10.8 The Process & Politics
of Lawmaking
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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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Timpanogos High School
Only a Bill – SNL Vrsn
How a Bill Becomes Law
House
Senate
Introduction (hopper)
Introduction (From floor or as an
amendment)
Committee (Speaker Assigns)
Committee
Subcommittee
Subcommittee
Hearings / Markup
Reported Out
Hearings / Markup
Reported Out
Rules committee
House Calendars
President (Signs, Veto, Pocket Veto)
Floor Action
Floor Action
Debate & Voting (Voice, Roll Call, Teller)
Debate & Voting (Voice, Roll Call, Teller)
Conference Committee (works out differences in the
House and Senate versions of the bill)
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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
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Timpanogos High School
How a bill becomes law

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

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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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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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The Politics of Lawmaking

Health Care Reform (2010)
Debate in Congress (2010) ……………………………....Final Vote
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Timpanogos High School
CASE STUDY
THE POLITICS OF WEAPONS
AP Government & Politics
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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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Timpanogos High School
Case Study: All Politics are Local Politics

Save the A10
(Facebook)

Politics of the A-10
(NPR audio)
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Timpanogos High School
Case Study: All Politics are Local Politics

M1 Abrams
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Timpanogos High School
Case Study: the V-22 Osprey
For more info on the V-22, check the notes section of this slide
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Finis Perfectus