the US legislative process

who can introduce bills

any member of congress!

who can write bills

anyone!!

what do we call the MOC that introduces the bill and what do we call other MOCs who support it

sponsors and co-sponsors

what is the maximum number of co-sponsored allowed on a bill?

there isn’t one!

how does a (MOC) introduce a bill to the house and what must the bill have on it

they place the bill in the hopper at the side of the clerks desk in the House chamber

it must have the sponsor’s signature

where do bills go after they have been introduced

to the relevant Standing committee in the relevant house (if a bill about army helicopters has been introduced by a senator, it is likely to be sent to the senate armed services committee)

size and makeup of committees in both houses

house → 25-60 members

senate → 14-30 members

makeup is a roughly partisan split → w/ majority party always having more seats on every committee

e.g. house armed services committee → 30/27 rep / dem split

how many standing committees does each house have

Hor have 20

senate have 16

example of the senate clumping policy areas into one standing committee

commerce, science, and transportation vs science and tech, energy and commerce, and transportation and infrastructure

hierarchy of standing committees

chair → usually most senior committee member from majority party

ranking member → usually most senior committee member from Minority party

what do subcommittees do

work more specifically than committees - making detailed recommendations which are then referred back to full committee

how do the senate decide debate schedule

largely decided by majority and minority leader of the senate

majority leader is recognised first by presiding officer - allowing them to structure much of the senate’s agenda

however many debates are scheduled by unanimous agreement among senators - specifying debate length, and whether it will be an open or closed rule

what are open and closed rule debates in the senate and which makes it harder for bills to pass

closed rule → no amendments

open rule → any senator can amend

• this can lead to a “poison pill amendment”

  • e.g. house republicans attached amendments affecting LGBTQ+ rights, abortion policy, and agency enforcement powers to the democrats proposed 2024 budget

what is different between the legislative process in the US and the UK when it comes to the chain of the process

in the UK all bills are debated in the commons first - then the lords

in the US bills can be introduced in either house - and go to the other if they pass through the first

what must all bills do before they reach the HoR floor

pass through the House Rules Committee

what happens if the second house to receive a bill wants to make amendments

it goes to a conference committee made up of members of both houses

they attempt to create a compromise bill

if they do so - the bill is sent for a vote in both houses

how do the congress override a presidential veto

2/3 majority in both houses

where can bills die in the legislative process

the speaker who can refuse to refer it to the committees

committees can kill the bill by not voting for it - and if they vote and there is no majority the bill is dead

house maj. leaders in the senate can refuse to schedule a bill for debate

anyone can filibuster a bill until its time runs out

the house rules committee can also refuse to set rules for a bill’s debate

if a bill doesn’t get a majority in both houses (even after a compromise bill) it dies

what the fuck is the point of it being so hard to get bills passed

there are constant checks on a bill to reduce the ability of authoritarian laws to pass through