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Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies
- Lots of partisanship around future nomination
- Republicans could successfully confirm new justice
- Democrats will still attempt to block new justice, but they
probably won't succeed
- Would need to flip 4 senators to block, but conservatives
don't have good motivations
Currently, Biden has polling advantage, but can be close fight if
Trump mobilizes
- Senate seats will likely fall out 50/50, so pres important
- Electorate tie could happen
Leadership in Congress
- House (Unique): Speaker of the House --- Most powerful of any Congress
- Legislative power vested, voted in by caucus of house
- Currently Pelosi in front of Dems
- Senate (Unique): President of Senate AND President Pro Tempore
- Pres. of Senate = VP of US
- Only needs to attend State of Union and break ties
- Pres. Pro Tempore
- Most senior member of the majority party
- Majority and Minority Leaders
- Mitch McConnell in Senate has this power
- Whips collaborate voting and keep a pulse on party's vote
Committee Structure
- Standing committees critical to legislation process
- Small committees => easier legislation discussion, credit-claim
- Select committees accomplish specific tasks
- Often transient investigative, reporting committees
- Joint committees
- Both parties, both chambers
- Budgetary, taxation
- Really want to catch potential problems beforehand
- House rules committee
- Type of standing committee
- Creates "rules for floor action inside House"
"How a bill becomes a law"
- This is not a real, singular process because bills can become laws in
many many ways
House side of process
- Introduce (submit) legislation to get a "house resolution number"
- Committee Stage - referred to appropriate Standing Committee
- Speaker of House does this
- Can refer to one or many committees
- Multiple referral means it's more likely to die/change
- Standing Commitee refers to subcommittee
- Marked up for changes, can die (get buried)
- Full Committee discusses and votes on marked up version
- Rules Committee -- sets rules for debate on bill
- Floor Action - scheduled by Speaker (time limit, position)
- (Germane) amendments can get added and get debated separately
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