by Danny Dunn
I see a day when 95% of the population votes because they know their vote counts.
I see a day when the congress and senate have ONE goal, and spend each day working tirelessly and to work the best deal for the people they serve.
I see a day when every party is a party working for the people and not for themselves, their campaign contributors, or the lobbyists.
I see a day when a congressman or Senators don’t base their decisions on how much money they, their families, their friends, and their investors are going to gain day trading the stocks their vote benefited.
I see a day when a proposed bill addresses one issue, and no sleazy self-beneficial laws are snuck in under the table to benefit special interest issues that would never be proposed out in the open on their own.
I see a day when the average voter can sit down at any time and read a bill that is being crafted and understand it’s meaning, it’s intent, and how this bill is going to benefit the people.
I see a day when going to war means all our children go to war. Not just the poor and the underprivileged. I see a way when sons and daughters of the poor and underprivileged are fighting alongside sons and daughters of senators and congressmen and presidents.
To the young people of this country, we are crafting a bill to address the many inequalities and injustices that currently exist in our educational system. We will publish that bill on our site and welcome your comments and input.
I would like to thank the many who made it possible for me to be standing here tonight. You know who you are, and you will be recognized, I promise.
Before I end my speech, I want to thank Zaria and want to take this opportunity to make her an honest woman by asking her to marry me. Tom gets down on one knee and offers her a ring and asks her to marry him. Zaria nods her head, smiles, and says yes. Tom slides a ring onto her finger, hugs her, and holds her tightly and tells her, “thank you, and I love you.”
Now the night is complete.
Thank you, America
Goodnight.
Tom and the family all celebrate. The candidates are all there, and Tom walks around with Zaria spending time with them, and they talk about the hard work ahead of them. Tom has arranged for everyone who can stay to stay at the compound, and most can and do.
They meet at the university over the next couple of days and get to work on writing bills for each item on the platform. The bills are giving new numbers starting with 0001.
Tom insists that every bill be as short as possible and easy to read. Tom says that anyone proposing bills using whereas, henceforth, and 5 syllable words will be visited by Betty and Wilma.
The mood is light but focused.
Tom invites the press to get to know the new candidates, and Tom goes in and out of the press area all day. Some of the press are asking for a tour of the campus. Tom calls Pong on the phone and tells her that the press would like a tour. Pong hops into the transport and is there in 3 minutes.
She and her mother arrive, and Pong asks if is ok that her elderly mother tag along, Zaria says that’s it, I can outrun you any day of the week you little pipsqueak. She is so adorable when she is riled up, don’t you agree? There are over 100 members of the press on their tour, and Pong and Zaria spend 2 hours going over each department, the design, and the program.
Zaria 5 is there, and she ends up doing an impromptu tour of her program of feeding the famine-stricken populations around the world.
How many meals have you delivered from the beginning until now?
Zaria 5 answers 3,840,000,000 meals over the last 8 months.
One of the press says, “just so I get this right, you have delivered 3.84 billion meals in just 8 months.”
Zaria 5 “yes, that is correct.”
Reporter 2 “who pays for all of that?”
Just then, Pong and Zaria bring in their tour group into the auditorium.
There they are right there. Pong and Zaria are responsible for funding 100% of the program. I came up with the system, and they buy the planes, the food, the androids, and everything else.
How many people are you feeding? Well, that is a moving number, but it is in the tens of millions for sure. My estimate is around 16 million.
The reporters look around in shock. After showing the university tour group, the auditorium Pong and Zaria offer them restroom break and stop by to say hi to Z5’s group.
How much has this program cost you two?
Pong smiles and tells them Zaria, and I have spent about $45 billion so far. Pong says that they are having Zaria 3 expand her water well program to bring water and farming to the famine areas Z5 is feeding. Our goal is to make them all self-sufficient in the next 5 years.
One reporter jokingly tells her that they need a new PR firm because none of us knew what amazing things you are doing. Pong tells him she doesn’t have one. Every dollar we would spend on a PR firm would be taken from our food budget. Ah, our tour group is ready for more. It was very nice meeting you all. Another reporter asks which one of you jumped out of the raft in the rapids.
Zaria says that was me Zaria 3 caught the biggest fish.
Tom will work with their new congress and senate. The goal Tom should always be to put it on one page. In the early days, it was good to have a lot of code, and then we discovered that smaller is better. Our goal should always be one page. Of course, the bills will probably not fit onto one-page, but one page is what we should be shooting for.
Over the next 3 days, they have most of the platform worked out. Meanwhile, back in DC, the remaining congressmen and senators are sarcastic, angry, belittling of the new party, and looking for ways to stop the steamroller from making progress. Tom has little patience for them and does his very best to ignore them.
Tom gets every item in his platform started in the right direction and leaves it to his new American party to finish them up between now and the day he takes office.
Tom, Zaria, and Will are moved into the White House. Tom and Zaria agree that it should be Tom, Will, Cori, and Breezy that write the final draft. Tom promises to run what they have by Zaria when they are done. Tom and Will spend hours each day reviewing drafts of everything on the Platform list. The party has done a great job of covering every item very thoroughly. Tom has what he thinks is what they should submit is their first bill and shows it to Zaria. Zaria asks if they have watched the Lesendowski testimony. Neither had watched it. Zaria suggests that they watch an 8-minute video together.
Lewandowski transcripts fill in this space
They all sit down in residence and watch it. Zaria comments that what you are watching is about 3 levels down from what you are going to experience when your bill is presented. It is going to happen every step of the way.
Introduction. A bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, the Senate, or both. For purposes of simplicity, we will assume here that the bill is initially introduced only in the House. That is, in fact, mandatory in the case of most trade legislation, which according to the Constitution (Article I, Section 7, Clause 1), must originate in the House. The bill is given a number that reflects the order in which it was introduced. If it is the 101st bill introduced in this Congress, for example, it will be designated H.R.101. (If in the alternative it were the 22nd bill introduced in the Senate during this Congress, it would be S.22.)
Opportunities for Opponents: None at this stage. All members of Congress have an unencumbered right to introduce bills.
Advantages of Fast Track: Bills considered under the fast track are introduced at the president’s request by the leaders in both houses of Congress (or by other members that they designate). The language of this bill is proposed by the president, although in actual practice, the specific terms of the bill (as well as the accompanying statement of administrative action) are a matter of negotiation with Congress before the formal introduction.
Referral. The bill is referred to the committee or committees of jurisdiction in the chamber where it was introduced. In
the case of most trade bills, that is the House Ways and Means Committee.
Opportunities for Opponents: If the leadership is opposed to a bill, it can sometimes make enactment more difficult by referring it to multiple committees, thus multiplying the parliamentary difficulties for the sponsor.
Advantages of Fast Track: Bills considered under the fast track are normally referred to multiple committees because they deal with a range of subject matter, but all committees to which the bill has been referred must report it out within 45 legislative days. Even if all members of the committee oppose the bill, they cannot "bottle it up" beyond this period.
Hearings. The committee may hold hearings on the bill, either at the subcommittee or full committee level. It is often the case that hearings will be held on the issue (though not the bill itself) before the bill is formally introduced.
Opportunities for Opponents: It is at this stage that the vast majority of bills die. Most bills are never granted a formal hearing and simply sit in committee until the end of a two-year Congress (at which point they expire).
Advantages of Fast Track: No difference, but often the most important hearings will have been held before the bill is formally introduced.
Mark-up. The committee holds a "mark-up" session on the bill, at which the bill can be amended (which may even mean the substitution of the bill with an entirely new bill). This session can be held either at the subcommittee level (in which case the bill may then be subject to yet another mark-up session at the full committee level) or at the full committee level.
Opportunities for Opponents: Any opponents of the bill who sit on the committee can seek to amend it.
Advantages of Fast Track: The bill cannot be amended.
Committee vote. The committee votes on the discharge of the bill to the full House of Representatives. The bill can be approved with a recommendation that the full House passes the measure, that it be approved without a recommendation, or defeated altogether.
Opportunities for Opponents: Any opponents of the bill who sit on the committee can seek to defeat the bill, or at least have it reported without a recommendation.
Advantages of Fast Track: The committee cannot kill the bill but must instead report it to the full House.
Rules Committee. The House Rules Committee is responsible for devising the rules by which the bill will be considered on the floor of the House. The committee prepares a draft rule to govern debate on the bill. The rule might be "closed " (i.e., allow no amendments to the bill), "open" (i.e., allow any or all amendments to the bill), or a "modified open" or "modified closed" rule (i.e., allow certain amendments to be considered). The rule also determines how much time will be allowed for debate on the rule itself, on the bill, and on any amendments to the bill. It is quite common for the rule to be a modified open or closed rule, which might (for example) allow consideration only of a Democratic substitute for the bill.
Opportunities for Opponents: This is a particularly important step because the opponents of a bill will want the opportunity to amend the proposal.
Advantages of Fast Track: The House Rules Committees are by-passed, as the fast-track law has already determined the rules under which the bill will be debated. This rule allows for no amendments and provides, among other things, for 20 hours of debate in each house of Congress.
Vote on the Rule. The House of Representatives debates and votes on the rules recommended by the Rules Committee. These are usually approved, but in some rare cases, the rules might be rejected (thus allowing, for example, an unmanageable number of amendments to be considered).
Opportunities for Opponents: Those who seek to amend the bill in the House will often need to defeat the rule to have their amendment considered, but this maneuver rarely succeeds.
Advantages of Fast Track: There is no such step for fast-track bills.
Debate and Vote on the Bill. The House debates and votes on the bill, as well as any amendments that might be allowed under the rule approved in Step 7. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, although there can be vacancies, absent members, etc. A bill requires a simple majority (50 percent of the members voting, plus one) to pass. This means that if all seats are filled and all members are present and voting, the bill requires 218 votes to be approved. If the bill is approved, it is sent to the Senate.
Opportunities for Opponents: If the bill is defeated at this stage, it is dead.
Advantages of Fast Track: Once the bill has been formally introduced, it cannot be amended at any stage in the process. This is true both in committees and on the floors of the two houses. The opponents can only seek to have it defeated by a straight yes-or-no vote.
Referral. The bill is referred to the committee or committees of jurisdiction in the Senate. Most trade-related bills go only to the Finance Committee.
Opportunities for Opponents: Same as Step 2.
Advantages of Fast Track: Same as Step 2.
Hearings. The Finance Committee has the option of holding hearings on the bill, either at the subcommittee or full committee level.
Opportunities for Opponents: Same as Step 3.
Advantages of Fast Track: Same as Step 3.
Mark-up. The committee holds a "mark-up" session on the bill, at which the bill can be amended (including the substitution of the bill with an entirely new bill). Again, this session can be held either at the subcommittee or full committee level and may indeed have been held before the bill is received from the House.
Opportunities for Opponents: Same as Step 4.
Advantages of Fast Track: Same as Step 4.
Committee vote. The committee votes on the discharge of the bill to the full Senate. The bill can be approved with a recommendation that the full Senate passes the measure, approved without a recommendation, or defeated altogether.
Opportunities for Opponents: Same as Step 5.
Advantages of Fast Track: Same as Step 5.
Debate and Vote on the Bill. Assuming that time is scheduled for the bill, the Senate votes on the bill, as well as any amendments that might be proposed. There are 100 senators, although there can be vacancies, absent members, etc. A bill requires a simple majority (50 percent of the members voting, plus one) to pass. This means that if all seats are filled and all members are present and voting, the bill requires 51 votes to be approved. The vice president also serves as president of the Senate and has the authority to cast the deciding vote whenever the Senate is equally divided. If, for example, the Senate is split 50-50 (or 49-49, 48-48, etc. when there are vacancies or absences), the vice president’s vote will decide the matter -- if he is there to cast it.
Note that no rule is needed for floor debate. The Senate Rules Committee does not play the same role in that chamber as the similarly named committee does in the House. In fact, the power of the House Rules Committee is so much greater than that of the Senate Rules Committee that -- their names notwithstanding -- these really cannot be considered "counterparts" to one another.
Opportunities for Opponents: The Senate takes a much more relaxed attitude towards the attachment of amendments, except when the amendment affects the budget. It is not unusual to see senators trying to attach a bill as a rider to some completely unrelated bill. The rules of the Senate are much more open than those of the House, and ordinarily, there are no limits placed on the consideration of amendments or on the length of debate. In fact, the favored means for defeating an initiative are either to engage in "extended debate" (more commonly known as a filibuster) or to weigh the bill down with amendments. A filibuster is simply an extended debate in which the opponents of a bill refuse to yield the floor or to allow a vote. One effect of a filibuster is that it moves the number of votes needed for a bill up from the simple majority to 60 votes, as this is the number needed to invoke cloture (i.e., bring a filibuster to an end).
Advantages of Fast Track: The bill is immune from filibusters and amendments. There is, however, one development in recent years that erodes an advantage of t
he fast track over formal treaty ratification. Beginning with the NAFTA implementing legislation, it has been necessary to have another vote providing for a waiver of budget rules to approve the reduction in tariff revenue. Such a motion requires 60 votes. This is closer to the 67 votes needed for a treaty than the 50 votes needed for an ordinary bill.
Sent to President (If Identical). If the bill that the Senate approves is identical to the version approved by the House (a rare event), the bill is sent to the president. If it differs from the House bill in any respect, a conference committee is appointed of members representing both chambers of Congress.
Opportunities for Opponents: See Step 15.
Advantages of Fast Track: By definition, the senate bill is identical to the House version, The bill now goes to the president for his signature (Step 17), by-passing steps 15 and 16.
Conference Committee. The conference committee must resolve all differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Once they achieve agreement on a conference bill, it is sent back to both houses. The differences between the House and Senate approaches to an amendment can produce conflict in conference committees. If the Senate attaches a non-germane bill as an amendment to some other measure, the House conferees will often try to remove the amendment.
Opportunities for Opponents: A bill will die if the committee cannot resolve differences.
Advantages of Fast Track: This step is by-passed for fast-track bills.
Adoption of the Conference Bill. The House and the Senate each vote (separately) on the conference committee bill. With one exception, no amendments are permitted at this stage; the House can vote to remove any matters that the Senate might have appended to the bill that are judged not to be "germane" (e.g., if they attached something not at all related to trade). If both of them approve the bill, it is sent to the president. They can alternatively vote to send the bill back to the conference for reconsideration.
