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Monday, January 13, 2014

Majority in Congress Essay #8

Two advantages the majority party the United States House of Representatives has in lawmaking are: the majority party in the house sets the legislative agenda which means they decide which bills get voted on and when they get voted on. This means that they plan everything when it comes to try and passing a bill, therefore, making the House of Reps the most important part of Congress for passing a bill.

The biggest difference between the House and Senate in the filibuster rule (an extended debate). In the House a simple majority passes legislation, but in the Senate only 40% can block a vote by filibusters. 60 of 100 votes (a two-fifths majority) is needed to end a filibuster.
In the House of Reps, there are more formal procedures and rules and no filibuster which means no unanimous voting because there needs to be 2/3 votes. Also, the Senate can have holds on the bills.

The differences in the previous paragraphs can lead to a passage of a bill in one chamber but not the other. One reason is because even though the House may pass a bill, the Senate can kill the bill with a filibuster. Another reason is because even though the House may pass a bill, the Senate can delay or stop it with a hold.


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