Gov: Chapter 12 Review

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Lawmaking Vocab Review:

party caucus, quorum, seniority rule, Speaker of the House, majority leader, minority leader, majority whip, minority whip commmittee chairpersin, standing committee, special committee, subcommittee, conference comittee, legislative hearing, markup session, closed rule, open rule, power of recognition, filibuster, cloture, supermajority, hold, rider, Christmas tree bill, standing vote, roll-call vote, logrolling, conferees, up-or-down vote

Chapter 12 Summary

The lawmaking process in Congress is fairly straightforward. It is a struggle involving many traditions, rules, and competing interests. Most measures that actually becomes law often bears little resemblance to the bill that was first introduced.

• Convening a new Congress. Before a new Congress opens, Democrats and Republicans in each chamber meet in party caucuses or conferences. There they elect party leaders, make committee assignments, and formulate strategies.
• Working in committee. Standing committees and their subcommittees do most of the work of Congress. Directed by powerful committee chairs, these committees study, revise, and sometimes completely rewrite bills.
• Voting on bills. The majority party leaders in each chamber direct the flow of bills through the process of debate, amendment, and voting. The House of Representatives, because of its large size, restricts debate. The Senate allows unlimited debate.
• Final steps to enactment. Before a bill goes to the president, both chambers must pass it in identical form. The president can choose to sign a bill into law or veto it. To save a vetoed bill, both chambers of Congress must pass it again, but this time by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.

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