Some differences in legislation between House and Senate 2.2 Flashcards
what does a ‘rules committee’ in congress decide to do
how long and under what rules the bill will be debated.
who controls the rules committee
speaker of the House (great power over the legislative agenda of the House)
what is a closed rule
a bill can be discussed but no amendments can be offered = not happened in Senate, everything goes through them (unlimited time to debate a bill)
what is ‘unanimous consent’
- Senator or Congressperson may request unanimous consent on the floor to set aside a specified rule of procedure so as to expedite (elongate) proceedings.
- if no one objects, process can begin
what is a ‘filibuster’
a process in which a Senator gives a prolonged speech on the floor of the Senate to obstruct legislative progress of a bill or confirmation of appointments to the executive or judiciary.
when who and what was the longest filibuster ever recorded
- Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina
- 24 hours and 18 minutes
- against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
when have usage of filibusters ended for nomination
2013 = executive branch nominees and judicial nominees other than to the Supreme Court.
2017 = on supreme court nominations now
Case study: Chris Murphy’s unconventional filibuster
- newtown shootings in his state (Connecticut)
- filibustered 14hr30min and said he’d only leave if senate agreed with him
2 CONDITIONS - expand background checks required for weapons purchases
- ban sales of guns and explosives to people listed on government watch-lists of suspected terrorists.
