Who assigns bills the the committees? Why is this an important power to have and how can this person use this influence?
House of Representatives Standing Committee Operation
The House of Representatives has many types of committees.. They include standing committees, subcommittees, select committees, study committees, and advisory committees. This memo focuses on standing committees.
The House Rules establish standing committees. The House currently has 17 standing committees. Standing committees act upon bills which create, repeal or amend state law. The Speaker of the House generally assigns bills to committees based on subject matter. For example, the Committee on Transportation handles bills about highways, airports and traffic safety. The Speaker will assign a bill to two or more committees if it overlaps into more than one committee's area of interest. For example, the Speaker may assign a health insurance bill to the Committee on Health and the Committee on Banking and Insurance.
Standing committees have regularly scheduled weekly meetings during the legislative session. These meetings are an opportunity for public debate on bills and issues. The committee chairman prepares the meeting's agenda in advance. The committee may only discuss items on the agenda. The chairman sets the order that the committee will consider agenda items.
The committee chairman calls the meeting to order at the appointed time and the secretary takes attendance. The chairman then generally informs the committee of the order for hearing bills. He then calls for the first bill. A member, usually the vice-chairman, moves the bill and another member seconds the motion.
The chairman then usually asks the committee research staff member to explain the bill to the committee. After the staff person summarizes the bill and answers questions, the chairman ordinarily invites members of the audience to speak. The audience is frequently filled with lobbyists, other legislators, lobbyist's staff, agency representatives and members of the public.
Often, the committee amends the bill. To amend the bill, committee members move, second and pass a document that references the bill by page and line number and describes the changes the committee wants to make.
After the committee's debate of the bill and any amendments, the chairman calls for a vote. The committee generally either passes or fails the bill. The committee's passage of a bill is only a recommendation to the whole House. The House will later vote to accept or reject the committee recommendations.
The chairman adjourns the meeting when the committee finishes its business. The secretary then delivers the bills, amendments and reports to the Chief Clerk and begins preparing the committee minutes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Todd -- what is the source of your plagiarized answer?
Is this not what she was looking for? Sorry.
I found that it ensures the members electoral advantage, and...?
TODD ~
The point Ms. Sue was making is that you copied and pasted information from another website but didn't tell where you got it. This makes your post a plagiarized one. There are many reasons to give the source, one of which is to let the student asking the question where to go for more information. Another is to make sure you don't commit plagiarism, which is a BAD habit to get into.
The power to assign bills to committees lies within the legislative body, typically in democratic systems. In the United States Congress, for example, bills are assigned to committees by the Speaker of the House in the House of Representatives or the Majority Leader in the Senate. This power is important because it determines which committee will have jurisdiction over a particular bill, ultimately affecting its chances of becoming law.
Assigning bills to committees allows the person with this power to exercise influence in several ways:
1. Jurisdictional Control: By assigning bills to specific committees, the person in power can ensure that the legislation is reviewed and discussed by the committee with the appropriate subject-matter expertise. This enhances the quality and effectiveness of the legislative process, as bills are more likely to receive thorough consideration from those with relevant knowledge and experience.
2. Policy Prioritization: The person assigning bills to committees can influence the legislative agenda by prioritizing certain issues. By giving priority to bills that align with their own policy goals or the goals of their party or coalition, they can shape the focus of the committee's work and push forward their preferred policy initiatives.
3. Strategic Maneuvering: Assigning bills strategically can help build coalitions and garner support for specific proposals. For example, if a particular committee is known to be more favorable towards a certain policy position, the person assigning bills can direct legislation to that committee, increasing the likelihood of success for their preferred outcomes.
4. Gatekeeping Power: The person in power can also use this influence as a gatekeeper, preventing bills from advancing by assigning them to less influential or less active committees. This way, bills can effectively be "buried" and not receive meaningful consideration, diminishing their chances of becoming law.
In summary, the power to assign bills to committees is important because it helps ensure appropriate subject-matter expertise, prioritize policy issues, build coalitions, and potentially restrict or advance legislation. The person with this power can leverage it strategically to shape the legislative agenda according to their political goals and influence the outcome of proposed laws.