100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
A Grade- Why do only a small number of bills introduced into Congress become law $3.98   Add to cart

Essay

A Grade- Why do only a small number of bills introduced into Congress become law

1 review
 115 views  1 purchase
  • Course
  • Institution

Edexcel A2 Government Politics - Unit 4 (US Politics) 3 Distinct Points A Grade Marked by long-standing examiner for A2 Edexcel US Politics. Examples and flair points for full marks, with outside the box thinking. Received 190 UMS in A2 with these plans! Reviews appreciated! Thanks

Preview 1 out of 1  pages

  • February 26, 2018
  • 1
  • 2014/2015
  • Essay
  • Unknown
  • Unknown

1  review

review-writer-avatar

By: Aamir34234 • 6 year ago

avatar-seller
Why do only a small percentage of bills introduced into congress become laws?

Point 1 - Polarisation
 Due to gerrymandering, the nature of the house is becoming ever more polarised and radicalised, therefore
making compromises between the two chambers becomes much harder, especially seeing as the senate tend
to be more moderate.
 EX: There was large gridlock over the 2012 budget, such as dispute over a $182 billion spending measure to
fund agriculture, criminal justice and housing agencies.
 Polarisation can also affect bills in the senate through the use of the filibuster
 EX: Rand Paul filibustered the Patriot Act.
 The inability of both houses to agree is also displayed by the death of the conference committee which is
used to come to a compromise with both houses’ versions of the bill, they have been abandoned with the
conclusion that they are useless as they rarely agree.
 Flair/link: polarisation will affect the attitude of the speaker, as effectively he is a partisan leader of whoever
controls the house.
 Flair: The effects of polarisation will be more strongly felt if one party does not control both houses.

Point 2 - Multiple Block Points in Congress:
 There are many stages within the process which provide points for blocking legislation
 The first reading - too many bills + many get left behind
 Committee stage - Pigeon-holed unless support from Congress/Administration
 Timetable stage - Senate Majority Leader + House Rules Committee decide on timetabling (Speaker appoints
the HRC)
 The Speaker has considerable power to decide on what bills are brought to the floor for debate → EX: Govt
Shutdown because of the budget + Didn’t allow immigration reform 2013.→ Flair: The Hastert Rule adds
considerable blocking points.
 EX: 112th Congress (least productive ever) - Only 2.3% of introduced bills became law
 Flair: Polarisation means that only bills with enough partisan support will pass through the stages (less
unlikely than ever before)

Point 3 - Presidential Veto
 One significant obstruction to the passing of bills is the role of the president. He has the ability to veto
legislation which is where he blocks it (pocket and regular)
 EX: Obama has vetoed 4 pieces of legislation so far and has even combined both the pocket + regular veto on
3 out of 4 of these (Protective Return Pocket Veto) → Obama used this on the Labor Relations Bill
 EX: Bush vetoed a bill on stem cell research.
 Flair: this is more likely to occur during the lame duck stage of the presidency.

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller joshdevos. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $3.98. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

80461 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
$3.98  1x  sold
  • (1)
  Add to cart