How Does The Majority Party Exercise Agenda Control In Congress?

The United States Capitol Building

The Us Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Acquire more about the powers of the Legislative Co-operative of the federal regime of the Us.

Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the U.s. Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authorization to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.

The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided amid the l states in proportion to their full population. In addition, there are 6 not-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Democracy of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the Us. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, elected past the Representatives. He or she is third in the line of succession to the Presidency.

Members of the Firm are elected every ii years and must exist 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the land (but non necessarily the district) they represent.

The House has several powers assigned exclusively to information technology, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the instance of an balloter college tie.

The Senate is composed of 100 Senators, 2 for each land. Until the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, Senators were chosen by state legislatures, not by popular vote. Since and then, they take been elected to six-year terms by the people of each state. Senator's terms are staggered so that about one-third of the Senate is up for reelection every two years. Senators must be 30 years of age, U.South. citizens for at to the lowest degree 9 years, and residents of the state they represent.

The Vice President of the United States serves as President of the Senate and may cast the decisive vote in the issue of a necktie in the Senate.

The Senate has the sole ability to confirm those of the President's appointments that require consent, and to ratify treaties. There are, yet, ii exceptions to this rule: the Firm must also approve appointments to the Vice Presidency and any treaty that involves foreign trade. The Senate likewise tries impeachment cases for federal officials referred to it by the Business firm.

In order to pass legislation and send it to the President for his signature, both the House and the Senate must laissez passer the same neb by bulk vote. If the President vetoes a bill, they may override his veto by passing the bill over again in each chamber with at least two-thirds of each body voting in favor.

The Legislative Process | Powers of Congress | Authorities Oversight

The Legislative Process

The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to Congress. Anyone tin can write it, but only members of Congress can introduce legislation. Some important bills are traditionally introduced at the request of the President, such as the annual federal budget. During the legislative process, however, the initial bill can undergo drastic changes.

After being introduced, a neb is referred to the appropriate committee for review. There are 17 Senate committees, with lxx subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees. The committees are not fix in rock, but change in number and form with each new Congress as required for the efficient consideration of legislation. Each commission oversees a specific policy area, and the subcommittees have on more specialized policy areas. For example, the House Committee on Ways and Means includes subcommittees on Social Security and Trade.

A bill is starting time considered in a subcommittee, where it may exist accepted, amended, or rejected entirely. If the members of the subcommittee agree to move a bill forward, it is reported to the total committee, where the procedure is repeated once again. Throughout this stage of the process, the committees and subcommittees call hearings to investigate the merits and flaws of the bill. They invite experts, advocates, and opponents to announced before the committee and provide testimony, and can compel people to appear using subpoena power if necessary.

If the full commission votes to corroborate the beak, information technology is reported to the floor of the House or Senate, and the majority party leadership decides when to place the neb on the calendar for consideration. If a bill is particularly pressing, it may exist considered correct abroad. Others may wait for months or never exist scheduled at all.

When the bill comes upward for consideration, the Business firm has a very structured contend process. Each member who wishes to speak only has a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments are commonly express. In the Senate, debate on well-nigh bills is unlimited — Senators may speak to problems other than the neb under consideration during their speeches, and any subpoena tin can exist introduced. Senators can employ this to filibuster bills nether consideration, a procedure past which a Senator delays a vote on a bill — and past extension its passage — by refusing to stand downwards. A supermajority of 60 Senators can break a filibuster by invoking cloture, or the cession of debate on the nib, and forcing a vote. In one case debate is over, the votes of a unproblematic majority passes the neb.

A nib must pass both houses of Congress earlier it goes to the President for consideration. Though the Constitution requires that the ii bills have the exact same wording, this rarely happens in exercise. To bring the bills into alignment, a Conference Committee is convened, consisting of members from both chambers. The members of the committee produce a conference report, intended as the final version of the bill. Each chamber and then votes once again to corroborate the briefing report. Depending on where the beak originated, the final text is so enrolled past either the Clerk of the House or the Secretarial assistant of the Senate, and presented to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for their signatures. The neb is then sent to the President.

When receiving a bill from Congress, the President has several options. If the President agrees substantially with the bill, he or she may sign it into law, and the bill is then printed in the Statutes at Big. If the President believes the law to be bad policy, he may veto it and send it back to Congress. Congress may override the veto with a ii-thirds vote of each chamber, at which point the bill becomes law and is printed.

In that location are two other options that the President may exercise. If Congress is in session and the President takes no activity within 10 days, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before x days are up and the President takes no action, and then the bill dies and Congress may non vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and if Congress even so wants to pass the legislation, they must brainstorm the entire process anew.

Powers of Congress

Congress, as 1 of the three coequal branches of government, is ascribed significant powers past the Constitution. All legislative ability in the government is vested in Congress, meaning that information technology is the only role of the government that can brand new laws or change existing laws. Executive Branch agencies issue regulations with the full force of constabulary, but these are only under the say-so of laws enacted by Congress. The President may veto bills Congress passes, only Congress may besides override a veto by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the Firm of Representatives.

Article I of the Constitution enumerates the powers of Congress and the specific areas in which information technology may legislate. Congress is also empowered to enact laws deemed "necessary and proper" for the execution of the powers given to whatsoever part of the government nether the Constitution.

Part of Congress'southward practise of legislative authority is the establishment of an annual budget for the government. To this end, Congress levies taxes and tariffs to provide funding for essential government services. If enough money cannot exist raised to fund the government, and then Congress may too authorize borrowing to make up the deviation. Congress can also mandate spending on specific items: legislatively directed spending, commonly known equally "earmarks," specifies funds for a particular project, rather than for a government agency.

Both chambers of Congress have extensive investigative powers, and may compel the production of bear witness or testimony toward whatever cease they deem necessary. Members of Congress spend much of their time holding hearings and investigations in committee. Refusal to cooperate with a Congressional amendment can result in charges of contempt of Congress, which could event in a prison term.

The Senate maintains several powers to itself: Information technology ratifies treaties by a two-thirds supermajority vote and confirms the appointments of the President by a majority vote. The consent of the House of Representatives is too necessary for the ratification of trade agreements and the confirmation of the Vice President.

Congress likewise holds the sole power to declare war.

Government Oversight

Oversight of the executive co-operative is an important Congressional check on the President'southward power and a rest confronting his discretion in implementing laws and making regulations.

A major way that Congress conducts oversight is through hearings. The Firm Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Commission on Homeland Security and Government Affairs are both devoted to overseeing and reforming government operations, and each commission conducts oversight in its policy expanse.

Congress also maintains an investigative organization, the Authorities Accountability Office (GAO). Founded in 1921 equally the Full general Accounting Office, its original mission was to audit the budgets and fiscal statements sent to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Today, the GAO audits and generates reports on every aspect of the regime, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent with the effectiveness and efficiency that the American people deserve.

The executive branch also polices itself: Sixty-four Inspectors General, each responsible for a different agency, regularly audit and written report on the agencies to which they are fastened.