Week Four - GOVT 2305 - ACC

The Legislature: Definition and Historical Background

- Click here for the wiki.

I try to do two things in this section. First I discuss a few general items about the legislative branch just so we are clear about what it is and what it does. The simple story is that it is the branch responsible for making the laws, but it also has the power of the purse and is responsible for keeping the executive - as well as the judiciary - in check. Since you may or may not have a familiarity with Congress, this is designed to give you enough so you don;t feel lost when we get into specifics. Second I walk through the gradual development of legislative power in Britain and spend special attention to the events that led to the specific design of the Congress as designed in the Constitution, which of course sets us up for a walk through of Article One.

Relevant - more or less - posts:

- 114th Congress.
Congress.
- House of Commons.
- House of Lords.
- Parliament.


The Legislature: Constitutional Design

- Click here for the wiki.

Article One is by far the longest part of the Constitution. It contains ten sections which provide some design elements for the two chambers among many other things. While walking through it we will get a general sense - hopefully - about the institutions were intended to work, with the understanding that quite a bit of what exists in the current Congress was not stipulated in the document. Each chamber has been allowed to design its own institutions and outline its own procedures, which means that power in Congress tends to be in flux. Which set us up for a look at the extra-constitutional institutions it contains.

- Bicameralism.
- House Elections.
- House of Representatives.
- Oversight.
- Power of the Purse.
- The Speaker.


Parties and Committees in Congress

- Click here for the wiki.

These are the two most important institutions in the contemporary Congress, but other exist as well. In addition, outside groups are exerting influence within the institution itself. The purpose of this section is to get comfortable with these institutions, understand what they do and the influence they have on the bill making process. Ideally we will also become comfortable with the factors that drive change from time to time.

- Bill Making.
- Committees.
- Committee Chairs.
Divided Government.
- Filibusters.
- Gridlock.
- Hastert Rule.
- House Democrats.
- House Majority Leader.
- House Republicans.
- House Rules.
- House Procedures.
- Ideological Polarization.
- Incumbency Advantage.
- Is Congress Broken?
- Legislative Process.
- Logrolling.
- Members of Congress.
- Party Cohesion.
- Parties in Congress.
- Party Leaders.
- Party Polarization.
- Pork Barrel.
- Senate Democrats.
- Senate Procedures.
- Senate Republicans.
- Senate Rules.
- The Senate.
- Whip System.

The United States Budget

- Click here for the wiki.

I mentioned above that legislatures have the power of the purse, which means that they have ultimate control of the United States budget, along with the appropriations process. These are ongoing and as controversial as you would probably imagine. We'll spend a little time looking at the budgeting process and become comfortable with the numbers associated with it. This will include an understanding of revenues, expenditures, deficits and the national debt.

- 2016 U.S. Budget.
- Appropriations.
- Bond Market.
- Budget Cuts.
- Budgeting.
- Continuing Resolutions.
- Debt.
- Debt Ceiling.
- Discretionary Spending.
- Federal Reserve.
- Fiscal Cliff.
- Fiscal Policy.
- Income Taxes.
- National Debt.
- Taxes.