1. Government 12.4 Making Law: Senate

2. Making Laws in the Senate
Same procedures has the house
Biggest difference is lack of rules committee
No rules for debate on the Senate floor
The Filibuster - talk a bill to death = stalling tactic
Prevent action or vote on a bill
The Filibuster Today
Number of seats held by democrats and republics very close
Democrats hold majority today
Partisan politics are at an all time high
Filibuster use much more common to prevent the majority party from passing legislation
The Cloture Rule
Tactic to end a Filibuster by limiting debate
16 Senators must position for it
60 (3/5) Senators must vote for it (Democrats do not hold 60 seats)
Limits debate to 30 hours
Senators are reluctant to use Cloture
It limits the principle of free debate
They don’t want it to be over used in preventing a filibuster

3. Conference Committees
Legislation must be passed by both houses in identical from
Conference Committee is needed to align house and senate bills
Most cases a bill is passed by one house and then passed by another unchanged
Presidential Action
Constitution requires all bills and resolution to be signed by the president before it becomes law
The President has four options:
Sign the bill
Veto - Refuse to sign the bill
Congress can pass veto legislation with a 2/3 vote
Very difficult to get 2/3s of congress to agree on something in todays political partisan setting
Not act at all - Bill becomes law after 10 days of president inaction
Pocket Veto - If congress ajourns its session within 10 days of submitting the bill, the president can do nothing and the bill will die

4. How a Bill Becomes a Law

5. What is the Two-Speech Rule?
What is the senates freedom of debate intended for?
What do senators talk about when they engage in a filibuster?
Who holds the record for a Filibuster? How long was it?
How many successful Filibusters have there been?
Why was the cloture rule enacted?
What limitations are placed on a conference committee?
How often does either house reject the work of a conference committee?
How can the president use the threat of a veto to get congress to do what he wants? 5