Isabella Goodman

2/17/17

AP Gov 2

Take Home Essay

The United States Constitution grants all legislative powers to the Congress. The primary role of

Congress to pass laws, and while the legislative process is often slow. There is a lot a bill must endure to

become a law. This already difficult process is exacerbated by lobbyists and special interest groups. With

such diverging political parties, the process of establishing a law is difficult and time consuming;

however, it is crucial to incorporate new laws as things evolve and times change.

There is a long process in which a bill must go through to become enacted into a law in the US.

Laws begin as ideas where a representative sponsors a bill. After, the leader of the house in which the

bill was introduced refers it to an appropriate committee. These committees can refer the bill to

subcommittees for actions, hearings, markup sessions, and votes. They can also kill it by doing nothing

or pigeonholing. Many times, this is due to partisanship and personal interests. Through seniority rule,

majority party members who have served on the committee for the longest amount of time are granted

committee If the committee approves the bill, it is sent onto the full House or Senate. The bill must pass

by a simple majority (218 of 435) to move to the Senate where it is assigned to another committee

where it is released, debated and voted on. Again, it must pass by a simple majority (51 of 100). A

conference committee of Senate and House members work out the differences of the opposing versions

of the bill during markup sessions. After the committee’s report, both houses must vote on the bill. The

resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. The President has ten days to veto or

sign the enrolled bill. If those days pass, the bill becomes law if congress is in session. This is called a

pocket veto. If it is vetoed, it goes back to Congress, which can override the veto with a two-thirds vote

in both houses. This, however, is very rare because it is extremely difficult to get two-thirds of each
house of Congress to agree to override. A senator can attempt to delay or block a vote on a bill by

extending debate on the measure, or filibustering.

The bill attached calls for the legalization of marijuana in the United States. If this bill were to be

introduced, the tensions between the two parties would be extremely high. It is likely that conservatives

will not support the bill, while liberals will be in favor of it. There are multiple arguments for and against

the legalization. Conservatives believe that drug use is wrong, and there are many unknowns about the

addictive properties and long term effects. Many also argue the Mexican cartels will move to harder

drugs is there is no longer a profitable market. Liberals dispute there is no evidence of harmful effects

and the benefits outweigh that concern. They claim marijuana would boost the economy and there

would be fewer criminal cases. Some special interest groups may play a part in the passage or

alliteration of the bill. Police Unions, Private Prison Corporations, alcohol and beer companies,

pharmaceutical corporations, and prison guard unions are some examples of these groups that hinder

the passing of the bill. They campaign contributions to a committee set up to prevent marijuana from

being legalized and taxed.

As the division in US political parties grows, the passing of legislation will become more and

more difficult. This is especially true with issues such as marijuana, immigration, and foreign affairs. The

process of turning a bill into a law is very difficult, however, it is made more so by the diverging political

ideals.