Congressional Deskbook PDF Download

Author: Michael L. Koempel
Publisher: TheCapitol.Net
ISBN: 1587330970
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 683

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Book Description
The Congressional Deskbook is the comprehensive guide to Congress, now in its Fifth Edition. This 15 chapter publication explains the legislative and congressional budget processes along with all aspects of Congress. This comprehensive guide to Congress is ideal for anyone who wants to know how Congress really works, including federal executives, attorneys, lobbyists, media and public affairs staff, government affairs, policy and budget analysts, congressional office staff and students.

Author: Judy Schneider
Publisher: The Capitol Net Inc
ISBN: 1587332396
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 618

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Book Description
This comprehensive guide to Congress is ideal for anyone who wants to know how Congress really works, including federal executives, attorneys, lobbyists, media and public affairs staff, government affairs, policy and budget analysts, congressional office staff and students. - Clear explanation of the legislative process, budget process, and House and Senate business - Flowcharts for legislative and budget processes - Explanation of the electoral college and votes by states - Glossary of legislative terms - Relationship between budget resolutions and appropriation and authorization bills - Amendment tree and amendment procedures - How members are assigned to committees - Agenda for early organization meetings (after election, before adjournment) - Sample legislative documents with explanatory annotations - Bibliographic references throughout.

Author: Tobias A. Dorsey
Publisher: TheCapitol.Net Inc
ISBN: 1587330156
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 640

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Book Description
The Legislative Drafter's Deskbook offers practical advice and insight for those engaged in legislative drafting, those more interested in policy than drafting itself, or those interested in reading and interpreting the law. The Legislative Drafter's Deskbook helps anyone understand why laws are drafted the way they are. This book explains why laws are drafted the way they are. Legislative drafting is - to the extent it is writing at all - the form of writing used for legislative measures, a category that covers original bills and resolutions as well as amendments. Ultimately, legislative drafting is the form of writing used for enacted law. The focus of this book is on legislative drafting for the Congress of the United States, but many, if not most, of the principles described here apply just as well to drafting for other legislatures. As forms of writing go, drafting is not freewheeling like poetry, nor showy like rhetoric, nor personal like a novel. Drafting is disciplined, rigorous, and analytical. Done well, drafting can also be creative, elegant, and clever. (Unfortunately, drafting is not always done well.) The purpose of this book is to provide practical advice on drafting to anyone who does, or may, engage in drafting, and indirectly to provide insight into the drafting process to other interested people. For example, this book is for people who are more interested in policy than in drafting, but want to understand why drafters operate the way they do. It is also for people who are more interested in reading and interpreting the law than in drafting, but want to understand why laws are drafted the way they are. It is hoped that this book will be accessible to beginners while remaining valuable to veterans. The traditional method of training drafters is to train them on the job; the consensus is that drafting is best learned holistically, on a case-by-case basis. For that reason this book is best used as a resource, not a course. It is a supplement to, not a substitute for, the learning that comes from experience. The author designed this book to answer the variety of questions about drafting that arise daily in the work of individuals with a professional interest in how bills, resolutions, and laws are drafted. The approach used here is pragmatic: You will find no linguistic theories or esoteric conundrums discussed here. What you will find is solid advice for everyday drafting projects. "A masterful work. It is comprehensive and exceptionally well written. It is an essential tool for anyone who drafts legislation or interprets the law." -- William K. Suter, Clerk of the United States Supreme Court "An essential and indispensable book, both as a reference work and as a thorough introduction to Federal legislative drafting." -- Frank Burk, Legislative Counsel of the United States Senate 1991-1998 "The succinct and thorough assessment of good legislative drafting techniques provides a set of 'best practices' for drafters at all levels of government." -- Elizabeth Garrett, Sydney M. Irmas Professor of Public Interest Law, University of Southern California "State legislative drafters will also greatly appreciate this work." -- Bruce Feustel, Senior Fellow, NCSL Summary of Contents 1. Being a Drafter 2. Understanding How Laws Are Made 3. Considering the Courts: Statutory Interpretation 4. Thinking Through the Policy 5. Choosing the Right Measure 6. Writing Effectively 7. Organizing and Arranging 8. Using the Right Style 9. Affecting and Amending Other Laws 10. Working in, and Working with, the Executive Branch Appendices Back of the Book Table of Cases Table of Constitutional Provisions Table of Statutes at Large Table of Public Laws Table of U.S. Code Sections Index Complete Table of Contents online at www.LegislativeDraftersDeskbook.com

Author: Michael L. Koempel
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781587330049
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 656

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Book Description
"A valuable, detailed, and highly functional synthesis of information about the legislative branch. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." CHOICE, DEc. 2003. The complete guide to congress, clearly describing the legislative and congressional budget processes. Includes 15 chapters that discuss all aspects of congress, including: legislative process flowchart; congressional budget process flowchart; clear description of the legislative process; how to research members and committees; research guidelines and resources (print and online); sample legislative documents with explanatory annotations; bibliographic references throughout; how members are assigned to committees; explanation of the electoral college and votes by states; compendium of web-based resources; and how to track legislation. See www.CongressionalDeskbook.com for more details.

Author: Judy Schneider
Publisher: Thecapitol.Net
ISBN: 1587330113
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 622

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Book Description
Now in its 4th edition, the Congressional Deskbook is the complete guide to Congress for anyone who wants to know how Congress really works: federal executives, government affairs, policy and budget analysts, lawyers, lobbyists, media and public affairs staff, congressional offices, and students of Congress. The Congressional Deskbook clearly describes the legislative and congressional budget processes in 15 chapters that discuss all aspects of Congress.The Congressional Deskbook is included in these courses from TheCapitol.Net: * Understanding Congress * Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process * Advanced Legislative Procedure * Capitol Hill Workshop * White House Workshop"A valuable, detailed, and highly functional synthesis of information about the legislative branch. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." -- CHOICE (click for full review)"The Deskbook is a highly readable, timely and comprehensive resource on Congressional operations and procedures. It is a consistently reliable tool for any student of Congress and any legislative practitioner, regardless of their level of experience."-- Martin B. Gold, Covington & Burling, Washington, DC "The Congressional Deskbook is perfect for anyone who wants to understand how Congress works. It is concise, clarion clear and comprehensive all at once. It is spare and crisp -- but it never oversimplifies. It is written in lay language, but it never 'dumbs it down.' The Congressional Deskbook is a unique tool, one that I use regularly."-- David Hawkings, Senior Editor, Congressional Quarterly"The Congressional Deskbook is a treasure trove of practical information on the U.S. Congress. It can be used effectively as a basic text on the operations of the legislative branch and as a reference guide for answers to simple and complex questions about the first branch of government. An essential resource for those working within, reporting on, lobbying, or just trying to understand our very complicated and essential national legislature."-- Thomas E. Mann, W. Averell Harriman Chair and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution"The Congressional Deskbook puts between two covers what would take most people hundreds of hours to track down separately (let alone decipher). It pulls it all together by using concrete examples and documents to make things easily understandable--no mean feat given the labyrinthine ways of Congress."-- Don Wolfensberger, Former staff director, House Rules CommitteeMore information at CongressionalDeskbook.com

Author: Michael L. Koempel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Author: Richard A. Arenberg
Publisher: The Capitol Net Inc
ISBN: 1587332833
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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"A clear explanation of the workings of the United States government that should be required reading for politically engaged Americans." -- KIRKUS Congressional Procedure explains the legislative and congressional budget processes along with all aspects of Congress. This comprehensive guide to Congress is ideal for anyone who wants to know how Congress really works, including federal executives, attorneys, lobbyists, media and public affairs staff, government affairs, policy and budget analysts, congressional office staff and students. Clear explanation of the legislative process, budget process, and House and Senate business - Legislative process flowchart - Explanation of the electoral college and votes by states - Relationship between budget resolutions and appropriation and authorization bills - Amendment tree and amendment procedures - How members are assigned to committees - Glossary of legislative terms Each chapter concludes with Review Questions. Chapter 1 examines the relationship between the U.S. Constitution and the House and Senate. It discusses Constitutional provisions that directly affect Congress. The makeup, roles and leadership of the House and Senate are compared and contrasted. Congressional committees and their place and power in the House and Senate are explored. Chapter 2 begins with a discussion of why members submit legislation, explains the forms of legislation, and lays out the steps involved in drafting legislation. Bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions and simple House and Senate resolutions and their purposes are separately described. Ends with a flowchart of the legislative process. In Chapter 3, the work of Congressional committees is examined in greater detail: types of committees and their structures; subcommittees; power of the chairs of committees; hearings, markups and amendment procedure in committee; and the reporting of legislation to the House and Senate floor. Chapters 4 and 5 follow the course of legislation through the respective chambers and some of the more arcane elements of House and Senate floor action. Chapter 4 addresses some of the unique characteristics of the House including the central and crucial role played by the Rules Committee and the special rules it reports. Scheduling, consideration, amending, and passage of legislation through the House is described in detail. Chapter 5 discusses the handling of legislation on the Senate floor, including unique Senate characteristics like the filibuster, the nuclear option, holds, and the filling of the amendment tree. Chapter 6 explains the various procedures for resolving differences in legislation between the Senate and the House. The budget process is addressed in Chapter 7, including appropriations and authorization procedures, the 1974 Budget and Impoundment Control Act and the key role it has played since its adoption, the use of the optional budget reconciliation process, and the somewhat complex but crucial Byrd Rule. Chapter 8 concludes the detail and analysis of Congressional procedure with a number of processes that are not strictly legislative, including a number of Constitutional responsibilities given to Congress such as oversight and investigation and advice and consent, counting of Electoral College ballots, and impeachment. The conclusion, Chapter 9, describes the way in which many of the procedures explained in this book are increasingly being used, and some would say abused, in both the House and the Senate. Glossary Index Also see related CRS Reports and links on TCNCPAM.com For detailed Table of Contents, see CongressionalProcedure.com

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description

Author: Charles W. Johnson
Publisher: TheCapitol.Net Inc
ISBN: 1587332191
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
A description of how federal laws are made and the legislative process in the United States Congress. The framers of our Constitution created a strong federal government resting on the concept of "separation of powers." In Article I, Section 1, of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch is created by the following language: "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." Article I, Section 5, of the Constitution provides that: "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, . . .". Upon this elegant, yet simple, grant of legislative powers and rulemaking authority has grown an exceedingly complex and evolving legislative process—much of it unique to each House of Congress. Table of Contents 1. How Our Laws Are Made, by Charles W. Johnson, Parliamentarian (retired), U.S. House of Representatives (2003) I. Introduction II. The Congress III. Sources of Legislation IV. Forms of Congressional Action - Bills - Joint Resolutions - Concurrent Resolutions - Simple Resolutions V. Introduction and Referral to Committee VI. Consideration by Committee - Committee Meetings - Public Hearings - Markup - Final Committee Action - Points of Order With Respect to Committee Hearing Procedure VII. Reported Bills - Contents of Reports - Filing of Reports - Availability of Reports and Hearings VIII. Legislative Oversight by Standing Committees IX. Calendars - Union Calendar - House Calendar - Private Calendar - Corrections Calendar - Calendar of Motions to Discharge Committees X. Obtaining Consideration of Measures - Unanimous Consent - Special Resolution or "Rule" - Consideration of Measures Made in Order by Rule - Reported From the Committee on Rules - Motion to Discharge Committee - Motion to Suspend the Rules - Calendar Wednesday - District of Columbia Business - Questions of Privilege - Privileged Matters XI. Consideration and Debate - Committee of the Whole - Second Reading - Amendments and the Germaneness Rule - The Committee "Rises" - House Action - Motion to Recommit - Quorum Calls and Rollcalls - Voting - Electronic Voting - Pairing of Members - System of Lights and Bells - Recess Authority - Live Coverage of Floor Proceedings XII. Congressional Budget Process XIII. Engrossment and Message to Senate XIV. Senate Action - Committee Consideration - Chamber Procedure XV. Final Action on Amended Bill - Request for a Conference - Authority of Conferees - Meetings and Action of Conferees - Conference Reports - Custody of Papers XVI. Bill Originating in Senate XVII. Enrollment XVIII. Presidential Action - Veto Message - Line Item Veto XIX. Publication - Slip Laws - Statutes at Large - United States Code Appendix 2. The Legislative Process, by Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider, Ch. 8 in the Congressional Deskbook (TheCapitol.Net 2007) 8.00 Introduction 8.01 Legislative Process Flowchart 8.02 House Rules Citations 8.03 Senate Rules Citations 8.04 Selected Procedures: House and Senate Rules 8.10 Types of Measures 8.11 Legislation Glossary 8.20 Drafting and Introducing Legislation 8.21 House Cosponsorship Form 8.22 Sample "Dear Colleague" Letter 8.30 Referral of Legislation to Committee 8.31 Sample Jurisdictional Agreement 8.32 Sample of House Referral 8.40 Committee Hearings 8.41 Committee Hearings Schedule 8.42 Keeping Up with House and Senate Committee Hearings 8.43 Sample Truth in Testimony Form 8.44 Celebrity Witnesses 8.45 Field Hearing Announcement 8.50 Committee Markup 8.51 Committee Markup and Reporting Glossary 8.52 Keeping Up with House and Senate Committee Markups 8.60 Committee Reports 8.61 Reading the Cover Page of a House Committee Report 8.62 House Committee Reports: Required Contents 8.63 Senate Committee Reports: Required Contents 8.70 House Floor: Scheduling and Privilege 8.71 House Calendars 8.72 Daily Starting Times in the House 8.80 House Floor: Methods of Consideration 8.90 Rules Committee and Special Rules 8.91 Special Rules Glossary 8.92 Announcement on Amendments Prior to a Rules Committee Meeting 8.93 Reading a Special Rule 8.100 Consideration of a Special Rule on the House Floor 8.110 Committee of the Whole: Debate 8.111 The Mace 8.112 House versus Committee of the Whole 8.113 Who Is Allowed on the House Floor? 8.114 Committee of the Whole and the House: Stages of Action 8.120 Committee of the Whole: Amendment Process 8.121 Amendment Process Glossary 8.122 Basic House Amendment Tree 8.123 Keeping Up with the House Floor: Scheduling and Proceedings 8.130 House Floor: Voting 8.131 House Voting Glossary 8.140 House Floor: Motion to Recommit and Final Passage 8.141 Approval Terminology 8.150 House and Senate Compared 8.151 Comparison of Selected House and Senate Procedures 8.160 Senate Scheduling 8.161 Keeping Up with the Senate Floor: Scheduling and Proceedings 8.170 Legislative and Calendar Days; Morning Hour and Morning Business 8.180 Senate Calendars and Legislative and Executive Business before the Senate 8.190 Holds, Clearance, and Unanimous Consent 8.191 Who Is Allowed on the Senate Floor? 8.200 Time Agreements and Motions to Proceed on the Senate Floor 8.201 Example of a Senate Unanimous Consent Time Agreement 8.202 Comparing a House Special Rule and a Senate Time Agreement 8.210 Consideration and Debate on the Senate Floor 8.211 Longest Senate Filibusters 8.220 Senate Amendment Procedure 8.230 Cloture in Senate Floor Proceedings 8.231 Steps to Invoke Cloture 8.232 Senate Procedures under Cloture 8.240 Senate Floor: Motion to Reconsider and Final Passage 8.250 Voting in the Senate 8.260 Reconciling Differences between House-Passed and Senate-Passed Legislation 8.261 Reconciling Differences Glossary 8.262 Keeping Up with Reconciling House-Senate Differences 8.270 Amendments between the Houses 8.280 Conference Committees 8.281 Size of Conference Committees 8.282 Authority of Conferees 8.283 Conference Signature Sheet 8.290 Presidential Action on Enacted Measures 8.291 Vetoes and Veto Overrides: Presidential Clout 8.300 Publication of Public Laws 3. Introducing a House Bill or Resolution, Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress 98-458, November 25, 2008 (see CRS Report 98-458, July 7, 2014, 6-page PDF) 4. The Legislative Process on the House Floor, CRS Report for Congress 98-563, February 2, 2009 (see CRS Report 98-563, December 1, 2016, 18-page PDF) 5. Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution, CRS Report for Congress 98-459, November 25, 2008 (see CRS Report R44195, January 17, 2017, 12-page PDF) 6. The Legislative Process on the Senate Floor, CRS Report for Congress 96-548, November 26, 2009 (see CRS Report 96-548, August 13, 2014, 20-page PDF) 7. Procedural Distinctions between the House and the Committee of the Whole, CRS Report for Congress 98-143, May 7, 2008 (see CRS Report 98-143, October 17, 2014, 5-page PDF) 8. Committee of the Whole: Stages of Action on Measures, CRS Report for Congress 98-564, December 8, 2006 - Resolving into Committee of the Whole - General Debate - Amendment Under the Five-Minute Rule - Committee of the Whole Reports - House Votes on Amendments - Motion to Recommit - Vote on Final Passage 9. House Committee Markup: Vehicle for Consideration and Amendment, CRS Report for Congress 98-188, July 17, 2008 - Summary - Introduced Measure - Subcommittee Reported Version/Committee Print - Staff Draft/Chairman's Mark - Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute 10. House Committee Markup: Reporting, CRS Report for Congress 98-267, July 17, 2008 - Options for Reporting Amendments - Options on How to Report - Other Reporting Actions and Considerations 11. Provisions of Special Rules in the House: An Example of a Typical Open Rule, CRS Report for Congress 98-334, April 15, 2008 12. Bills and Resolutions: Examples of How Each Kind Is Used, CRS Report for Congress 98-706, November 26, 2008 - Bills (H.R. or S.) - Joint Resolutions (S.J.Res. or H.J.Res.) - Concurrent Resolutions (S.Con.Res. or H.Con.Res.) - Simple Resolutions (H.Res. or S.Res.) 13. Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the House, CRS Report for Congress 98-736, November 5, 2004 - Filing Conference Reports - Debating Conference Reports - Points of Order 14. The House Amendment Tree, CRS Report for Congress 98-777, May 19, 2008 15. Commonly Used Motions and Requests in the House of Representatives, CRS Report for Congress RL32207, May 22, 2008 (see CRS Report RL32207, September 16, 2015, 20-page PDF) 16. Amendments Between the Houses, CRS Report for Congress 98-812, June 27, 2008 (see CRS Report R41003, March 23, 2015, 40-page PDF) - Summary - Consideration of Senate Amendments by the House - Consideration of House Amendments by the Senate 17. Parliamentary Reference Sources: Senate, CRS Report for Congress RL30788, April 21, 2008 - Introduction - Principles of Senate Parliamentary Practice - Multiple Sources of Senate Procedure - Constitutional Rule-Making Authority of the Senate - Enforcing the Senate Rules and Precedents - The Senate's Reliance on Unanimous Consent - The Importance of Precedents - The Senate's Unofficial Practices - The Senate Manual and Authorities it Contains - Senate Manual - Standing Rules of the Senate - Permanent Standing Orders - Rules for Regulation of the Senate Wing - Rules for Impeachment Trials - Cleaves' Manual on Conferences - Laws Relating to the Senate - Constitution - Other Official Senate Parliamentary Authorities - Riddick's Senate Procedure - Rulemaking Statutes and Budget Resolutions - Legislative Reorganization Acts - Expedited Procedures - Budget Process Statutes - Procedural Provisions in Budget Resolutions - Standing Orders by Unanimous Consent - Unanimous Consent Agreements - Committee Rules of Procedure - Publications of Committees and Offices of the Senate - Budget Process Law Annotated - Senate Cloture Rule - Treaties and Other International Agreements - Enactment of a Law - How Our Laws Are Made - Rules of Senate Party Conferences - Appendix A. Senate Parliamentary Reference Sources - Appendix B. Senate Parliamentary Reference Information Available Through the Internet 18. The Committee System in the U.S. Congress, CRS Report for Congress RS20794, March 21, 2007 - Summary - Introduction - Structure and Organization - Types of Committees - Subcommittees - Composition - Leadership - Staff - Oversight - Operations and Procedures - Referral - Executive Agency Comment - Hearings - Markup - Report - Committees and Chamber Action 19. Other Resources from TheCapitol.Net Capitol Learning Audio Courses TM Understanding the Path of Legislation, ISBN 158733030X Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking, A Nine Course Series, ISBN 1587331241 Conference Committees: How the Work Gets Done, ISBN 1587330210 Live Training Capitol Hill Workshop CapitolHillWorkshop.com https://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/GovernmentSeries/1251_HowOurLawsAreMade.html

Author: Joseph Henry Gibson
Publisher: The Capitol Net Inc
ISBN: 9781587332364
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
Gibson presents a comprehensive look at the reasons that Congress does not work well and real solutions that can make Congress work better. He has worked in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, including serving as chief antitrust counsel and chief minority counsel to the House Judiciary Committee.