The Main Functions of Parliament
Parliament has many functions. A political scientist, Philip Norton
outlined
these functions in to five categories. The five main functions of
parliament are legislature, representation, recruitment, scrutiny and
legitimacy. Each one is as important as the other however the main two
functions of parliament are scrutiny and influence.
The predominant role of parliament is scrutiny. Scrutiny is when
parliament needs two look over, in detail, potential bills and laws.
They do so by reading over the bill in detail and to make sure that it
will work. Parliament do not actually scrutinise the bills themselves,
they are in fact sent to standing committees which is made of MPs
proportional to those in the House Of Commons in terms of the
political parties and the percentage of seats they hold in the
commons, i.e. if labour had a 60% seat majority in the house of
commons 60% of the MPs assigned to standing committees are labour MPs.
Scrutiny is an important factor as it gives the opposition the chance
to oppose the bill and to find any flaws in it. The role of parliament
therefore coincides with Norton's theory of government through
parliament not government by parliament.
Legislation is another important role of parliament. In the year of
1999-2000 parliament spent an astonishing 40% of their time spent on
legislation. Legislature is basically the passing of laws in the House
of Commons, however all they do is pass the laws. The general ideas
generate from cabinet, if the laws and/or bills have cabinet's backing
then they are more likely to be passed. The Government (party in
power) and the opposition have the opportunity to scrutinise these
before they are passed. The opposition would generally try to have the
proposed bill thrown out. Even though legislation is considered an
important function of parliament political scientists such as Norton
criticise this because
When scrutinising the bill it is held in the House of Commons with the
government and opposition, the opposition is made up of mainly the
The law making process is a lengthy process. First, a representative must have an idea for a new law and they become the sponsor of this bill. The representative must present to the bill to the Clerk of the House if it is in the house (H.R. Bills), or in the Senate (S Bills). The Government Printing Office, GPO, then prints the bill and distributes it to each representative. The Speaker of the House, for further study, then assigns this bill to a standing committee within the house. The standing committee studies the bill and its contents and has two options, either to release the bill with a recommendation to pass it or lay it aside so it cannot be voted on. If the bill is released, it may be voted on or sent into debate within the house and needs a majority vote for the bill to move onto the Senate. Within the Senate, the bill must go through one of the Senate’s sixteen standing committees, and as with the House of Representatives, the bill is either released or pigeonholed. If it is released, a simple majority passes the bill. The bill takes another step into a conference committee, which is made up of members of the Hou...
We often wonder about the importance of government. Is it necessary? Does it really benefit society? The answer is yes. Many countries have diverse forms of government such as totalitarian, monarchy, theocracy, and much more. The United States of America specifically runs a democratic type of government. A democratic government gives power to the people. Citizens over the age of eighteen are allowed to elect leaders based on their individual opinions through voting rights. The main purpose of the American government is, to protect people’s inalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness as our Founding Fathers intended.
Most individuals with a general background knowledge of the United States Federal Government system are aware that in order for a bill to become a law, it must first pass a majority vote in Congress. There is, however, a very important step in the legislative process that sometimes goes unnoticed. The committee system of the legislation process ensures that the appropriate attention is given to each bill introduced to Congress. Each member of both chambers are assigned to committees and subcommittees, and are expected to become subject matter experts in their respective roles as committee members.
During the rule of King Charles I, the Parliament had limited powers, and were not entitled to govern independently as a Parliament should. This is shown through King Charles’ power to veto their decisions, and his dissolving of the Parliament three times between 1625-1629. Consequently, the Parliament became frustrated with their minute role, and responded in attempt to control the King’s power, to maintain their control. This is clearly depicted in their refusal to grant tax raising and revenue for Charles’ increased expenditure, including the abolishment of the ‘ship tax’ which had been previously collected illegally. Following on from this was the enactment of legislation through the Petition of Right in 1928, after MP’s had been called back by Charles in his third parliament. The Petition of Right demanded that Charles could not imprison anyone without being found guilty in a court of law, that no tax could be implemented without Parliamentary consent, and soldiers could not be billeted against their will. Furthermore, the Parliament also abolished the Court of High Commission and the Star Chamber, disallowing for Charles to continue the arbitrary punishment of opposers to his reforms. The Parliament’s pressure on Charles through these reforms was largely driven by
Contrasts in the lawmaking methodology utilized as a part of the House and Senate reflect the distinctive size of the two chambers and individual terms of its parts. In the House, the dominant part gathering is inflexibly in control, stacking advisory groups with lion 's share party parts, and utilizing principles to seek after enactment supported by its parts. In the Senate, singular parts are better ready to hold up the procedure, which prompts lower similarity costs, however higher exchange costs. The complication of the lawmaking procedure gives rivals different chances to murder a bill, making a solid predisposition for the present state of affairs.
Congress has an extremely vital role in our government and their responsibilities give the American people guidance in many ways. They are responsible for making laws, declaring war, and the approval or disapproval of the appointed officials proposed by the president, such as Supreme Court Justices ("The House Explained"). They are also given the duty of impeachment of the President of the United States if necessary.
Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs.
Congress has come a long way since its creation but its role has not changed. Although there is much criticism on the way Congress is run, the system is an integral part of the American government. It's main and most important duty is to portray the wide arrayed views of the American people and this is not as easy as it seems. It can be a difficult process for Congress to come to an agreement on these issues because its members come from all over America with different views on what is right and what is wrong. The majority of American people feel that the public agrees on most issues but this is untrue. America is an extremely diverse nation with differing views on various issues. With all the different people in the country it is not unusual to get different opinions and beliefs.
English philosopher John Locke viewed the power of the legislature as the most basic and important branch of government. The theory behind the legislature is that it will enact laws that will allocate values for society. The legislature works to makes laws, educate, represent, supervise, and make criticisms of the government. Most of the work of the United States Legislature is done in committee, where the real power of the legislature is held. Most legislation originates in governmental departments and agencies. In committees, a majority vote decides and often, compromise must be reached in order for a bill or law to survive committee action. This frequently requires that a delegate alter his position in order to achieve a compromise. This compromise may or may not reflect the wishes of the people he/she represents.
Depending on the chamber of Congress where the bill exists, the procedures for floor action differ. I...
...an view, that if a Parliament sought to redefine itself, this purported redefinition would be impliedly repealed the next time that legislation was passed in this area. Therefore we can see a shift in the interpretation of parliamentary sovereignty from a traditional account that Parliament could not place, substantive limits on its lawmaking power, to the acceptance of a manner and form view in which it could.
Parliamentary sovereignty, a core principle of the UK's constitution, essentially states that the Parliament is the ultimate legal authority, which possesses the power to create, modify or end any law. The judiciary cannot question its legislative competence, and a Parliament is not bound by former legislative provisions of earlier Parliaments. The ‘rule of law’ on the other hand, is a constitutional doctrine which primarily governs the operation of the legal system and the manner in which the powers of the state are exercised. However, since the Parliament is capable of making any law whatsoever, the concept of the rule of law poses a contradiction to the principle of parliamentary supremacy, entailing that Parliament is not bound by the Rule of Law, and it can exercise power arbitrarily.
The Role of the Senate and House of Representatives. The Congress of the United States consists of the Senate and the House. of Representatives, which means the USA is bi-cambial. The Congress of the United States was created by Article I, Section 1, of the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention in September.
On one hand, political constitutionalists argue that parliamentary sovereignty is the underlying principle in the British constitution as power and law making are bo...
...ing it to committees, marking it up, floor debating it, or having it signed by the president. They all play a part in the process. Congressman definitely have their work cut out for them when they try to introduce ideas into the house or senate. With only about 10% of bills even getting any attention it is a very difficult and probably frustrating job. But that is why our country is so great because of our congressman and the decisions that they must make day in and day out about legislation.