https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc And all the fun along the way en-us 2016-06-26 22:31:57 UTC 2016-06-27 02:51:54 UTC hello@padlet.com hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464497 2016-06-26 22:46:58 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464497 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464594 My Proposal is to raise the minimum wage in the United States to $15. 

To begin, when I propose my bill I have to state which type of bill it is, because there are two types- a private bill and a public bill. A private bill deals with individual people or places and a public bill deals with general matters and applies to the whole country.

So, my bill is a public bill.]]> 2016-06-26 22:50:37 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464594 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464948 2016-06-26 23:04:52 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464948 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464990 2016-06-26 23:05:56 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115464990 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115465038 -The first step in the legislative process is to propose and introduce the bill. What's interesting is that the ideas for the bills can come from anyone from a private citizen to the president, and several different people can write the bill, but only a member of Congress can actually introduce the bill.

- The member who introduces the bill is known as the sponsor. Then, anyone from the House or the Senate can put their name onto the bill to show their support- they become known as cosponsors.

- Between the House and the Senate, bills are introduced in different ways: in the House, you drop the bill into a box near the clerk's desk. In the Senate, the presiding officer has to recognize the senator who is presenting the bill.

- Finally, they make several copies of the bill and hand it out to all the legislators. Each bill is given a number and title. (H.R.=House bill, S.=Senate bill) This whole process is known as the first reading of the bill.]]> 2016-06-26 23:07:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115465038 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115465637 -This is where things start to get exciting. In the next step, the bill is sent to the Committees.
-Committee: A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization within the U.S. Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress) We need committees because they are responsible for the most important work in Congress- they consider, shape and pass laws that govern our nation. 
- In each house of Congress, the bill is sent to a committee that deals specifically with the subject. It can be sent to multiple committees. There are many types of committees, such as a House Committee, a Senate Committee, a Joint Committee(members include both senators and representatives), a Standing Committee (a permanent legislative panel), and a subcommittee ( a smaller division within a larger committee that deals with specified matters and reports that are given to them.) In total, there are over 200 committees and subcommittees.
- Committees are typically well trusted because the committee members are considered experts on their subjects. There is a three step process Congressional members have to go through in order to be appointed to a committee:
1.) A new member of Congress will request which committee they would like to work on.
2.) Ironically, there is a committee that actually looks over the committee assignments and requests. They deliberate over them and draw a line-up of who is in what committee.
3.) Finally, when a committee is made (full of both Democrats and Republicans) the group is submitted for a full chamber approval.


]]> 2016-06-26 23:24:40 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115465637 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115468302 - Now, once a bill comes to a committee, there are a few things that can happen. First, the committee could simply ignore the bill and let it die (known as "pigeonholing"). It can also be killed by a majority vote. Another option is the committee chairpersons  may send it to a subcommittee to look over it. Or, the committee may decide that the bill is worth acting on and they will place it on the committee calendar.
-  Once a committee decides to push a bill further on, the committee will hold a hearing on the bill and also consider a "mark-up" session.
- Hearing: Typically, a subcommittee will hold the hearing. At a hearing,  the committee listens to the testimonies of several different people, including experts on the subject, government officials or those who are deeply invested into the bill. The hearing is pretty important because it is a way for many people to gain more knowledge on the topic, it can help chairpersons influence others for or against the bill and it is the greatest chance for citizens to step in and have a say (it's the best opportunity they have throughout the whole legislative process)
- Markup: After the hearings, the committee has a markup session. At this session, the committee combs through each section of the bill and will decide to make any changes they see fit. It can be minor details changed or adding on huge amendments. In the end, they need a majority vote to pass the changes made.
-Finally, after all this scrutiny, the committee decides whether or not to kill the bill completely or to report it. When a committee reports a bill, it means to send the bill to the House or Senate for action. When the bill is pushed on, the committee will also send a written report about the whole bill. This report includes a description of the bill, the committee's actions and opinions, and tells the changes they made to it.]]> 2016-06-27 00:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115468302 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115470271 In case this endless amount of steps didn't convince you just how long the process of law making is, feel free to sit through this 7 hour video and watch it all unfurl!]]> 2016-06-27 01:03:27 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115470271 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115470676 - After the long process of going through committees, the bill is finally sent to the next step: going through floor action.
- On both the floor of the House and on the floor of the Senate, they hold a huge debate on the bill.
- Only a few lawmakers actually take part in the on floor debates. During this time, they talk about what other possible amendments can be added to the bill. They go through a second reading, and after each section is read, there is a chance for discussion about possible amendments. These amendments can be as big as taking out whole sections to adding an additional comma. Each of the amendments must earn a majority vote in order to be passed.
- An interesting strategy that some politicians use when they do not like the bill is they will purposely add on a ton of useless amendments to the bill in order to slow down the process and possibly even kill it in the end. 
- Next, after the debate period, the two houses move on to voting. What is interesting about the voting process is a majority of the members (a quorum) must be present for voting to continue. This means that not all the members are required to vote or even be present during the voting process. Also, there will be some situations, like an unanmious consent, when there will be no vote to save time.
- Senate: In the Senate, the bill is officially brought up by the Majority Leader. Then, it must go through a third and final reading. Once that is done, they can get on to voting. There are three different ways the two houses can vote on a bill:
1.) Voice Vote:  When members either call out "Aye" or "No"
2.) Standing Vote/Division Vote: Those in favor stand and are counted, then those opposed stand and are counted.
3.) Roll-Call Vote: As your name is called, you either yell out "Aye" or "No".
-House: In the House, it is a very similar experience. The bill is brought up and the House Parliamentary is in charge of going through the same process as above. Along with those three types of voting, the House also has a fourth, additional type of voting called a recorded vote, when member's votes are recorded electronically and then displayed in the House chamber.
- Now, if by some miracle, the bill survives all this astounding amount of steps, and the Senate and the House both vote it through, they have to go through the referral to the other chamber.
-Referral to the other chamber means that the Senate hands off their version of the bill to the House and the House gives the Senate theirs. Typically, this process can be very interesting, because both houses will find that the other house has a very different version of the same bill as them. So, they will read through their partners bill, add any revisions they see fit. In order for a bill to become a law, both houses have to come to a consensus and have an identical version of the bill.
- Of course, it is very hard to come to a perfect conclusion. So, if one house will not accept the others version, they will have to call a conference committee. The Conference Committees job is to work out the differences between the two opposing viewpoints. The members of this committee (known as conferees) are typically House and Senate members that handled the bill originally. Their main job is to develop a solid compromise that everyone can live with. Then, a majority of the committee will write a final version of the bill, called a conference report.
-Finally! The conference report will be shown to both sides of Congress, and if it is approved, it will be sent to the President.]]> 2016-06-27 01:12:46 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115470676 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115475537 -Luckily, after all this confusing and complex process we call our legislature, the President's role is fairly straight forward. 
-When the President receives the bill, he has a few options. If the President likes the bill, it will be signed and it will become a law. Also, if the President does not sign it within 10 days of having it, while Congress is in session, the bill can still become a law.
-However, if the President does not approve of the bill, they have the option to veto it. A veto is when the President fully rejects the bill and sends it straight back to Congress, along with the reasons for the decision for the veto. (there is also the possibility of a pocket veto,when the President during the last 10 days Congress is in session will refuse to act on it.)
- But, wait!! Hope is not completely lost! If the President vetoes a bill, Congress can still make it into a law- all they have to do is get a two-thirds vote in both houses, and it will become law! (but, to be fair, this doesn't happen too often.)
-And, after that, it's history. Every now and then, there are some laws that after a certain amount of time, Congress will review it to see if it has had the desired effects they wanted. ]]> 2016-06-27 02:31:20 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115475537 hckueppers https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115476400 If by miracle, your bill has got the heart to get through all of this, you've officially got a law!]]> 2016-06-27 02:45:32 UTC https://padlet.com/hckueppers/7ilscku1p4oc/wish/115476400