American Politics Final Exam Questions

1. In the design of the United States government, Congress was given the legislative power. It "makes the laws" for the nation.
a. What procedure does the Constitution require for Congress to make law?
Article I of the Constitution "all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives." The House and Senate are equal partners in the legislative process––legislation cannot be enacted without the consent of both chambers.
First, any bill for raising money (such as by taxes or fees) must start out in the House. All bills must pass both houses of Congress in the exact same form. Bills that pass both houses are sent to the President. He can either sign the bill, in which case it becomes law, or he can veto it. In the case of a veto, the bill is sent back to Congress, and if both houses pass it by a two-thirds majority, the bill becomes law over the President's veto.

b. Describe the legislative process utilized today, above and beyond the Constitutional requirements.
The general process for making a bill into law is described in the Constitution. First, a bill needs to be drafted. You do not need to be a member of congress to draft a bill. For example lobbyists and other congressional staff can draft a bill, but only a member of congress can introduce legislation. Bills then get referred to standing committees. Once referred, the bill gets on the committee’s calendar for review by a subcommittee or by the full committee
After staff analysis and hearings, if the committee chooses, the bill then goes to “mark up”, which is a process in which subcommittees edit or amend the bill. Even after this process the bill may die there. If the bill survives, the committee votes to recommend the bill to the House or Senate. This