Essay On Mock Congress

The Power and Significance of Congress Firstly it is important to look at the power and significance of congress as a legislative body. This includes the creation of law, and the scrutiny of the executive. Because the US federal system is ruled by 'separation of powers', it is important that the legislative - congress - acts as a good check and restraint on the executive - the president.

Most individuals with a general background knowledge of the United States Federal Government system are aware that in order for a bill to become a law, it must first pass a majority vote in Congress. There is, however, a very important step in the legislative process that sometimes goes unnoticed. The committee system of the legislation process ensures that the appropriate attention is given to each bill introduced to Congress. Each member of both chambers are assigned to committees and subcommittees, and are expected to become subject matter experts in their respective roles as committee members.

“They say women talk too much. If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men” - Clare Boothe Luce. A filibuster is a long speech used to delay a bill or a piece of legislation. It is a loophole within the Senate rules that has proven useful in a Congressional debate. Filibusters grants a significant power created by taking a stand against a flawed rule which gave the minority group power over a more dominant group. Consequently, the majority mitigated any abuse of the filibuster by limiting it.

The legislative branch is the most powerful branch in government. The legislative branch is in charge of making and passing laws. They have the power to override a president’s decision, stop laws from being passed, and basically control all decisions the governments makes. The legislative branch, also called the congress, consists of the House of Representatives and the senate. The reason for two houses of congress is to balance out the concerns of smaller but more populated states against states that are larger but with less population (www.Usgovinfo.com).

I learned volumes about government from State Senator Paul Bailey. He helped teach me how to write, propose, defend, and pass a bill. There is no other experience where a high school student can talk to an actual legislator about his ideas, or to learn so much about the process of passing a bill.

The main difference between the House and the Senate is that the house puts all responsibility on the national government while the Senate positions the responsibility onto the states when it comes to creating their health insurance exchanges. It seems as though that if a state fails to do it they are then under the hand of the House and not the Senate. While both bills are aiming towards a similar result they go about it in different ways. Exclusivity of the health insurance exchange is one way they differ. , The Senate wants non-group health insurance to be sold outside of the exchange where it will be less regulated. The House calls for all non-group health insurance coverage to be sold through the health insurance exchange.

Members of Congress are voted to office by their electorate as their representatives at the congress level of democracy. In their capacity, they may decide to exercise their powers by the will of the people or according to their personal judgment. When the members of Congress opt to be the people’s delegate, their actions in the House and other congressional engagements are a reflection of the will of their district. As such, the delegate representative does not have or exercise the autonomy to represent and decide for their district. Instead, a strenuous consultation process is required to keep the people in control of all relevant decisions.

Stemming from a loose interpretation of the Constitution – and specifically the necessary and proper clause -- congressional oversight is one of many enumerated powers bestowed upon Congress per Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. As the legislative body, Congress is charged with overseeing the inner workings of the Executive Branch and its federal agencies as a part of a system of checks and balances. However, as previously mentioned, this power is one of the implied powers of Congress, thus making it very difficult for many to delineate rightful oversight from reckless meandering. In the Constitution, for example, there is no singular mention of a definitive power such as “congressional oversight.” Consequently, there is no

Assess the extent to which incumbents have an adage over challengers in congressional elections. (25marks)

The filibuster continues to be an area of controversy in the United States Senate. Critics of the rule claim that it has corrupted and even broken the institution, while proponents claim that the rule is a savior for the minority against unpopular laws instituted by the majority. Throughout history, the filibuster has shown its potentially dangerous side as well as its positive benefits. After any major party shift in the Senate, it seems that there is always talk of filibuster reform by the new majority. Although reform debates persist, rules and procedures regarding the filibuster have yet to be significantly changed since 1975, when the cloture rule was last amended. The debate has been revived

Hook: There is modern day slavery in the United States, which is known as Human Trafficking. The most common form of human trafficking is prostitution. Mostly young girls and women. Then there are the agricultural workers, domestic workers, childcare providers, construction workers, day laborers and restaurant workers that have been transported to our country or are already living in the United States. Many of these people that have passports or any other type of identity have them taken away from them so they cannot prove their identity to authorities.

The president is the foreign policy leader for the United States with an important political, military and economic role in the international arena. If there is collision between the president and congress, can congress restrain the president in foreign policy making?

One of the major things different about our mock congress is that there is no party divide. No one mentioned wether they were a Republican or a Democrat in our debates because it didn't matter. Although, sometimes you could guess from the bill people were trying to pass or the way they were arguing their point but not one cared to actually ask. Another difference is that there is no Staff System supporting you and empowering your bill. A staff system would research every detail making sure that ,whatever the bill is, that it is detailed and precise where as we only have however much research we can find on the internet and possibly the library. Also there was no preventing a bill from passing in our little congress like a filibuster or

Congress has many functions to keep it working and functioning. They do many things to make laws, make sure they’re fair, and much more. There are also many committees with important jobs. There are many things that influence congressional elections such as reapportionment, redistricting, much more. There are many people who make up the House and Senate and they have many important jobs to keep things running smoothly.

I enjoyed experiencing the bill-to-law process. Hearing the different sides and viewpoints on the bills was interesting. Seeing my classmates put together persuasive arguments was neat because it allowed myself and the class to see pieces of the senator’s personality. I enjoyed the almost competitive nature of the process, everyone wanted to win, and I believe that made it more fun and