Legislative Bill : An Effective Tool For Advocacy Essay

Homelessness is one of the oldest problems that exist, fast forward almost 40 years since it’s been recognized as one and still there has been no avail to finding a real solution. The definition of homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act is defined as an individual: “who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and a person who has a nighttime residence that is supervised publicly or privately operated shelter, and c) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a private or public place not designed for, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”

The road a bill takes to becoming a law is a long and tedious process. First, the proposed bill goes through the House of representatives. Once the bill has been approved by the House, it is then begins its journey through the Senate. After the bill has been endorsed by the Senate, the houses of congress then meet in conference committees to prepare the bill to be sent to the White House. To summarize, the path the bill takes to become a law is a fairly complex impediment.

On any single night in America, there are 610,042 people without a home (SIRS). Just think about how much space that would take up in prisons for people who are not causing a crime but are just without a home.Criminalization of homelessness is becoming a popular and widespread topic throughout the US. States all over America are beginning to make laws that prevent homeless people from living in public spaces. Homelessness may be temporary, chronic, or perpetual. The growth of homelessness within and outside of cities puts a new strain on shelters and has led to an increase in panhandling and loitering. Some people think these aspects of homelessness should be criminalized. Those who disagree say criminalization would only worsen the problem

Otto von Bismarck once said, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” The arduous process that a bill undergoes in order to become a law may seem grueling and pointless; however, the processes high caliber of difficulty allows for the extreme prestige and exclusivity of bills that are passed. Because the process is so exhausting, and filibusters, subsequently requiring a super-majority vote to pass a bill, have always been such a threat in Congress, historically, bills that attempt to reform sensitive issues have not fared well in the legislative branch. However, when Congress does pass controversial laws, it then also faces the task of effectively enforcing them. But, when the process is carried out to

In this paper we will discuss the final stages of how a topic becomes a policy. The paper will discuss formulation, implementation, and the legislation stage. These stages must be done in this order to ensure the policy is being formed the correct way and not scattered around. This paper will also consist of the evaluation stage, analysis stage, and revision stage and describe the purpose and methodologies process for evaluating and revising a public policy.

The McKinney-Vento Act originally provided a range of services to homeless people, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, job training, primary health care, education, and some permanent housing. Since the passage of the original McKinney Act in 1987, the now McKinney-Vento Act programs have been expanded and funding throughout the years has significantly increased. However, due to the increased persistence of homelessness across the country, the McKinney-Vento programs have suffered recent setbacks. Support for the McKinney-Vento programs has significantly declined. Several McKinney-Vento programs saw their funding eliminated entirely. These programs included the Adult Education for the Homeless program, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project, the Emergency Community Services Homeless Grant Program, and the Family Support Centers (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2006). The McKinney-Vento Act has created valuable programs that have helped many Americans to regain stability, as homelessness shows no signs of abating, the programs created by the McKinney-Vento Act are needed now more than

Imagine this, a family of four is trying to survive the night. They are lying on the ground in bitter temperatures with only a cardboard box and a blanket to shield themselves from the harsh nights that they are forced to endure. Men, women, and children wait for morning when the doors of the food shelter will finally open, providing many with their meal of the day. This is the setting for hundreds of families in the Phoenix area. It can happen to anyone, anytime. Sometimes it’s a result of circumstances beyond our control- job loss, eviction, domestic violence, mental illness, medical bills. Homelessness is a growing problem and I have a proposition to stop it. We must give homeless people permanent housing with no strings attached.

Between 2015 and 2016, more than 200 bills on homelessness were introduced at the National level and State level. However, only a few progressed.

Homelessness seems to constantly trigger debates among our society. It has since caused a complex social problem between U.S. citizens and multiple cities worldwide. Cities across the nation have passed a law that criminalizes the act of feeding the homeless, has restricted simple acts of compassion, and have required the purchase of permits to utilize public areas. According to Robbie Couch,” The outlet reports that, incredibly, at least 33 municipal bans on publicly handing out food have been enacted across the U.S. between January 2013 and April 2014, reflecting a sharp increase in communities with such restrictions…. This past February, Columbia S.C., began requiring groups of 25 people or more to purchase permits allowing them to utilize the city’s parks.” I know many will probably agree and say something along the lines of “By restricting the feeding of the homeless, it would motivate more homeless individual to get off the streets”. Houston Mayor Annise Parker stated, “Making it easier for someone to stay on the street is not humane”. Feeding bans are allowing an increase in chronic hunger, allowing stereotypes that are ill-treating those who are experiencing homelessness and allowing homeless individual’s mental, physical, and emotional health to weaken as time progresses.

It was enacted into law on July 22, 1987and later changed to the McKinney-Vento Act in 2000. In the law it states that the federal government recognizes that “the Nation faces an immediate and unprecedented crisis due to the lack of shelter for a growing number of individuals and families, including elderly persons, handicapped persons, and families with children, Native Americans, and veterans”. They also defined homelessness as “an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” (U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2012, p. 3). This act makes federal funds available for different services provided by the government. Its most significant programs are the supportive housing program, the shelter plus program and the single room occupancy program which in 2009 were consolidated into one program known as the Continuum of Care Program. The Continuum of Care Program gives Section 8 housing through the single room occupancy program. Through supportive housing they receive transitional housing along with supportive services such as childcare and case management. McKinney-Vento also contains the Emergency Shelter Grant Program. While they meet some of the critical needs of the homeless population, they are inadequate at best in creating long term solutions, especially for the chronically

We see that propositions have changed the function of the legislature by creating constraints and mandating certain actions. The stipulations and mandate of Proposition 13 and 58 is problematic for it makes it difficult for legislators to create policies or pass the budget. Proposition13 created a two-thirds majority rule, which made it difficult to pass any tax revenue. This is problematic especially during an economic crisis for the legislature is not able to create new revenue sources when needed. The two-thirds rule imposed by Proposition 13 creates “hostage taking” in the legislature for it allows the legislative minority to demand major concession for their vote. By doing so, the minority in the chamber can stall the passage of policies or even the budget. We see that reform initiatives really hinder the efficiency of the legislature; it creates unnecessary barriers for policymaking. Thus, it impedes on the job of the legislature to create critical policies that address pressing

The McKinney-Vento as amended by S. 896 the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 also known as McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, signed into law in 1987, covers many aspects of homelessness. The National Coalition for the Homeless states that the “McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was the first—and remains the only—major federal legislative response to homelessness” (NCH). Originally, this act contained fifteen different programs that were included to aid the homeless population (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD], 2007). The goal of this act is help the homeless receive the services this population needs. This act also defined what is considered

Legislative stage is an effective tool in modifying health policy. Prior to presentation of proposed policy to legislations, a draft copy is to be submitted and costs, benefits and funding options must be addressed (World Health Organization, 2004). Legislation will then evaluate the draft of the policy and a decision will be taken. Advocates for the policy making must be notified when dealing with legislation and the need for the policy should be clarified as well as the need for its implementation. The Republicans and Democrats must approve the health legislation for it to be passed by Congress making the legislative stage a complex process (Morone, Litman & Robins, 2008). According to the World Health Organization (2004), the supplest way to make a law is legislation. It is decided by the parliament what the law is and legislation is used to either make a new legal rule or to modify the current legal rules. Funding for the policy is established or revised to improve its efficiency in the legislative stage. Once the policy is passed through legislation, the implementation stage is the last step of the process.

For a bill to become a law it takes more than one step and more than one person deciding, it's not as easy as it seems. First, the legislation is introduced, and then you have the committee action, afterwards floor action, conference committee, the president, and then the bill becomes a law. Some bills will never make it through any of these processes but for those who really want their bill to pass, if they fight for it they just might get lucky. This paper will show you that it takes more than one person and is a long process. Through out this paper I will explain how a bill becomes a law so that you will have a better understanding of the process.

Imagine a world where it is illegal to sit down. Could you survive if there were no place you were allowed to fall asleep, to store your belongings, or to stand still? For most of us, these scenarios seem unrealistic to the point of being ludicrous. But, for homeless people across America, these circumstances are an ordinary part of life. (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty 7)