Public Policy Final Exam Study Guide Ch 11 Policymakers and Process Rules and Regulations Protocols Case decisions regarding current laws Laws Policy Facts Myths Values Fact Myth o Verifiable statement of what is o In public policy treated as a fact because people believe it to be a fact Purpose of public policy education is to establish fact and destroy myth o Something we accept to be true without a lot of proof o Many policies are based on myths E g There s a myth that crime is increasing in reality crime is actually decreasing Because of this myth more laws began to crack down on kids Values o Perception belief of what should be o Cannot be proven right or wrong o Values are key in developing policy we aren t robots making laws Which worm is bigger We don t know because only half of the worms are shown If asked someone might pick one of the worms based on a myth this one is bigger because more of it is shown it is thicker Policymakers do the same thing and make policies based only on what they can see when they do not know the whole story 1 1 How Public Policy Decisions are made What does it mean to be a Citizen in a Country Founded on the Principles of Gov t Of The People By The People and For The People Tripartite meaning three branch structure of gov t o Executive Judicial Legislative Purpose of gov t is to limit amount taxpayers pay but support citizens needing assistance Each state except NE has a congress House Senate similar to the federal system Policymakers create laws policy administrators develop the practices procedures that underlie policy implementation Are Negative Stereotypes Of Policymakers Closer To Fact Or Fiction No one runs for the legislature to be adversarial We run to do good things Those who work with policymakers are often the ones who hold them in highest regard Before we stereotype we should consider o Policymaking is a very difficult job o It takes certain skills to be good at policymaking How Does The Strange And Foreign Culture Of Policymaking Really Work 1 Policymaking is in fact a rational process 2 Taking the politics out of policymaking is not possible nor should it be 3 A full time opposition shapes policy dynamics 2 2 How Laws are made Watch I m Just a Bill from Schoolhouse Rock Bill is introduced by giving it to the clerk of the Senate or House or by placing it in a box called the hopper o Hopper it s like the bingo cage bills are picked completely at random no matter which was introduced first Designated as H R House of Representatives or S Senate the clerk assigns a legislative number to the bill with H R for bills introduced in the House of Representatives and S for bills introduced in the Senate depending on the House in which they originate and are numbered consecutively in the order in which they are introduced during each Congress The Government Printing Office GPO then prints the bill and distributes copies to each representative or senator The bill is assigned to a committee o The House has 22 standing committees o The senate as 21 standing committees o Each with jurisdiction over bills in certain areas The standing committee or often a subcommittee studies the bill and hears testimony from experts and people interested in the bill o The standing committee is designated to a specific topic The committee then may release the bill with a recommendation to pass it or revise the bill and release it or lay it aside so that it cannot be voted on Releasing the bill is called reporting it out while laying it aside is called tabling If the bill is released it then goes on a calendar o A list of bills awaiting action The Committee may call for the bill to be voted on quickly limit the debate or limit or prohibit amendments o Undisputed bills may be passed by unanimous consent or by a two thirds vote if members agree choose to suspend the rules The bill goes to the floor of the House or Senate for consideration and begins with a complete reading of the bill sometimes this is the only complete reading A third reading title only occurs after any amendments have been added If the bill passes by simple majority the bill moves to the other Chamber of Congress In order to be introduced in the other Chamber a representative from that chamber must be recognized as the presiding officer and announce the introduction of the bill Sometimes when a bill has passed in one chamber it becomes known as an act The bill then is assigned to a committee It is assigned to one of the standing committees by the presiding officer The committee studies and either releases or tables the bill Once released the bill goes to the chamber floor for consideration Bills are voted on in the based on the order they come from the committee however an urgent bill may be pushed ahead by leaders of the majority party When a bill is being considered it can be voted on indefinitely When there is no more debate the bill is voted on 3 3 The bill moves onto a conference committee which is made up of members from each Chamber The committee works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill The revised bill is sent back to both houses for their final approval Once approved the bill is printed by the U S Government Printing Office in a process called enrolling The clerk from the introducing house certifies the final version The enrolled bill is now signed by the Lead Representative form the sponsoring chamber and then the vice president Finally it is sent for presidential consideration o The president has ten days to sign or veto the enrolled bill o If the president vetoes the bill it can still become a law if two thirds of the Senate and two thirds of the House then vote in favor of the bill Gov t only has veto power over state laws How Laws are made Constitutional Amendments Legislatively Referred Amendment o Appears on a state s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters o A legislatively referred constitutional amendment is a limited form of direct democracy Citizen directly involved with voting for various laws instead of voting for a representative to decide o 49 states have a law in place that allows citizens to vote on proposed constitutional amendments offered by the state legislature The exception is Delaware where the legislature alone acts on constitutional amendments Initiated Constitutional Amendment o Appears on a state s ballot as a ballot measure because the people initiate the