Of, By, and for the People: State and Local Governments and Politics by Morris J Levitt

Author:Morris J Levitt [Levitt, Morris J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780429727870
Google: VExDEAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 59029197
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

The Study Stage

After introduction, the bill is referred to an appropriate committee to study the merits and details of the proposal. Generally, the presiding officer of the legislative body has the power to refer a bill to a committee. Usually bills are referred as a matter of course to a permanent committee charged with studying certain subjects. Occasionally, for purposes of strategy (as deemed by the leadership), a bill may be sent to a committee that is more favorable or hostile to the proposal.

Committees. Committees do most of the legislative work under the principal of division of labor. But committees are not independent and powerful "little legislatures." Several factors create inequalities of committees' stature and power. The workload is not generally evenly distributed. Those committees composed of members loyal to the leadership may be assigned the greatest number of bills, while others may have little to do. Committees may have broadly descriptive names (for example, "ways and means," or "executive and legislative affairs") that allow the leadership discretion in assigning measures to them. In addition, some committees' activities may be hampered by little or no budget or staff.

Members are assigned to a committee, generally, by the presiding officer. In some state and local legislatures, other bodies may have the power of assignment (for example, the committee on committees, rules committees, or a caucus of members). Assignment does not always rest on the principle of seniority. There is no accepted rule that a legislator has a right to remain on a committee from year to year. An important consideration in assignment is the legislator's substantive interest or expertise. A frequent practice is to assign lawyers to the judiciary committee, teachers to the education committee, bankers and insurance agents to the regulatory committee, and so forth, thus creating what are called "built-in lobbyists." Political considerations also may be taken into account in assignment decisions. Leaders may place themselves or loyal colleagues on important committees, and assign inexperienced legislators to various committees where they are expected to seek the guidance of the more senior and knowledgeable party leadership. Geographical balance may be a factor in committee assignment.

The size and number of standing subject-matter committees vary throughout the states and localities. They are set by legislative rules or, in some cases, named in constitutions or charters. There is no relationship between the size of the legislative body and the number of operating committees. A legislator may hold membership on several committees simultaneously, and generally does.

Chairpersons of committees are selected by the presiding officers or, in some instances, by a designated committee or the entire legislative membership. The bases for selection are party or factional affiliation, personal choice of the leaders, and occasionally, seniority. There are generally no rules prohibiting legislative leaders from occupying the positions themselves.

Committee action. The fate of most bills is decided in the committees. Whether a bill will ever reach the floor of the legislature and what content it will have are decisions that usually rest with the committee members. If a bill is considered by a committee, hearings are held.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.