New answers tagged legislative-process
2
What determines whether the US House votes by voice, roll call, or unanimous consent?
[Note that in the following a "recorded vote" vote is a roll call vote. The House only uses a roll call vote when the electronic system is unavailable.]
Congressional Research Service, The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction, Updated May 20, 2019.
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This was a voice vote, not a unanimous consent request.
After a voice voice, any member can request a recorded vote, the yeas and nays, but there's a sort of pre-vote that happens next. The chair asks people to stand if they support the recorded vote. If 1/5 of a quorum (typically 44 people) stand then the recorded vote will happen.
In this case, a few ...
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The House needs a quorum in order to pass something. That is, at least half of its members must be present. But the House presumes that there is a quorum until proven otherwise, so as long as no one objects, then the House can pass things by voice vote without showing that there is a quorum.
Now, any member of the House can ask for a recorded vote and in ...
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While looking for more examples of this process, I stumbled upon the answer.
Why is Harry Reid always voting against his own plans?
Forty U.S. senators voted to block a final vote on Chuck Hagel's nomination to be defense secretary. Of those, 39 were Republicans opposed to the nomination, at least for the moment. The other was Harry Reid. It wasn't ...
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I'm Canadian so I only have a vague idea of how lobbying is done in the US but I recall one segment from a documentary about lobbying in the US that genuinely shocked me - and still does. The segment depicted the lobbying process in one of the state legislatures. If I understood correctly - I saw this at least 20 years ago - a normal session of the ...
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The mechanics of lobbying can work at several levels.
"Senator, I represent the National Association of Flute and Tuba Manufacturers. Were you aware that flute and tuba manufacturers are the fifth largest employer in your state? Could I have 20 minutes of your time to present a white paper about the importance of tax policy X for the health of flute and ...
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A legitimate lobbyist is paid to explain the needs of some special interest groups to the politicians. And also how the needs of that special interest group benefit the electorate as a whole, or at least not harm it. Less savory means include the bundling of donations from multiple sources for improved impact.
Say there is a slump in the dairy industry. A ...
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Currently, no, there is no way to confirm that your ballot was counted accurately. You can validate that the state has a record that you voted but not who you voted for.
In order to have a secret ballot, the state needs to be able to guarantee voters that their spouse/ parent/ employer/ etc. cannot determine who you voted for. Thus, all current systems ...
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