has reported the bill favorably to the floor the speaker determines which bills are discussed and for how long committee chairs and ranking memebrs give out time to debate to other members

congress can override a president's veto with a two thirds vote in both houses.

if this happens, the bill will become a law. it is usually difficult to get necessary 2-thirds vote in both the house of representatives and the senate, so congress does not override vetoes very often.

when congress passes laws to appropriate money for such federal local projects

it is called pork-barrel legislation. the idea is that a member of congress has dipped into the pork barrel (federal treasury) and pulled out a piece of "fat" a federal project for his or her district.

if a bills is not passed before the end of a congressional term

it must be reintroduced in the next congress to be given further consideration.

pigeonholding

killing the bill by a majority

the influence of parties

knowing which political party members of congress belong to will help predict how they will vote on major issues. party voting- in the house of representatives members vote with their party more than 70 percent of the time. senators who are generally more independent that house members are less likely to follow their party's position. party voting is much stronger on some issues than on others. on issues relating to government intervention in the economy, party members tend to vote the same way. party voting is also strong, on farm issues & fairly strong on social welfare issues. party voting is usually weaker on foreign policy issues because the two parties often do have fixed positions on international questions.

members of congress have often complained that presidents have more ways to influence

legislation & policy than do lawmakers

republicans

lower taxes, less government spending, local & state rather than federal solutions to problems, and policies to support business & corporations and limit government intervention in the economy.

the bill is debated and voted on in the senate

majority leader determines which bills are scheduled, when & how long

taxes

money that people and businesses pay to support the government. this is where the national government gets most of its money

law makers also try to make sure their districts

or states get their fair share of the available federal grants and contracts which are funded through the national budget.

law makers do not have direct control

over grants & contracts that they do over pork-barrel legislation. instead, agencies of the executive branch such as the department of defense or the department of labor award federal grants & contracts.

christmas tree bills

pass because of the essentail nature of the underlying bill.

influences on law makers

personality (ex: some members of congress are just willing to take risks) congressional staff also influences lawmakers decisions one way is controlling the information on which lawmakers base the decisions off by. another way is setting the agendas for individual lawmakers and for congressional committees that must favor a certain point of view.

a committee can

pigeonhole or kill the bill in the committee

political action committee

political fund-raising organizations established by corporations, labor unions, and other special interest groups. pac funds come from voluntary contributions by employees, stock holders, and union members. a pac uses its funds to support law makers who favor the PAC's position on issues.

although voter preferences and political parties strongly influence the decisions of lawmakers: two other influences

president and influence groups.

what are the two types of bills of congress

private bill- deals with individual people or places. public bills- deal with general matters and apply to the entire nations. ( issues as raising or lowering taxes, national insurance, gun control, civil rights, or abortion.)

why so few bills become laws

process long and complicated ( a bill can be delayed, killed or changed) law making process has many steps (sponsors of a bill must be willing to bargain and compromise with lawmakers & interest groups) compromise is the only way to get support to move a bill from one step to the next. without strong support, most major bills have little chance of becoming a law bills that have powerful interest groups oppose are not likely to get passed -lawmakers sometimes introduce bills they know that never have a chance in becoming a law call attention to the need for new legislation in an area such as health care or highway safety.

how are bills introduced

proposing & introducing (only a member of congress can introduce a bill in either house of congress) 2)in each house of congress, new bills are sent to committees that deal with their subject matter.

introducing a bill

proposing introducing committee action committee hearings markup session reporting a bill floor action conference action committee

appropriations bill

provides the money needed to carry out the many laws congress has passed.

the committee can

report the bill to the senate floor

lobbyists

representative of interest groups. try to convince members of congress, to support policies favored by the groups they represent. their efforts to persuade officials to support their point of view is called lobbying. the largest and most powerful lobbies have their own buildings and full time professional staffs in the nations capital.

votes are done electronically

roll call vote

a concurrent resolution

sets the date for adjournment of congress or it may express congress's opinion about an issue.

authorization bill

sets up federal program and specifies how much money may be appropriated for that program.

the bill is marked up

so it will pass on the floor

entitlements

social programs that continue from one year to the next.

democrats are more likely than republicans to favor

social welfare programs, job programs through public works, tax laws that help people lower incomes, and government regulation of business.

senate committee on finance deals with the responsibility of dealing with

tax matters.

voters can be taken by voice yeas or nays

teller vote

every year heads of departments & agencies

testify before the house & senate appropriations subcommittees about budgets. during the budget hearings, these officials explain why the need the money they have requested.

if congress is in session

the bill becomes a law after 10 days

the bill goes to senate

the bill is sent to the us senate. the senate version is written with the letter s. and a number. house bills have hr.

hearing

the committee listens to testimony from witnesses who may include experts on the subject of the bill, government officials, or representatives of interest groups concerned with the bill.

if one house does not accept the bill

the conferees work out the differences & compromises. the conference committee is supposed to consider only parts of a bill on which their is a disagreement, but sometimes it makes changes in the bill or adds provisions not previously considered by either chamber. a majority of the members of the conference committee from each house drafts the final bill, called a conference report. once accepted, the bill can be submitted to each house of congress for final action.

the constitution gives the house of representatives

the exclusive power to start all revenue measures

how a bill becomes a law

the house 1) representative hands bill to clerk or drops it in hopper 2) bill given hr number the senate 1) senator announces bill on the floor 2) Bill given s number Committee action 1) referred to house standing committee- bill is placed on committee calendar-referred to senate standing committee 2) referred to house subcommittee- bill sent to subcommittee for hearings and revisions- referred to senate subcommittee 3) reported by standing committee rules committee sets rules for debate and amendments- standing committee may recommend passage or kill the bill-reported by the standing committee floor action 1) House debates votes on passage 2) bill goes to senate for approval or a different version passes; goes to conference committee 1) senate debate votes on passage 2) bill passes; goes to house for approval or a different version passes; goes to conference committee. conference action conference committee works out differences and sends identical compromise bill to both chambers for final approval house votes on compromise bill and senate votes on compromise bill approved bill sent to president president sings bill or allows bill to become law without signing or president vetoes the bill

lobbyists use various methods to influence members of congress. they provide lawmakers with information about policies they support or oppose. they visit lawmakers in their offices or in

the lobbies of the capitol and try to persuade them to support their position,they encourage citizens to write the members of congress on the issues they favor or oppose. interest groups and their lobbyists also focus their attention on congressional committees.

veto

the presdient can refuse to sign the bill and return it to the hose of congress in which it orginated.

lawmakers do not have strong opinions about every issue they vote for.

they cannot know enough about all the issues to make informed decisions about every bill. therefore, the often, seek advice on how to vote from fellow party members who know more about an issue than they do.

in an election campaign, the candidate from the other party and opposing interest groups will bring up the lawmakers voting record

they may demand that the lawmaker explain votes that turned out to be unpopular back home. the opposite is also true. a legislator running for reelection, may call attention to his or her votes on certain measures in order to attract constituents support.

many law makers assign one or more of their staff members to act as specialists in contracts/grants. these staff members become experts on how individuals, businesses, and local governments can qualify for federal money

they will help constients apply for contracts & grants. the lawmakers jobs is to make sure federal grants and contracts keep coming into their state or district.

standing vote or division vote

those in favor of the bill stand and are counted and then those opposed stand and are counted

federal grants & contracts are very important

to lawmakers and their districts or states. these contracts are vital source of money & jobs and can radically affect the economy of a state. every year federal agencies such as the department of defense spends billions of dollars to carry out hundreds of government projects and programs. for example, when the air force decided to look at a new project at one of its bases in utah, almost 1,000 jobs and millions of dollars came into state. lawmakers often compete for such valuable federal grants & contracts. for example, several other states wanted the air force project, but utah's lawmakers won the price for their own state.

example of a private bill

waived immigration rights, so an american woman could marry a man from greece

almost all important work on tax laws, occurs in the house

ways & means committee, the ways and means committee decides whether to go along with presidential requests for tax cuts or increases. it also makes the numerous rules and regulations that determine who will pay and how much tax. some of these rulings are very simple while others are more complex.