Writing Different Terms from the Textbook: Political Science (Essay Sample)

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Political Science
The speaker is the parliamentary and political leader of the house. He is the highest ranking member of the house and is elected by vote of the House’ members. Although he is not required, the Speaker has always belonged to the majority political party. The speaker is not bound to be a House Member but has always been. He is the House, presiding officer, party leader, and the administrative head of the institution among other duties.
The house of representatives, with its huge membership, has selected minority and majority leaders since the 19th century to unsure unity and expenditure of parties in legislative business. The leaders are elected in secret balloting every two years of the party conference or caucus. The majority leader is charged with the responsibility of scheduling legislation for the consideration of the Floor; planning of legislative agendas; gauging party sentiment by consulting with the members; and, working to advance the majority party’s goals. The minority leader is the leader of the floor of the loyal opposition and the minority counterpart of the speaker. Despite the majority leader and the minority leader having almost the same duties, the minority leader works to protect the minority’s rights by speaking for the party.
The “Hopper” in the House is the box located at the desk of the clerk of the House of Representatives where legislation is placed. The clerk collects the bills at the end of every legislative day and assigns each a number. After here, the Speaker assigns the bills to the committees by the help of the parliamentarian. The hopper represents the first stage of bill’s journey towards refinement.
The House Rules Committee is charged with the responsibility of shaping how the house executes its most fundamental function that is the consideration and amendment of legislation. The committee manages the House’ complex business and acts as the firm arm of the majority party, controlled by the Speaker of the House.
Whips help party leadership in managing the legislative program of the party in the house. They keep track of all legislation and makes sure that all members of their representative party are present when voting upon necessary measures.
The conference committee is charged with resolving disagreements on a particular part of legislation. It is composed of the Senate and members of the House of Representatives. Conference committees are formed after the senate and the house pass contrasting version of a piece of legislation. The committees must discuss a compromise bill that both chambers of the Congress will vote upon. This is because for a bill to become law, both Houses of Congress must pass corresponding legislation.
The House of Representatives has 435 members since the size of the house is set by the law. The first law to set the size of the house at 435 was passed on August 8, 1911. The number was raised from the previous 391 members due to the growth of population of the United States. The law took effect in 1913. This figure has not changed since then because the Permanent Apartment Act of 1929 set the number in stone.
Majority leader of the Senate represents the party with the majority senate seats. The leader works with chairmen and members of Senate committees to arrange for consideration of bills on the Senate floor and advises other Senate members of his party on the imminent legislative schedule. The majority leader works with the minority leader to create the special rules termed as “unanimous consent agreement” that limits the time taken to debate on particular bills. The majority leader also is empowered to file for the supermajority closure vote required to conclude debate during filibuster.
Senate President Pro Tempore is the senator who presides over the U.S. Senate in the absence of the Vice President. He is the highest-ranking senator in the U.S Senate and second highest ranking official of the U.S. The Senate President Pro Tempore is similar to the House of Representatives’ Speaker but with fewer powers.
Unanimous consent agreement (UCA) is proposed by Floor’s majority leader and reflects negotiations among senators interested in the measure. It means that everyone voting or involved agrees on the decisions made. The USAs are used by the Senate to create special rules to deliberate over a piece of legislation, or decide on an issue without taking a full vote, or to execute the Congress’ joint sessions. Using UCAs is easier since they do not need a full vote. The UCAs can also be used to end a quorum call.
The vice president is required to take over the duties of the U.S President in the event of inability of the president to serve as a result of death, impeachment, resignation or any physical incapacitation. The vice president also acts as the president of the senate and is allowed to vote to break a tie during legislation. He is also expected to advance and support the legislative agenda and policies of the president.
The authorization committee authorizes t