F9

In the United States Congress, the majority party exerts a substantial influence over lawmaking. However, even when one party has a numerical majority in each chamber of the United States Congress, there is no guarantee that legislation supported by that majority party will be passed by both chambers. Rules of each chamber independently influence the likelihood that legislation will pass in each chamber; legislation passed by one chamber is not always passed by the other.

(a) Describe one advantage that the majority party in the House and/or Senate has in lawmaking, above and beyond the numerical advantage that the majority party enjoys in floor voting. 

One advantage that the majority party in the House has in lawmaking is that it has control of the Rules Committee. Whoever is in charge of the Rules Committee is in charge of when bills can be voted on or if they should be delayed. With that power, the majority party can make sure that a bill that they like will pass to the whole house or if a bill should be delayed until the majority will vote for it so it won't be defeated. 

(b) Describe one difference between House and Senate rules that may make it likely that legislation may pass in one chamber but not the other.

One difference between House and Senate rules is that the House does not allow filibustering while the Senate does. Filibustering is when a senator, who is opposed to new legislation, purposely talks for as long as he wishes on a certain topic to delay the passage of a bill. This is not possible in the House because there is a specific amount of time that the representatives have on the floor.

(c) Explain how the difference identified in (b) can lead to the passage of a bill in one chamber but not the other.

With the rule of filibustering, it makes it quite easy for the House to pass a bill but it makes it harder for a bill to pass through the Senate. In order for a filibuster to stop, there must be 60 votes out of 100 to make it stop. This makes it difficult to pass because many senators choose not to vote as it can affect them if they want to filibuster in the future. 

F8

A. HOUSE & SENATE DIFFERENCES

1. Number of seats (total) in EACH chamber of Congress.
1. Senate: 100
2. House of Representatives: 435
2. Number of seats held by Virginia in EACH chamber.
1. Senate: 2
2. House of Representatives: 11
3. Length of a term in EACH chamber.
1. Senate: 6 years
2. House of Representatives: 2 years
4. Two Constitutionally given powers unique to the U.S. Senate.
1. Has sole power to try all impeachments
2. Power to ratify all treaties
5. Two Constitutionally given powers unique to the U.S. House.
1. House votes on the president in event of a tie
2. Only House can impeach the president
6. One difference between rules in the House and Senate
1. The Senate can engage in filibustering to prevent a law from passing to the House.

B. IMPORTANT COMMITTEES: Look up standing committees and conference committees. Then find out about a few specific committee names.

1. Which kind of committee is responsible (among other things) for considering most bills and deciding whether to let them move to a vote?
1. Standing Committee
2. Give one example of the kind of committee above.
1. Education Committee
3. What kind of committee works out differences between the House and Senate before they send a bill to the President?
1. Conference Committee
4. Which specific committee in the House decides when (and for how long) bills will be discussed?
1. House Rules Committee
5. Which specific House committee makes tax laws?
1. Ways and Means Committee
6. Which specific committee (same name in House and Senate) authorizes overall levels of spending that may get changed later?
1. Budget Committee
7. Which specific committee (same name in House and Senate) makes laws that set exact funding levels for each agency and department?
1. 
   

C. MORE FROM THE CONSTITUTION

1. A pocket veto is when the President lets a bill sit for 10 days without acting. But it only succeeds in killing a bill if Congress does what?
1. If Congress is on break or not in session
2. For what reasons does the Constitution specifically say that the president may be impeached and removed?
1.  "for conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
3. Describe two powers Congress has that check or balance the President.
1. Can override  veto with 2/3 majority vote.
2. Can remove president from office.
4. Describe two powers Congress has that check or balance the Supreme Court.
1. Confirm appointments to the Supreme Court
2. Can impeach justices
5. Which amendment allows U.S. Senators to be elected by the people -- and not by state legislatures, as they once were?
1. 17th amendment

D. OTHER VOCABULARY

1. What does Congress do when it exercises oversight?
1. It's the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies.
2. What does it mean if a member of Congress acts as a trustee when he votes?
1. He is voting without influence from other members
3. What's one important thing that the War Powers Act said?
1. It limits the powers possessed by the president of the United States
4. What does the C.B.O. do, generally speaking?
1. It provides economic data to Congress.
5. What is the franking privilege?
1. It allows members of Congress to send mail to constituents without paying for postage.

E. IMPORTANT JOBS

1. What does a whip do for his party?
1. Ensures party discipline in legislature so that official party members vote according to official party policy.
2. How does the Senate President Pro Tempore get his job, traditionally?


1. He must be senator of the majority party with longest record of continuous service.


3. What OTHER job title does the President of the Senate hold?
1. Vice President

EXTRA CREDIT: WHO HOLDS THE JOBS? (This can earn you extra points on the quiz).

1. Speaker of the House of Representatives
1. John Boehner
2. House Majority Leader & House Majority Whip
1. Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy
3. House Minority Leader & House Minority Whip
1. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer
4. Senate Majority Leader & Senate Majority Whip
1. Harry Reid and Richard Durbin
5. Senate Minority Leader & Senate Minority Whip
1. Mitch McConnel and John Cornyn
6. Senate President Pro Tempore
1. Patrick Leahy
7. President of the Senate
1. Joe Biden

F7

Rep. Chad Swisher's Bill:

Amendment: In section 4(a) replace the words "expertise in medical conflict" with "expertise in painful medical conditions." or something similar so that  it's as specific as possible and not open to interpretation.

Rep. Taylor Wright's Bill: 

Question: Your whole act is on creating a universal background check. What would be some things that would be assessed in this background check to ensure that a buyer is able to purchase a gun?
Amendment: Define the word firearm by adding it to your definitions. Add something like " Firearm: a rifle, gun, or pistol that can do a substantial amount of damage to people and property." This way, the word is unambiguous and definite to what your bill is adressing.

Rep. Randy Whiting's Bill:

Amendment: The millions of Americans who don't like the amount of money already being spent on space exploration usually oppose it because they are unaware of what the benefits are, so it would be helpful if you stated some specifics in your findings such as "Space exploration has contributed to revolutionary advances such as global positioning, weather prediction, data storage improvements, and improvements in optics."

Rep. Lashay Davenport's Bill:

Question: In sections 4(b) and 4(d) of your bill you state that no homeless person will be turned away from a shelter and that the states will implement ways to help the homeless find jobs. How would you verify that somebody is indeed homeless and not trying to abuse the system? What if a homeless person is not mentally stable and can cause harm to other homeless people? 
Amendment: I suggest you add to section 3 what a homeless person is as this word can be opened up to many possible definitions. Adding this: "An individual who resided in a shelter or place not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an institution where he or she temporarily resided" in the definitions sections will make homelessness clear.

Rep. Scott Christman's Bill:

Question: By not allowing abortions by doctors, don't you think that could be potentially dangerous to women who want an abortion and don't wan't to carry a baby to term? They would seek to have "black market abortions" that are significantly less safe, and many times result in death.
Amendment: Replace "ban all physicians to abort a woman's baby unless due to the safety of the mother." with "ban all physicians from performing abortions on women unless the safety of the mother is at risk." By doing this, the message being conveyed is more clear, the previous wording was a little confusing to understand.

Rep. Natalia Olszewska's Bill:
Question: In your bill you say: "The U.S. Department of Education shall distribute the grants equally amongst all fifty (50) states" What do you mean by equally? Some states have less money than others and would require more grants to fund such a program, would you give more money to these states?
Rep. Madeline Bryant's Bill:
Amendment: In section 2.a.3 of your bill you state that the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans was created but it "created little to no buzz," that phrase should be replaced with "garnered little attention" because the original wording is inappropriate for use in a government document.
Rep. Veronica Lam's Bill:
Question: The title of the bill is the "Better Use of Nitrogen Sources Act" but nowhere in the bill does it state where nitrogen comes into play. Where is the nitrogen? It may be confusing to those who are not familiar with fertilizers, so it would be best if an explanation or example were in the bill.
Rep. Rico Vigliotti's Bill:
Question: In section 5.a of your bill you state that it will be legal to grow marijuana, will there be a limit to how much people can grow? Will people be only allowed to grow it in their backyards?
Rep. Mo Brown's Bill:
Amendment: In section 2, under purposes it states that a purpose of this bill will be to "lessen the ruckus within jails" what is ruckus? Do you mean sounds or fighting? A definitions section should be added to the bill adding this word. The definition should read "Ruckus: a commotion or cause of grief and anxiety" By having this definition, it won't confuse readers with the definition meaning loud sounds.

F5

113th Congress

1st Session

H.R. 857

To increase the ease in which a foreigner may receive a United States Visa to enter the country.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 7, 2014

Ms. Lopez introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee of Foreign Relations

---

A BILL

To increase the ease in which a foreigner may receive a United States Visa to enter the country.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This act may be cited as the “International Visa Act” or “I.V.A.”

SECTION 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE

(a.) Findings- Congress finds that--

1. The current visa system is unfair to those attempting to many people who apply for a visa.
2. Waiting periods for people in line for a visa are too long, especially for foreigners who are from Mexico and the Philippines where waiting periods could take up to 30 years.
3. Some foreigners have waited so long that they decide to enter the country illegally.
4. Many foreigners who apply for visas apply to work a low-skill job, but there is a limit of 5,000 visas for these jobs even though the United States needs these workers.

(b.) Purposes- the purposes of this Act are to--

1. Facilitate the approvement of a work and/or tourist visa for foreigners.
2. Eliminate bias when deciding whether a person will be staying or leaving in the United States.
3. Make sure no criminals can receive a visa into the country unless absolutely necessary.
4. Allow those who receive a visa to start the naturalization process if they wish to become a citizen.

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS

In this act

1. VISA- an endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specific period of time in a country.
2. FOREIGNER- a person born in or coming from a country other than one’s own.

SECTION 4. ACTIONS

1. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall work with the Department for Homeland Security to lessen the intensity of background checks for people who have inquired for a visa.
2. The BCA will increase the number of visas for low-skill workers from 5,000 to 150,000
3. The members of the Bureaus of Consular Affairs will not take majorly into consideration the nationality of a foreigner when approving visas.

SECTION 5. APPROPRIATIONS CLAUSE

1. The amount of money that shall be used to accomplish the actions of this act shall not exceed $50,000,000 a year.
1. The money will be raised through the numerous immigration-related interest groups that will be obliged to contribute money.
2. No tax shall be imposed upon United States citizens to fund the actions of this act.

SECTION 6. TERMINATION

This bill will last for as long as funds permit or if an improved bill takes its place.

SECTION 7. ENACTMENT CLAUSE

“This bill will become effective 30 days after the signature of the president.”

F4

The Problem: Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world apply for US visas that allow them to enter the country legally. While there are many who do get a visa, there are also many who have applied time and time again to no avail. Depending on which country a person is coming from, the waiting period could take up to thirty years. People applying from countries such as The Philippines and Mexico are usually the ones taking decades to arrange visas because they have the most people wanting to get into the United States. People who get the most visas and in a faster time are professionals who at least have a bachelors degree. This is unfair to those who have not had the same educational opportunities.When people apply, it's usually to see family members or to work, but the waiting period is so long that sometimes they never get their chance or they decide to get in illegally.
Existing Laws: Currently, people apply for visas and go through extensive background checks to make sure they won't stay in the United States past the allowed time. People apply in their countries and  wait to be verified to see if they get accepted to receive a visa. ( Couldn't find a specific law...)
Proposal: I propose that, when being considered for a visa, there should be less extensive background checks, except for criminal checks. It's not fair to assume whether somebody will remain in the United States or not, so the visas shouldn't be majorly based off of that. To accomplish this, the Bureau of Consular Affairs would have to follow my act and change it. Also, I.C.E would need to work with the Department of Homeland Security to lessen the background checks.
Committee: The Committee of Foreign Relations
Sources: 
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/long-waits-immigrants-21416745.
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/why-don%E2%80%99t-they-just-get-line

F3

I believe that a major issue in the United States that needs to be reformed is the immigration process. Every year, millions of immigrants manage to sneak into the country to find jobs and are deported. Families are separated and the illegal immigrants go back to a life where there are few opportunities. Those who sign up legally to become citizens of the United States are on a waiting list for a few years, even decades. This current system needs to be changed so that the process is not as arduous and more open for people. Not everybody can get in, obviously, there need to be limits, such as no criminals. Although I may have expressed sympathy for those who get into the US illegally, I don't think they should have much of a chance to get in legally since they had committed a crime, that doesn't mean they won't have any chance at all though. The new process should involve temporary visas that last no more than ten years, they should be issued out to some thousands of people every year. If after ten years these immigrants have had no criminal record or interference with law enforcement (small crimes such as speeding etc. not included), they should be allowed to apply for citizenship, otherwise they must go back to their countries. Those who comply with these conditions show that they truly want to be citizens and should get that chance. (I need to add more conditions obviously but it's all I got so far.)