United States Congress

immigrants is half-true. Dave Umhoefer formats his article by informing the audience of the bill that is in question. The bill states that it would cut 12 years off the current waiting times for illegal immigrants to gain their United States citizenship. The author gives quotes from Jim Sensenbrenner himself stating that this bill “would allow immigrants who came to the United States illegally to gain citizenship in 13 years.” Sensenbrenner stated that the current the “pathway to citizenship” is…

they should be doing differently or what they should incorporate into the laws. They are able to plan how they will adjust their work and how it can be better for everyone. Because Interest groups have a strong influence on both the people and the state officials that see through the steps to making laws, they’re able to accomplish their ultimate goal and obtain what they have tried to obtain previously. They are very powerful in getting what they want when they know how to get it. Due to the…

month, Rick Scott signed into law two new bills regarding elementary through high school, and higher education reform. These were HB 7055 and SB 4. The latter of which has been the topic of discussion for many college students are across the Sunshine State. This bill, also referred to as the Excellence in Higher Education Act (EHEA), mainly focuses on 2 specific issues. Firstly, it confirms the year-long anticipated announcement that the top 2 Bright Futures scholarships will be expanded to pay…

One of the first American lobbyists was William Hull, who in was hired by veterans in1792 to lobby for additional compensation. Since, the lobbying has boomed into an industry and numerous interest groups have hired people to lobby on their behalf. This have gone viral since its inception and now we have thousands of lobbyists and spend billions of dollars a year. Is it effective? Effectiveness of lobbyists is situation dependent and it is rather difficult to assess. There are multiple…

Senator Hugo Black of Alabama, wrote the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that was signed into law in June 1938 ("Fair Labor Standards Act," n.d.). FLSA was created to “put a ceiling over hours and a floor under wages" by limiting long work hours to a 40 hour work week, a minimum wage of 40 cents an hour, and restricting most child labor. The FLSA affects the wages, overtime pay, and child labor standards that affect both full time and part time employees. These standards are closely monitored…

On September 1, 2017, Governor Greg Abbott signed the HB 1935 bill into law. The HB 1935 allows Texans 18 and older to openly carry Bowie and double-edged knives, daggers, swords dirk, spears and or knives 5 ½ inches or longer. An attorney named Stephen Halbrook, noted that the history of the Bowie knives was practically used by hunters for cutting small trees and to skin and process animals. The HB 1935 law came into effect, because of events that occurred 150 years ago, after the civil war;…

A president is truly affective when he is able to get his policy agenda through Congress. For him to do this, it is paramount that he has the support from the majority of the public. When a president is unpopular, members of Congress will have little incentive to pass his preferred legislation, since doing so will potentially have negative consequences (i.e. not winning reelection). It is also important that a president be a competent negotiator if he is to get his agenda passed. It would be…

Randall Harold Cunningham (“Randy”) was a Vietnam war hero and a Republican Congress member who represented the 50th Congressional District from years 1991 to 2005 (Stern, 2005). Moreover, he held a spot on the House Intelligence Committee, the House Appropriations Committee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee (“DAS”). DAS is responsible for making drafts of bills that set appropriations for defense programs (Stern, 2005). On November 28, 2005, in federal court at the age of 64, Randy…

There are many factors seen as threats to the United States’ welfare and democracy. More specifically, the expansion of presidential power has implications that are a threat to our democracy. The United States’ democracy is seen as a form of government in which all citizens participate equally—either directly or, through elected representatives. The founding fathers also incorporated John Locke’s idea that the duty of the government is to protect the natural rights—life, liberty, and property—of…

In today’s modern democracy, political parties and interest groups play a huge projecting role in the United States government and it is rising quickly. Political parties and interest groups are organized groups of people who work towards specific goals within the government, promoting politicians and raising money to help accomplish certain needs. While yes, both groups are working towards similar goals they often times serve different purposes within the country’s political system. The real…