Legislative+Branch

The Legislative Process The legislative process is a long complicated process that can take anywhere from a day or two to years to pass through congress. It all starts with a congressman or congresswoman introducing a bill into the House. From there the bill will get sent to committees before it comes back to the House. In committee they will possibly have changes made to the bill. When it comes back to the House it is put to a vote. If it passes it goes to the senate if it fails the bill dies. In the Senate the same process happens. It will bew sent to committe, brought back from committee and voted on. If it passes it then goes to the President. The president can do three things: 1. Sign it and the bill becomes a law 2. Sit on it and do nothing for 15 days and the bill becomes a law 3. He can Veto it which basically means he doesnt approve of it. If a Veto happens the bill is then sent back to the House were it is put to a vote. The Presidents veto can be overided by a 2/3 majority in favor of the bill. If it is passed in the House it is then sent to the Senate were a 2/3 majority must pass the bill in order for it to become a law. Highlights Of Congress Actions:
 * 1) Opposing Nixon on the Moratorium of the Court-Order Busiing and the delay of desegregation in Mississippi's public schools.
 * 2) Congress was the one who was impeaching president Nixon because of the Water Gate scandel.

=
Some of the amendments that congress passed during the years Nixon was president. Nixon was president from 1968-1974 1968:  Civil acts Right of 1968  Alcoholic and Narcotic addict Rehabilitation Act 1968  1970:  Voting rights act 1970  1971:  Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971  26 Amendment  1972:  Equal rights amendment 1972  1974: Land and Water conservation act 1974 These are just some of the major legislation that was passed during Nixon’s presidency. ======

 In 1969 a member of congress named Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. was removed from congress because of an investigation that said he was using money of congress wrong in a private investigation. Powell sued to keep his seat and was able to win. Then in 1968 he won re-election for his seat but his return in 1969 he had to pay a fine of 25,000 and step down and give up his seat in congress. That year the Supreme Court in a 7 to 1 vote said Powell’s removal was unconstitutional but by that time he was out of the race. He lost the election in 1970 and then ended up dying two years after that.  In 1970 congress kept going back and forth over a problem involving Allende’s Leftist Regime. This was a man that was trying to run his own country and the United States was trying to help out and do what they can. The thing is though congress instead of doing the right thing and helping did the opposite and hurt that man and his country. What this did was congress just ended up making another enemy for the United States instead of a friend.  In 1974 congress only big pitfall was dealing with Nixon and the whole water gate scandal. Congress was spending most of there time trying to impeach Nixon and have an investigation going on to figure out what they could about Nixon and this scandal. Though before they could take Nixon to court he quit and stepped down from being the president. So congress had it get easy in the end when it came to Nixon and the whole deal.
 * <span style="font-size: 115%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Criticisms and pitfalls in congress from 1968-1974 **

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congress during the years of 1968-1974 was really serious there was no fooling around or having fun the senate was really serious and straightforward. So if I had to give them a personality I would say strict and mean not nice at all very demanding and in control. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The majority of the congress was democratic during this time not many republicans at all which happens at times. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the start of Nixon’s presidency him and congress got along well and were on the same page most of the time but as years went on the relationship between the to got bad. They started to disagree a lot with each other and also cause problems for the other one most of the time. Especially in 1974 the Water Gate scandal that was bad. Congress right away started an investigation to impeach Nixon as fast as they can they wanted him gone as soon as they could. Though they lucked out with he quit himself but the main point in the president and congress did not get along at all. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Supreme Court was just normal did its job as usual and did not really cause any big problems for congress at the time. Congress and the supreme got along good except for the one time in 1969 when Powell was removed for office the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional and he should of stayed. Beside that the two branches got along fine and backed each other up very well. **<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summary of the era that congress had from 1968-1974 ** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the years that Nixon was president congress was doing the same job that they always did. They were coming up with new laws and also some amendments that they could think of to better the United States. The main points are in 1969 when they had the Civil Rights Act passed to make blacks and whites equal that was probably the biggest thing congress did during this era. The next biggest thing would have to be the 26 amendment that was huge and then the last big thing was the Water Gate scandal with Nixon. Where congress found out that the president was bad and covering things up to make money. So they had to take up an investigation on him to get information together to impeach him, but in the end he stepped down and made it really easy on them. So really congress had the craziest era because they had to deal with a crooked president but they got through it ok. <span style="font-size: 110px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 50%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 50%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
 * <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Characteristics of Congress **