Inside Congressional Committees

Author : Maya Kornberg
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231554281
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.82/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Inside Congressional Committees written by Maya Kornberg and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2023-02-07 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is widely believed that Congress has broken down. Media accounts present the storied legislature as thoroughly gridlocked, paralyzed by partisan rancor. Political scientists find that Congress is passing fewer laws and spending less time on legislative work. Which parts of a supposedly dysfunctional legislature continue to function? Maya L. Kornberg examines the legislative process beyond voting patterns, emphasizing the crucial role of congressional committee hearings. In committees, lawmakers hear from expert witnesses, legislators revise and discuss bills before bringing them to a vote, and the public has an opportunity to engage with Congress. Kornberg scrutinizes the inner workings of committees—the different types of witnesses who testify, the varied hearings Congress holds, and the distinct effects that committee work has on congresspeople. She deploys original mixed-methods datasets that span from insider interviews to sentiment analysis examining the language used in hearings. Kornberg evaluates how committees operate and the conditions affecting their performance, finding that committee work can be more deliberative and productive than the politics of the Congress floor. Through a comprehensive exploration of who committees hear from and how they listen, this book demonstrates that Congress is not as dysfunctional as is often claimed. Inside Congressional Committees also suggests timely reforms based on these findings that can strengthen Congress.

Author : Christopher J. Deering
Publisher : SAGE
ISBN 13 : 1483304507
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.02/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Committees in Congress written by Christopher J. Deering and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing a comprehensive examination of the origins, development, and status of committees and committee systems in both the House and Senate, this edition carries on the book′s tradition of comprehensive coverage, empirical richness, and theoretical relevance in its discussion of these essential and distinguishing features of our national legislature. While the second edition focused on the "post-reform" committee systems, addressed the shifts in the internal distribution of power, and hinted at the forces that had already begun to undermine the power of committees, this edition updates that analysis and looks at the reforms that evolvied under the Republicans. It offers complete coverage of the rules and structural changes to the House and Senate committee systems. It extends its discussion of committee power and influence in the context of the "Contract with America," Republican reforms, and the inter-party warfare on Capitol Hill.

Author : Steven S. Smith
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.63/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Committees in Congress written by Steven S. Smith and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : United States. Congress
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1414 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Congressional Record written by United States. Congress and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 1414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)

Author : Scott A. Frisch
Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN 13 : 9780806137209
Total Pages : 444 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Committee Assignment Politics in the U.S. House of Representatives written by Scott A. Frisch and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking work, Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q Kelly draw on significant new data from congressional archives—gleaned from the papers of both Democratic and Republican leaders from the 85th to the 103rd Congress—to reveal the complex process through which congressional members get assigned to the powerful committees of the House. They conclude that parties differ in their committee assignment methods and that party approaches can change over time depending on leadership. They also pay particular attention to the increasing roles of race and gender in the assignment process. Based on extensive primary and secondary research, this volume fills a crucial gap in our understanding of the internal dynamics of the American political system.

Author : Richard A. Arenberg
Publisher : The Capitol Net Inc
ISBN 13 : 1587332833
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Congressional Procedure written by Richard A. Arenberg and published by The Capitol Net Inc. This book was released on 2018-10-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A clear explanation of the workings of the United States government that should be required reading for politically engaged Americans." -- KIRKUS Congressional Procedure explains the legislative and congressional budget processes along with all aspects of Congress. This comprehensive guide to Congress is ideal for anyone who wants to know how Congress really works, including federal executives, attorneys, lobbyists, media and public affairs staff, government affairs, policy and budget analysts, congressional office staff and students. Clear explanation of the legislative process, budget process, and House and Senate business - Legislative process flowchart - Explanation of the electoral college and votes by states - Relationship between budget resolutions and appropriation and authorization bills - Amendment tree and amendment procedures - How members are assigned to committees - Glossary of legislative terms Each chapter concludes with Review Questions. Chapter 1 examines the relationship between the U.S. Constitution and the House and Senate. It discusses Constitutional provisions that directly affect Congress. The makeup, roles and leadership of the House and Senate are compared and contrasted. Congressional committees and their place and power in the House and Senate are explored. Chapter 2 begins with a discussion of why members submit legislation, explains the forms of legislation, and lays out the steps involved in drafting legislation. Bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions and simple House and Senate resolutions and their purposes are separately described. Ends with a flowchart of the legislative process. In Chapter 3, the work of Congressional committees is examined in greater detail: types of committees and their structures; subcommittees; power of the chairs of committees; hearings, markups and amendment procedure in committee; and the reporting of legislation to the House and Senate floor. Chapters 4 and 5 follow the course of legislation through the respective chambers and some of the more arcane elements of House and Senate floor action. Chapter 4 addresses some of the unique characteristics of the House including the central and crucial role played by the Rules Committee and the special rules it reports. Scheduling, consideration, amending, and passage of legislation through the House is described in detail. Chapter 5 discusses the handling of legislation on the Senate floor, including unique Senate characteristics like the filibuster, the nuclear option, holds, and the filling of the amendment tree. Chapter 6 explains the various procedures for resolving differences in legislation between the Senate and the House. The budget process is addressed in Chapter 7, including appropriations and authorization procedures, the 1974 Budget and Impoundment Control Act and the key role it has played since its adoption, the use of the optional budget reconciliation process, and the somewhat complex but crucial Byrd Rule. Chapter 8 concludes the detail and analysis of Congressional procedure with a number of processes that are not strictly legislative, including a number of Constitutional responsibilities given to Congress such as oversight and investigation and advice and consent, counting of Electoral College ballots, and impeachment. The conclusion, Chapter 9, describes the way in which many of the procedures explained in this book are increasingly being used, and some would say abused, in both the House and the Senate. Glossary Index Also see related CRS Reports and links on TCNCPAM.com For detailed Table of Contents, see CongressionalProcedure.com

Author : John V. Sullivan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 72 pages
Book Rating : 4.69/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How Our Laws are Made written by John V. Sullivan and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Joseph K. Unekis
Publisher : Praeger Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9780275912857
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.5X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Congressional Committee Politics written by Joseph K. Unekis and published by Praeger Publishers. This book was released on 1984-06-01 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This one-of-a-kind volume exploits a new and previously unexplored set of data, one that promises to yield rich insights into the processes of internal committee policies in Congress. The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 required congressional committees to record and make available all roll-call votes taken in committee. The authors have collected the record of these votes for the 92nd through the 96th Congresses, and use this material to unravel and compare the internal features of committee decision-making.

Author : David C. King
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226436268
Total Pages : 223 pages
Book Rating : 4.65/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Turf Wars written by David C. King and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most bills in American legislatures, the issue of turf—or which committee has jurisdiction over a bill—can make all the difference. Turf governs the flow and fate of all legislation. In this innovative study, David C. King explains how jurisdictional areas for committees are created and changed in Congress. Political scientists have long maintained that jurisdictions are relatively static, changing only at times of dramatic reforms. Not so, says King. Combining quantitative evidence with interviews and case studies, he shows how on-going turf wars make jurisdictions fluid. According to King, jurisdictional change stems both from legislators seeking electoral advantage and from nonpartisan House parliamentarians referring ambiguous bills to committees with the expertise to handle the issues. King brilliantly dissects the politics of turf grabbing and at the same time shows how parliamentarians have become institutional guardians of the legislative process. Original and insightful, Turf Wars will be valuable to those interested in congressional studies and American politics more generally.

Author : Timothy M. LaPira
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022670257X
Total Pages : 341 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Congress Overwhelmed written by Timothy M. LaPira and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-12-07 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Congress today is falling short. Fewer bills, worse oversight, and more dysfunction. But why? In a new volume of essays, the contributors investigate an underappreciated reason Congress is struggling: it doesn’t have the internal capacity to do what our constitutional system requires of it. Leading scholars chronicle the institutional decline of Congress and the decades-long neglect of its own internal investments in the knowledge and expertise necessary to perform as a first-rate legislature. Today’s legislators and congressional committees have fewer—and less expert and experienced—staff than the executive branch or K Street. This leaves them at the mercy of lobbyists and the administrative bureaucracy. The essays in Congress Overwhelmed assess Congress’s declining capacity and explore ways to upgrade it. Some provide broad historical scope. Others evaluate the current decay and investigate how Congress manages despite the obstacles. Collectively, they undertake the most comprehensive, sophisticated appraisal of congressional capacity to date, and they offer a new analytical frame for thinking about—and improving—our underperforming first branch of government.