POLSCI 318 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Shareholder Rights Plan, Unanimous Consent, Wield
4 May 2018
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Congress and the President
10.05.16 Lecture Notes – Classic Legislative Process (for the Senate)
Introduction in the Senate = Introduction in the House
Parliamentarian of the Senate reads the text of the bill and decides, based on committee
jurisdictions, where the bill is going to go in the Senate
One deviation from the House – referral of bill to a single committee
o Senate has fewer legislators, sit on more committees than a House member,
jurisdiction/expertise is much more wider
o Do not require multiple referrals – expertise of other committees can be brought into the
bill in other ways other than referral
In committee, the process is similar to the House
Unlike the House, the Senate leadership does not have much control over scheduling it
o Cooperation of minority and majority leadership
o Individuals in the Senate wield individualistic power – power to put a piece of legislation
on the floor without going to go through the Senate leadership – can offer a motion that
must be voted by a majority of the Senate
o Can also make a non-germane amendment to a piece of legislation
▪ Amendments for abortion, gun-control that would not have otherwise received
majority support
Unlike the House, there are ways to dislodge a bill from committee
o Take that bill and offer it as a non-germane amendment to another piece of legislation
o Directly add it to the calendar
o No special procedure, using normal legislative procedure
o Take a bill to the floor = same procedure for dislodging the bill
Passage of unanimous consent agreement (UCAs)
o Unlike the House, the Senate doesn’t have a Rules committee
o Instead, in order to expedite the consideration of legislation or for the leadership to
structure the rules for debate = relies on UCAs
▪ Different from House, which requires majority vote for rules (which is voted along
party lines)
o Limit debate, structure amendments, list what type of motions Senators can do on the floor
o Essentially the Senate version of special rules
Next step, after UCA is passed, DEBATE!
o Unless debate is restricted by a UCA, legislators have more time to offer comments, debates
than House.
o Again, debate is actually pre-prepared statements
After debate, AMENDMENTS
o Amendments are normally considered under the UCA
o Most conditions – don’t require germaneness
o Senators can amend a piece of legislation by including an entirely different piece of
legislation
o Often see this happen on must-pass legislation (appropriations, budgets, broad-based
public policy initiatives) that might not otherwise see passage
o Poison pills
Possibility of filibuster
o Rooted in ancient Roman Senate
o All business had to be done by nightfall
o Unless filibuster is prohibited by a UCA
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
10. 05. 16 lecture notes classic legislative process (for the senate) One deviation from the house referral of bill to a single committee jurisdictions, where the bill is going to go in the senate jurisdiction/expertise is much more wider. Introduction in the senate = introduction in the house. Parliamentarian of the senate reads the text of the bill and decides, based on committee bill in other ways other than referral. In committee, the process is similar to the house: senate has fewer legislators, sit on more committees than a house member, Unlike the house, there are ways to dislodge a bill from committee majority support. Next step, after uca is passed, debate: unless debate is restricted by a uca, legislators have more time to offer comments, debates than house, again, debate is actually pre-prepared statements. 70% of laws are approved without going to the conference committee or ping-pong.
