Show our Government how it operates by william Bru bruckart clarl HOW CONGRESS FUNCTIONS TIE gall galleries erles for in the THE Tc chambers hambers of the senate and the house are situated so RS as to give the maximum view for everyone but that necessitated placing them on a level quite above the floors doors where the senators or the representatives have their eats that circumstance does not always permit a proper understanding of debate many visitors go away from the capital therefore with an impression that enactment of legislation Is far too complex and intricate for the mind of the lay person to comprehend it Is unfortunate that this condition prevails but it Is not the only reason why those seeing the house or the senate in session for the first time rall fall to understand what Is ha happening they see only a part of the whole picture of the legislative function they lack a knowledge of the rules of the game and they are not conversant with what has gone before the house and senate are on a par in dealing with the bulk of the laws that go on our statute books hut but each body has certain functions reserved to it and with which the other one has and can have no do concert conc concern erg T the he house by direction of the tion must originate all laws that raise revenue those that tax you and me and it also must start all laws they are bills while in the legislative m machinery a making appropriations of public moneys the senate could start them of course but would not mean anything the senate however was given certain specific duties by the constitution also no treaties with foreign nations are opi operative ra ve until approved by the senate it likewise has the final say so respecting nearly all appointments to office made by the president it was suggested above that if the visitor wanted to see the start of the talking picture he would have to attend another theater that other theater Is the committee room there are 47 of these committees in tile the house and 34 in the senate they are permanent committees special committees are constantly being named todo a specific loh job not readily susceptible of being handled by one of the stand ing committees such as an In tion alon in these committees Is where the bulk of the work Is done where the grain Is threshed the regular and usual procedure therefore Is that a representative will introduce a bill in ID the house or a senator will introduce one in the sen ate frequently the same text of a measure will appear simultaneously in each body the rules brov provide for reference of the bill to the comm committee I 1 atee having jurisdiction the committee has a regular meeting day the new hill Is taken up usually with iab only members of the committee present and it Is talked over informally if I 1 it he of great consequence the committee will order that hearings be held beld so that those favoring the proposed law may state its merits and that those thos opposed to it may voice their opp opposition and point out weaknesses in the b bill sometimes those hearing s will con tinne day after day over several weeks As a general rule a witness before a committee will be allowed to tell his story to state ills his views without interruption ter when his statement Is finished however the committee members have their ning fling questions question are not always designed to be fair nor are arc they always alwais aimed to bring out things which the witness desires to a dmit admit it all depends on whether cheth er the committee member views the subject from the same angle in conse consequence filience the stenographic record of testimony that always Is anken sometimes makes literature akin to comedy for witnesses have a tendency to go too far to to leave them themselves seles vulnerable to opposition fin criticism by overlooking weak ties nesses res in their own statements or by bv deliberate misrepresentation of facts fact having taken all of the testimony tint that Is offered olT ered tile the committee again works behind closed doors not being under tinder the necessity to watch out nut for tile political effect of what hat they say they in talk ik frankly about the tion before them and reach an agreement sometimes informally sometimes fly by a record vote as to the course they will follow in ili most cases the bill as it was sent to the committee needs correcting Amendment sto accomplish tile the purposes desired are drafted with the advice of experts employed by the house and senate for that purpose and in final form if the majority of the committee so votes tile the bill Is ordered to he be reported to the house with the recommendation that the hill bill do pass or to the senate if it lie be a senate corn com the fact that the bill has been sent back to the house or to the senate senata by one of its committees does not mean that it ever will see the light of lay day figuratively speaking a king indeed the chances are arc about that it nener nee will receive atten attention tInn in the senate and they are about ten to one that nothing more will be heard bear of it if it was reported in the house bouse by a committee of that body hach each house has a calendar of business find when a NII bill Is reported its members and title Is 5 0 entered nt r ed on that cal calendar there to t awalt await further attention or possibly death because of adjournment of congress 2032 union |