10.8 The Process & Politics of Lawmaking

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AP Government & Politics Timpanogos High School

10.8a Basic Steps in Lawmaking Basic Steps

Introduce Committee Assignment Floor Action Presidential Action

Public vs Private bills 2 Types of Bills

Bills – force of law Resolutions

Joint – force of law Simple Concurrent

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How a Bill Becomes Law

HouseIntroduction (hopper)

Senate

Reported Out

Committee (Speaker Assigns)

Subcommittee

Hearings / Markup

Rules committee

House Calendars

Floor Action

Debate & Voting (Voice, Roll Call, Teller)

President (Signs, Veto, Pocket Veto)

Committee

Introduction (From floor or as an amendment)

Subcommittee

Hearings / Markup

Reported Out

Floor Action

Debate & Voting (Voice, Roll Call, Teller)

Conference Committee (works out differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill)

Only a Bill – SNL Vrsn

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How a bill becomes law Rules & Strategies…

Must pass both houses in one term / Only a fraction of bills introduced pass

How a bill becomes law

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Rules and Strategies Very few bills become law –

3% became law in 113th Congress

Most bills die in committee - Discharge petition

Amendments – Used to change bills, sometimes

sabotage bills “Riders” are amendments that

are not germane ..... Christmas tree bill

How a bill becomes law Rules and Strategies

Filibuster used to stall or kill a bill (Senate only) Cloture / Rule 22 Cruz Oct. 2013 Nuclear option

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AP Government & Politics Timpanogos High School

The Politics of Lawmaking Process is slow and complex

Easier to block or kill a bill than to pass it Allows outside influence – Interest

Groups (See “Homeland security, Whodunit”)

Outside influences – Lobbyists Obama’s Deal (trailer)

Congress is Polarized: thus to get things done… Overwhelming public support -

War authorization, Patriot Act, etc. Compromise is the “art of politics”

Iraq - benchmarks v. timetables

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The Politics of Lawmaking Jockeying for the legislative lead

Congress v. President Democrats v. Republicans

Pork Barrel Legislation / Earmarks Pig Book (CAGW) Omnibus Bills Cromnibus Spending Bill (CNN Dec. 2014) What's tucked in the Bill (CNN Dec 2014)

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Health Care Reform (2010)

Debate in Congress (2010) ……………………………....Final Vote

The Politics of Lawmaking

THE POLITICS OF WEAPONSCASE STUDY

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AP Government & Politics Timpanogos High School

Case Study: Politics of Weapons

Why is it so hard to Cut Defence Spending? F-22 Raptor Support the F-35

All Politics are Local Politics

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Case Study: All Politics are Local Politics

Save the A10 (Facebook)

Politics of the A-10(NPR audio)

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Case Study: All Politics are Local Politics M1 Abrams

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Case Study: the V-22 Osprey

For more info on the V-22, check the notes section of this slide

Finis Perfectus