In this essay I will be explaining to you how I would solve a problem using the Legislative Process, and how I would be able to transform my ideas into a law that the president would be able to sign. To understand how to transform my ideas into a law I first need to consider how a bill becomes a law as well as, considering the formal and informal pressures in place during the legislative process. Many things come into play during these processes such as; various branches of government, interests groups, and the Federal Bureaucracy. I will now take you step by step through the process of how I would convert my ideas into a law while considering and including the Legislative Process as well as the Bill of Rights in particular and the other major …show more content…
"Interest Groups represent people or organizations with common concerns and interests. These groups work to gain or retain benefits for their members, through advocacy, public campaigns, and even lobbying governments to make changes in public policy". Groups, Lobbyist 's, and PAC 's) You may think that the only way for my idea or even your own idea to become a law is if you come up with it yourself and go through the formal process but Interest Groups are very involved in persuading the Congress to hear out their ideas and they also work along with the executive branch. There are a wide variety of Interests Groups that represent many different things that they will propose to the …show more content…
There are is a formal process as well as many informal processes, there are groups, and committees, and various branches of government that all have a large influence on the legislative process, making transforming an idea into a law a very difficult thing to do. Not only are there many different processes but there are a large quantity of ideas submitted that are all in consideration of potentially becoming a law, this process is not only hard on the citizens or representatives that present them it is also very difficult and time consuming for the U.S. House of Representatives, The Senate, The Committee, and The President, who all have to review, revise, and vote on these bills to become laws. The fate of the laws we must abide by are in their hands which contributes to the difficulty of this task sufficiently. The laws that are passed and not passed decipher between the choice 's we get to make legally everyday, which makes the legislative process one of the most important things that the government has to do. I learned that although transforming your idea into a law is not an easy process, and the percentage of the bill actually becoming a law is very low, it is possible and a very excellent way to gain knowledge on not just the Legislative Process, but the branches of government as well as Interests groups, and all of the other factors that come into play during this
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.
Interest groups, lobbyists, large corporations, and PACs try to influence the congressional committees' bills so they can have a say in the legislative process. When an interest group hears about a bill that is being debated on in a committee, they try to influence a members vote and they try to get a part of the bill changed. For example, a lobbyist came to me on a bill I proposed on making health care plans have no minimum requirement on benefits the company gives to its patients. He told me about how he did not get the right treatments and tests done on diseases he has and now is suffering badly from them. It was because the health plan did not have to give him anything extra. He changed my mind on the bill, and I changed the bill to setting a minimum standard on benefits given to patients.
After reading two different views on what influences political power in the United States, I have set out to answer 4 questions assigned to me to help define how laws and regulations are laid out, and in most cases, gone around all together. In the text "American Government", the reading was a very fundamental basis of how the federal government was ran according to the constitution and the various philosophies that members of political leadership employ to wield power to influence voters and fellow congressional leaders. On the other hand, "Voices of Dissent" gives a different point of view on how business and the capitalists in fact run this country through campaign contributions and legal loopholes.
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.
It seems the Founders wanted to make the passage of legislation difficult. The Constitution settles how bills become law in the United States. The procedure is operose and can take significant time to complete. The course materials of week three offer more than enough information on how the procedure works. This essay will, mainly, use the course materials to describe the process of how a bill becomes a law. The process of transforming a bill into a law requires the participation of both the Legislative branch and Executive branch of government.
Do they play an important role in our democracy since they claim that they represent many people? There has been a continuing debate over the proper role of interest groups in the United States democracy. Interest groups are organized group of individuals who share the same ideas and their main goal is to influence media, lawmakers, and people with their ideas. On one hand, interest groups members and their leaders assert that they offer crucial information and services to the lawmakers and that lawmakers aren’t experts regarding every bill proposed
As seen quite often in the Obama administration, legislation gets stuck and lost in Congress due to the polarization of the parties in recent years. In Obama’s case, he has frequently threatened to go around the House and Senate if they could not reach an agreement or would shoot down his plans. Cato’s Pilon points out, however, that the hurdles of Congress are no mistake. Pilot states that the framer’s of the Constitution knew what they were doing, and this was intended to keep the checks and balances as well as accountability to the public (Lyons,
One of the most unique and vital features of the American government is the establishment of a constitution. This constitution is a result of the fear of tyranny and the idea of rights that are unable to be infringed upon. The Constitution of America became the base of all law and decisions made in court. It gives us the ability to propose and pass laws, who can sit in power, what states can and can’t do under the supremacy clause, disburse funds, etc. In order to truly understand how the constitution can be implicated and interpreted, it is important to understand where it came from, and what Article One of the constitution states about governmental organization, and the Legislative branch.
Otto von Bismarck once said, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” The arduous process that a bill undergoes in order to become a law may seem grueling and pointless; however, the processes high caliber of difficulty allows for the extreme prestige and exclusivity of bills that are passed. Because the process is so exhausting, and filibusters, subsequently requiring a super-majority vote to pass a bill, have always been such a threat in Congress, historically, bills that attempt to reform sensitive issues have not fared well in the legislative branch. However, when Congress does pass controversial laws, it then also faces the task of effectively enforcing them. But, when the process is carried out to completion, laws that are enforced have significant impacts on the everyday lives of the American people—such as laws concerning abortion rights. In the United States, the government and Congress have significantly affected the rights of women with regard to abortions through laws that either restrict or guarantee their legality and availability, while the government’s capacity to do so is affected by the principle of federalism along with that of the separation of powers.
Citizens of the United States are traditionally given unlimited freedom of speech, press, and assembly. These American privileges allow interest groups to express their perspectives by using the media and other sources that are accessible to the public. In definition, an interest group is a group of individuals who organize to influence the government’s programs and policies. The main goal of these groups is to have the government both listen and respond to their interests (Shin 243). Historically interest groups have and continue to play a crucial role in American politics; especially since it is an effective form for citizens to interfere with government decision making. Two current interest groups in the United States are the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the National Council of La Raza. These particular interest groups demonstrate how interest groups directly and indirectly influence public opinion and the political process.
These pluralistic interest groups are free to operate and lobby in the political arena, fighting against the majority and other competing factions for voice in Congress. With the influence of multiple factions operating throughout the political system, a balance of power is created (Kernell 2000, 429). This is much like the international theory of sovereign states balancing each other’s power to create a political system that focuses on stability, yet is always in a constant flux of power. With this in mind, special interest groups are constantly contending for power by raising money, campaigning, and lobbying in Congress. When a special interest group is threatened by a competing policy, the group will organize efforts to balance, or transcend the power of the competing group.
Since the late 1700s, American government continuously found itself in gridlock with the executive and legislative branch in passing bills. The executive, which is commonly known as where ‘the highest office in the land’ is located, enforces the laws passed by congress. At times, the executive must come up with new and unique ways to combat congress hesitation and approve bills the branch wants. Some tools in the executive’s toolkit such as having some authority over agencies budget help to enforce other departments to work with the leaders of the executive branch. Although the division of powers among the branches limits the executive branch effectiveness in some forms, the executive branch is able to overcome their difficulties through innovative
The Law Making Process is one of the most important parts of forming what our Nation is today, it involves millions of people, and every little thing that is created and passed by Congress will affect someone, somewhere, somehow.
Interest groups are groups that are protected under the 1st amendment giving people the opportunity to get together peaceably and petition or express their different opinions to the government or group representatives. There are more than one hundred thousand interest groups. Interest groups are created for many different reasons but often they are the result of a major controversial event that happens in society. When a major social movement happens like the “Black Lives Matter” movement caused by police brutality towards African American individuals, it sparks groups of people who get together to make changes in our political, economic, or social systems. These groups become Interest Groups because they are involved in making a change to
In our countries government, Congress plays a major role in decision making. They’re primary role is to pass laws. These laws start off as bills. Bills can only be introduced by members of Congress. Although these bills only come from Congressman, there are many people who influence these bills. Such as the president, regular citizens, offices in the executive branch, and many others. The bills right off the bat do not have a very good chance of passage. Only one out of every ten bills even gets any attention at all. This is because they must go through many tests and hearings before they even have a chance of landing on the president’s desk. These steps in a bill becoming a law are very important, and make sure that all bills passed into law are the best of the best.