THE COMMITTEE SYSTEM OF CONGRESS Here's how the civics teachers taught it: An idea for a law is suggested by a legislator and it is sent to a committee to study and revise. (There are 24 standing committees and as many sub committees as needed.) Hearings are held and the bill takes the form of a law after hearings, debates and meetings. Eventually the bill is sent to the whole Congress where it is again debated and studied before being subjected to a vote. On the surface this looks like a great plan...until you see how partisan politics, greed and legalized bribery enter the picture. In reality It works like this: The committee system as it has evolved has largely become a joke. Originally designed to enable the Congress to cover a wide range of topics in a short period by dividing legislative inquiry among several groups of legislators, the system has evolved into a partisan mechanism whereby the majority party can effectively prevent legislation from being voted on by the whole Congress or even fairly and openly debated in the committees. It has become a useful tool for legislators to anonymously duck their responsibility. A bill (a suggested piece of legislative action) is submitted to the Speaker of The House. He is the leader of the political party with the majority of members in the body and has the power to effectively end any consideration of the bill immediately. If he chooses to allow the bill to proceed he will assign it to a committee for research and hearings. This committee is headed by a chairperson who is from the same majority party as the Speaker. He will determine what hearings and discussions will occur and will decide who will be requested or allowed to testify. The majority party will always have a sound majority of the members on the committee. The bill may eventually be voted out of the committee and sent to the whole body if the majority party so chooses. It can also be "tabled" and never considered further. In effect, the will of the people as carried to the Congress by their representative can be stifled without fair and honest public scrutiny. The current majority party is only doing what previous majority parties have done. Each session the partisanship and undemocratic procedures become worse. The solution is simple‚have the two major parties split each committee equally. We should allow the majority party to have the chairperson but have that person elected by the entire committee or in a bolder move, elected by the minority members from the majority. We should allow the majority of each party on the committee to have the power to call witnesses for hearings. All bills must be returned to the floor of the House for consideration by the entire body. The committee will issue a report (just as they do today) which will include findings and arguments by all members. IT IS POSITIVELY RIDICULOUS NOT TO HAVE EVERY SUGGESTED LAW CONSIDERED BY THE HOUSE. The current system allows gutless representatives to avoid taking public positions on legislation. Do not even think for a second that forcing a vote on every piece of proposed legislation will cause a breakdown of the work of Congress. Votes take little time compared to the public charades called floor debates. These are nothing more than political posturing and NEVER change votes. Rather than wasting this time, the representatives could cast their public vote and spend the time explaining to their constituents why they took the stand they did. BACK TO FIXING CONGRESS