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8/30/2007 - Parliamentary BootCamp Basic Training: Committee Hearings Hearings are used to take testimony from witnesses, and generally fall into two categories: legislative hearings, which focus on a particular legislative measure, and investigative or oversight, which allow committees to conduct fact-finding investigations.   more...

7/25/2007 - Parliamentary BootCamp Basic Training: Decorum & Civility in the House The intent the House rules and precedents governing decorum and civility are to provide an atmosphere where the Members of the House debate the legislative issues before them, rather than engaging in “personality” by characterizing the actions of another Member or showing disrespect to the institution.   more...

7/18/2007 - Parliamentary BootCamp Basic Training: Budget Reconciliation The reconciliation process makes it easier for Congress to change current law in order to bring revenue, spending, and debt-limit levels into conformity with the policies of the annual budget resolution. As an optional procedure, reconciliation has not been used in every year that the congressional budget process has been in effect.   more...

6/27/2007 - Parliamentary BootCamp Basic Training: Roadblocks at the Final Legislative Stages At some point in the legislative process, it is necessary for both the House and Senate to pass the exact same bill in every respect, including the bill number, and every word, comma, and period. If the bill differs in any respect, the two houses are in disagreement and further amendments are necessary to resolve the disagreements before the legislation can be transmitted to the President. While each of the 3 methods of transmitting legislation differ in their particulars, each has its own pressure points to slow down or stop a bill at its final stages.     more...

6/13/2007 - Parliamentary BootCamp Basic Training: Senate Rules from a House Perspective Intended by the Founders to serve as a “check” on the popularly elected House of Representatives, process and procedure in the Senate is often very different than in the House. For instance, while the main rule in the House is “whoever has 218 votes wins,” the rule in the Senate is different: “There’s nothing you can do without 60 votes.” While the House is designed as a majoritarian institution, the Senate is structurally designed to protect the rights of the Minority. In any Senate whose Majority has less than a 10% margin, the role of the Minority is greatly enhanced.   more...