Influencing Lawmaking
Influencing Lawmaking
There are many positions in the House and Senate; the Speaker of the House, House Majority Leader, whips just to name a few. Which of these people has the most influence on legislation? Which has the least influence on legislation? What are possible advantages to having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process? What are some of the disadvantages of having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process? I daresay the most influential position is the Speaker of the House. Of times referred to as simply the Speaker, the Speaker of the House is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. This means that the Speaker can help pass specific legislature supported by their party, thus controlling a large part of the legislative process. The Speaker can also determine when a bill reaches the floor, decide which members of the House are recognized first and appoint members onto certain committees. As for the least influential position, I think the people have the least influence. Unfortunately, we cannot directly vote on a bill, only try to influence the voters. We can vote in the representative or senator, but it is their final decision on a bill. The citizens can write or talk to a senator, but it may not influence them at all. As said by Nancy Pelosi, “you have to vote for it before you can find out what is in it.” In other words, since the senators and representatives are the only ones voting on it, the citizen has no clue what it is. The possible advantages to having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process are clear, no one group can gain too much power and each group can have its own vote. The groups can each be independent of one another when the voting takes place. This allows for a fairer legislative system in the United States. The disadvantages of having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process is also
There are many positions in the House and Senate; the Speaker of the House, House Majority Leader, whips just to name a few. Which of these people has the most influence on legislation? Which has the least influence on legislation? What are possible advantages to having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process? What are some of the disadvantages of having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process? I daresay the most influential position is the Speaker of the House. Of times referred to as simply the Speaker, the Speaker of the House is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. This means that the Speaker can help pass specific legislature supported by their party, thus controlling a large part of the legislative process. The Speaker can also determine when a bill reaches the floor, decide which members of the House are recognized first and appoint members onto certain committees. As for the least influential position, I think the people have the least influence. Unfortunately, we cannot directly vote on a bill, only try to influence the voters. We can vote in the representative or senator, but it is their final decision on a bill. The citizens can write or talk to a senator, but it may not influence them at all. As said by Nancy Pelosi, “you have to vote for it before you can find out what is in it.” In other words, since the senators and representatives are the only ones voting on it, the citizen has no clue what it is. The possible advantages to having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process are clear, no one group can gain too much power and each group can have its own vote. The groups can each be independent of one another when the voting takes place. This allows for a fairer legislative system in the United States. The disadvantages of having so many different groups participate in the lawmaking process is also
Bibliography: Glencoe. United States Government, Democracy in Action. 2006 Edition. November 12, 2010