U.S. Congress is composed of two chambers, the House of Representatives (with 435 members representing fifty states) and the Senate (with 100 members, with two members elected from each State).
The Republican and Democrat parties select their candidates for the two chambers of the Congress in primary elections, "election in which registered voters in a jurisdiction select a political party's candidate for a later election (nominating primary)"
After winning a primary election, the candidate from the respective party runs in the Congress election, which are held, for both chambers, in November.
For the 2005-2007 legislation (the 109th Congress), the Republican Party dominates both chambers. As such, the Republican Party currently holds 55 seats in the Senate, with the Democrats having won 44 seats and one independent seat (James Jeffords). In the House of Representatives, the proportion between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party is 53% to 46%, with the Republicans having won 232 seats and the Democrats 201, with one independent legislator (Bernard Sanders) and one vacant seat, Robert Matsui, who passed away on the 1st of January 2005.
Many of the legislative powers that have been endowed on the U.S. Congress according to the first article of the Constitution invoke collective actions on behalf of the two major parties representatives. Among these, one can enumerate setting standards for weights and measures, levying and collecting taxes or borrowing money for the public treasury
On the other hand, under the influence and pressure from lobby groups and from the State voters, many issues invoke different points-of-view. For example, making rules and regulations governing commerce among the states and with foreign countries will be influenced by local and national producers. One can exemplify with the recent Free Trade Agreement concluded with the Central American countries, where representatives in Congress debated whether such an Agreement will not damage local agricultural producers through lower priced products.
2. There are actually four acknowledged theories referring to the existence and functionalism of the committees. The first one is the informal efficiency theory, according to which "a committee is better informed about the consequences of a policy than the floor"
. The second theory is referred to as the distributive benefits theory and sustains the idea according to which...
House and SenateThe United States Congress is composed of two distinctive houses with varying roles, powers and functions. The House of Representatives has elected officials that seek to represent the interests of their constituents as the Senate does. Key differences between these bodies are their size and accountability. The House of Representatives is much larger than its counterpart; it has 435 members elected from congressional districts throughout the fifty states
The Constitution is based on several key principals the most notable would include: separation of powers as well as checks and balances. Separation of powers is when there are clearly defined powers that are given to the various branches of: the government, the federal government and the states. Checks and balances is when one branch of the government will have the power to the check the authority of another
The Legislative Branch1When we say that our nation has a bicameral legislature, it means that the legislative branch is divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses. In the United States, this bicameral system consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, making up the U.S. Congress. The Senate is the upper house of Congress. Each state, regardless of its size or population, is represented by two senators. This
" On a positive note, the Federal Commission Against Racism in Switzerland recently stated that "the climate against members of religious minorities and their institutions has deteriorated" and that most anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim actions "were largely fueled by extensive media reports" concerning the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, issues related to the assets of Holocaust victims and terrorist acts by Muslim extremists. Regarding anti-Semitic activities, it is surprising
NAFTA Historical Beginning of NAFTA (with specific bibliography) NAFTA Objectives What is NAFTA The Promise of NAFTA NAFTA Provisions Structure of NAFTA Years of NAFTA (NAFTA not enough, other plus and minuses).. Environmental Issues Comparative Statements (Debate) NAFTA - Broken Promises NAFTA - Fact Sheet Based Assessment NAFTA & Food Regulation NAFTA - The Road Ahead NAFTA in Numbers Goal Fulfillment Major Milestones Consolidated Bibliography This study set out to examine the inner workings of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The aim of this study is
A favorite target for conspiracists today as well as in the past, a group of European intellectuals created the Order of the Illuminati in May 1776, in Bavaria, Germany, under the leadership of Adam Weishaupt (Atkins, 2002). In this regard, Stewart (2002) reports that, "The 'great' conspiracy organized in the last half of the eighteenth century through the efforts of a number of secret societies that were striving for
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