POLS 206 10th Edition Lecture 10 How a Bill becomes a Law and Gerrymandering Outline of Last Lecture I Current Events II Institutions are Designed intentionally a Never neutral III Congress and Collective Responsibility IV Committee system a Most of the work of congress is done in committees b House c Congress d Approximately 20 standing committees V Committee system facilitates individualism a MCs can specialize in areas important to their district and constituents allows them to enhance electoral prospects VI Parties VII 2 Antagonistic Forms of Organization a Parties have to protect collective reputation Outline of Current Lecture Lecture 10 Notes I In the News a Cruz has 21 hour pseudo filibuster b 4th longest speech c Didn t hold up official business i There were enough voters for cloture 1 Cloture 60 or 60 votes 2 It still didn t stop the senate from stripping the defund Obama care from the provision so was it worth it 3 Not a clean continuing resolution government could would be shutdown if this keeps going back and forth d Shutdown still unclear e Republicans may be looking to debt ceiling vote to delay Obama care i Needs to be raised by 0ctober 17th or the government will start to default on debts and loans possibly ruining our international credit ii Troublesome on a global scale II Gerrymandering a Inefficient geographic concentration of voters b Single member plurality election system c For party 1 winning strategy is to pack d Party 2 voters in districts far beyond what is needed to fill seat i Then choose district lines to give party 1 the minimum required to win the seat 1 Only need plurality 2 Basic idea is that a minority winner like an African American in a district would help them as a minority but it could also help republicans cause it concentrates this AA winner to just one region it is not as spread out allowing them to win more seats a Cracking and packing i Cracking more difficult for minority to win democrats win ii Packing easier for minority to win and better for republican win 1 Majority minority districts b Whichever party controls state legislature and Gov offices draws the district lines and can do this for the partisan advantage III How a bill becomes a law a MH or MS introduces bill to full chamber b Majority party leadership assigns bill to a committee i Important power c Committee chair i Agenda setter ii Can kill bill by not sending it out iii Send to hostile subcommittee chair iv Only recourse is discharge petition 2 3 vote 218 house signatures not to let it die v Refers bill to subcommittee 1 This is where most bills die d Sub committee i Kill or advance 1 Hearings where experts can testify ii Staffers recommend edits iii Meet with lobbyists to advise how to draw bill iv Mark up bill or kill it v Send edited version to full committee 1 They decide whether to send it to the floor or not vi Rules committee 1 3 rules options a Closed no debate or amendment just vote b Restricted limited debate and amendment and vote c Open unlimited debate and amendment and vote 2 Power of procedure power to influence the outcome vii Rule sends to floor 1 Where they further debate and amend 2 Simultaneous process going in in the senate a Potential for filibusters b Can only be stopped with cloture c Filibusters are increasing to 20 per term d If no cloture then it dies 3 Vote again a Amendments first b Bill last c Majority to pass otherwise it dies viii If it passes in the house it must also pass in the senate ix Then goes to president 1 10 days to decide a Signs law b Vetoes House and Senate need 2 3 votes to override c Doesn t sign when congress is in session law d Doesn t sign when congress isn t in session pocket veto