PA 874: Session 5

1
PA 874 Session 5

• The Legislative Branch

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Overview

• The Structure of Congress
• Constitutional Provisions
• Institutional Structures
• Two Theories of Legislative Policymaking
• State Legislatures
• International Comparisons

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Constitutional Provisions

• Article I the Most Important Branch
• Compromise Between the Two Houses
• Powers Extensive and Explicit Unlike President
• Article 1, Section 8
• The Necessary and Proper Clause
• The 10th Amendment An Offset?

4
Institutional Structure

• Leadership
• Committees
• Standing
• Joint
• Majority Party
• Voting Arrangements

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Policy Process

• Bill Introduced
• Committee/Subcommittee Action
• Rules Committee
• Floor Debate and Vote
• Conference Committee
• Presidential Signature
• Veto? Override?

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Policy Paths

• Authorization Appropriations
• Authorizations
• Unique Legislation
• May Come in Waves E.G. Environmental Laws
  1964-76
• May Be Cyclical

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Policy Paths (Cont.)

• Appropriations
• Annual Budget Authority to Fund Programs
• Some Exempt Built Into Legislation
  Uncontrollable? E.G.?
• Appropriations Committees Play Key Role in the
  Legislative Process
• Budget Committees Next
• Much More In Several Weeks

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Comments Observations

• Complex Process
• But Each Session Builds on Prior Ones
• Foundation Legislation Exists in Most Policy
  Areas Exceptions?
• Agencies Heavily Involved
• Lobbyists Provide Services
• Legitimacy of Congressional Actions?

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Two Theories of Congress

• David Mayhew The Electoral Connection
• Re-election the key to congressional behavior
• Expected Incumbency Advantage
• Results if high enough
• What to do to make it high enough
• Some added actions
• Processes and structures fit these actions
• But Policy Consequences?

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Two Theories of Congress (Cont.)

• Douglas Arnold, The Logic of Congressional Action
• Electoral connections but also how policies get
  enacted and often good ones.
• The theory (p. 14)
• Notes on the theory
• Policy Consequences Narrow v. Broad
• Why one or the other?

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Conclusions

• Effects of Negative Advertising. Do either
  theories take that into account?
• Longer-term/macro views
• Is congress generally competent to meet
  challenges?
• Crises? Wars? 9/11?

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State Legislatures

• Vary Widely
• But many copied aspects of Congress
• Ways and Means, Appropriations, Rules Committees
• Then there is Wisconsin
• Budget and Joint Finance Committee
• Weird gubernatorial veto
• Super Amendment

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International Perspectives

• Often Very Different
• Multi-party/Proportional Representation
• Parliaments
• Often Only One Effective House
• Coalitions Common
• No set election periods/Votes of Confidence