It has been the
continued goal of the Model Senate to structure a program that will be
educational, stimulating, and enjoyable.
With these goals in mind, it is expected that Model Senators will
portray the voting record and personality of their respective Senators. This handbook contains some of the basic
guidelines and other aids to assist in these portrayals. Please read it and consult it from time to
time as the need may arise. The more
detailed Senate Procedure Manuals referred to are also available on request.
On behalf of the
organizers of the Floyd M. Riddick Model
Committee Descriptions and Functions
Committee Descriptions and Functions
Committee on Armed Services:
The
Committee on Armed Services handles legislation concerning and has
jurisdiction over issues related to: Aeronautical and space activities peculiar
to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems or military
operations; the common defense; the Department of Defense, the Department of
the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force,
generally; maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including
administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone; military research
and development; national security aspects of nuclear energy; naval petroleum
reserves, except those in Alaska; pay, promotion, retirement, and other
benefits and privileges of members of the Armed Forces, including overseas
education of civilian and military dependents; selective service system; and
strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.
The
Committee also conducts comprehensive study and review of matters relating to
the common defense policy of the
Environment and Public Works:
The Committee on Environment and Public Works handles
legislation concerning and has jurisdiction over issues related to: Air
pollution; Construction and maintenance of highways; Environmental aspects of
Outer Continental Shelf lands; Environmental effects of toxic substances, other
than pesticides; Environmental policy; Environmental research and development;
Fisheries and wildlife; Flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors,
including environmental aspects of deepwater ports; Noise pollution;
Nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy; Ocean
dumping; Public buildings and improved grounds of the United States generally,
including Federal buildings in the District of Columbia; Public works, bridges,
and dams; Regional economic development; Solid waste disposal and recycling;
Water pollution; Water resources.
The Committee also studies and reviews, on a comprehensive
basis, matters relating to environmental protection and resource
utilization and conservation, and reports thereon from time to time.
The
Committee on Foreign Relations handles legislation concerning and has
jurisdiction over issues related to: Acquisition of land and buildings for
embassies and legations in foreign countries; Boundaries of the United States;
Diplomatic service; Foreign economic, military, technical, and humanitarian
assistance; Foreign loans; International activities of the American National
Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross; International
aspects of nuclear energy, including nuclear transfer policy; International
conferences and congresses; International law as it relates to foreign policy;
Intervention abroad and declarations of war; Measures to foster commercial
intercourse with foreign nations and to safeguard American business interests
abroad; National security and international aspects of trusteeships of the
United States; Oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs as
they relate to foreign policy; Protection of United States citizens abroad and
expatriation; Relations of the United States with foreign nations generally;
Treaties and executive agreements; United Nations and its affiliated
organizations; World Bank group, the regional development banks, and other
international organizations established primarily for development assistance
purposes.
The Committee also studies and reviews, on a comprehensive
basis, matters relating to the national security policy, foreign policy, and
international economic policy as it relates to foreign policy of the United
States, and matters relating to food, hunger, and nutrition in foreign
countries, and reports thereon from time to time.
Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions:
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions handles legislation concerning and has jurisdiction over issues
related to: Measures relating to education, labor, health, and public welfare;
Aging; Agricultural colleges; Arts and humanities; Biomedical research and
development; Child labor; Convict labor and the entry of goods made by convicts
into interstate commerce; Domestic activities of the American National Red
Cross; Equal employment opportunity; Individuals with disabilities; Labor
standards and labor statistics; Mediation and arbitration of labor disputes;
Occupational safety and health, including the welfare of miners; Private
pension plans; Public health; Railway labor and retirement; Regulation of foreign
laborers; Student loans; Wages and hours of labor.
The Committee also studies and reviews, on a comprehensive
basis, matters relating to health, education and training, and public welfare,
and reports thereon from time to time.
Judiciary:
The Committee on the Judiciary handles legislation concerning and has jurisdiction over issues related to: Bankruptcy, mutiny, espionage, and counterfeiting; Civil liberties; Constitutional amendments; Federal courts and judges; Government information; Holidays and celebrations; Immigration and naturalization; Interstate compacts generally; Judicial proceedings, civil and criminal, generally; Local courts in the territories and possessions; Measures relating to claims against the United States; National penitentiaries; Patent Office; Patents, copyrights, and trademarks; Protection of trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies; Revision and codification of the statutes of the United States; State and territorial boundary lines.
Back
to TopThe
Chair of each committee has already been selected on the basis of role
portrayal.
Bills
should be read and ranked in order of priority, and that ranking should be
followed for discussion.
As
bills are discussed, revised and amended, they must be reported out of
committee either favorably or unfavorably. An unfavorable report kills
the bill, and it will not appear on the calendar. Bills, in the form they
are to be introduced, are to be filed with the Clerk The majority and
minority leaders and the Clerk will then place each bill on the agenda for the
Senate session.
The
use of committee witnesses is an important facet of committee procedure.
Experts in various fields will appear to testify on proposed legislation.
Question them carefully and completely; they have been selected for their
knowledge in the committee’s area.
It is
suggested that for efficiency and effectiveness the committee agree to use
Senate Rules of Procedure throughout their meetings. However, that
decision is solely the Chair’s and his decision is final.
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Act: Legislation (a bill or joint resolution, see below) which
has passed both chambers of Congress in identical form, been signed into law by
the President, or passed over his veto, thus becoming law. Technically, this term also refers to a bill
that has been passed by one house and engrossed (prepared as an official copy).
Adjourn: A motion to adjourn in the Senate (or a committee) ends
that day's session.
Adjournment Sine
Die: The end of a legislative session
"without day.” These adjournments
are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session
of a Congress.
Adjournment to a Day
and Time Certain: An adjournment of the
Senate that fixes the day and time for its next session.
Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other
measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the
measure, the Senate must agree to it.
Bill: The principal vehicle employed by lawmakers for
introducing their proposals (enacting or repealing laws, for example) in the
Senate. Bills are designated S. 1, S. 2,
and so on depending on the order in which they are introduced. They address either matters of general
interest ("public bills") or narrow interest ("private
bills"), such as immigration cases and individual claims against the
Federal government.
Budget Authority: Authority provided by law to enter into obligations that
will result in outlays of Federal funds.
Budget authority may be classified by the period of availability (one-year,
multiyear, no-year), by the timing of congressional action (current or
permanent), or by the manner of determining the amount available (definite or
indefinite).
Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant
"to meet together.” An informal
organization of Members of the House or the Senate, or both, that exists to
discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research
and policy planning for its members. There
are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
Christmas Tree Bill: Informal nomenclature for a bill on the Senate floor that
attracts many, often unrelated, floor amendments. The amendments which adorn the bill may
provide special benefits to various groups or interests.
Clean Bill: Generally, after a committee has amended legislation, the
chairman may be authorized by the panel to assemble the changes and what
remains unchanged from the original bill and then reintroduce everything as a
clean bill. A clean bill may expedite
Senate action by avoiding separate floor consideration of each committee
amendment.
Cloture: The only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place
a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a
filibuster. Under the cloture rule (Rule
XXII), the Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional
hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes.
Companion Bill or
Measure: Similar or identical legislation
which is introduced in the Senate and House.
House and Senate lawmakers who share similar views on legislation may
introduce a companion bill in their respective chambers to promote simultaneous
consideration of the measure.
Consideration: To "call up" or "lay down" a bill or
other measure on the Senate floor is to place it before the full Senate for
consideration, including debate, amendment, and voting. Measures normally come before the Senate for
consideration by the Majority Leader requesting unanimous consent that the
Senate take it up
Filibuster: Informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate
action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous
procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions.
Floor Amendment: An amendment offered by an individual Senator from the
floor during consideration of a bill or other measure, in contrast to a
committee amendment.
Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a
strict standard of relevance.
Motion to Proceed to
Consider: A motion, usually offered by the
Majority Leader to bring a bill or other measure up for consideration. The usual way of bringing a measure to the
floor when unanimous consent to do so cannot be obtained. For legislative business, the motion is
debatable under most circumstances, and therefore may be subject to filibuster.
Point of Order: A claim made by a Senator from the floor that a rule of
the Senate is being violated. If the
Chair sustains the point of order, the action in violation of the rule is not
permitted.
President Pro
Tempore: A constitutionally recognized
officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice
President. The President Pro Tempore
(or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by
custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous
service.
Quorum: The number of Senators that must be present for the
Senate to do business. The Constitution
requires a majority of Senators (51) for a quorum. Often, fewer Senators are actually present on
the floor, but the Senate presumes that a quorum is present unless the contrary
is shown by a roll call vote or quorum call.
Recess: A temporary interruption of the Senate's (or a
committee's) business. Generally, the
Senate recesses (rather than adjourns) at the end of each calendar day.
Rider: Informal term for a non-germane amendment to a bill or an
amendment to an appropriation bill that changes the permanent law governing a
program funded by the bill.
Table, Motion to: A Senator may move to table any pending question. The motion is not debatable, and agreement to
the motion is equivalent to defeating the question tabled. The motion is used to dispose quickly of
questions the Senate does not wish to consider further.
Unanimous Consent: A Senator may request unanimous consent on the floor to
set aside a specified rule of procedure so as to expedite proceedings. If no Senator objects, the Senate permits the
action, but if any one Senator objects, the request is rejected. Unanimous consent requests with only
immediate effects are routinely granted, but ones affecting the floor schedule,
the conditions of considering a bill or other business, or the rights of other
Senators, are normally not offered, or a floor leader will object to it, until
all Senators concerned have had an opportunity to inform the leaders that they
find it acceptable.
Unanimous Consent
Agreement: A unanimous consent request
setting terms for the consideration of a specified bill or other measure. These agreements are usually proposed by the
Majority Leader or floor manager of the measure, and reflect negotiations among
Senators interested in the measure. Many
are "time agreements," which limit the time available for debate and
specify who will control that time. Many
also permit only a list of specified amendments, or require amendments to be to
the measure. Many also contain other
provisions, such as empowering the Majority Leader to call up the measure at
will or specifying when consideration will begin or end.
Vice President: Under the Constitution, the Vice President serves as
President of the Senate. He may vote in
the Senate in the case of a tie, but is not required to. The President Pro Tempore (and others
designated by him) usually perform these duties during the Vice President's
frequent absences from the Senate.
Yield: When a Senator who has been recognized to speak
"yields" to another, he or she permits the other to speak while the
first Senator retains the floor. Technically,
a Senator may yield to another only for a question.
Yield the Floor: A Senator who has been recognized to speak yields the
floor when he or she completes his or her remarks and terminates his or her
recognition.
Standard Rules of the F.M.R. Model U.S. Senate
The following oath of
affirmation required by the Constitution and prescribed by law shall be taken
and subscribed to by each Senator in open Senate before entering upon his
duties.
"I, ___, do
solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United
States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith
and allegiance to the same; that I will take this obligation freely, without
any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and
faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter; so
help me God."
A quorum shall consist
of a majority of the Senators duly chosen and sworn in. If, at any time during the daily sessions, a
question shall be raised by any Senator as to the presence of a quorum, the
Presiding Officer shall direct the Secretary to call the roll and shall
announce the result, and these proceedings shall be without debate.
The Presiding Officer
having taken the chair, and a quorum being present, the Journal of the preceding
day shall be read and any errors corrected.
The proceedings of the Senate shall be briefly and accurately stated in
the Journal, including messages from the President, titles of bills and
resolutions, every vote, and a brief statement of the contents of each
petition, memorial or paper presented to the Senate.
A question of order may
be raised at any stage if no Senator has the floor, Senate not divided. Unless submitted to the Senate, the Presiding
Officer shall decide all such questions without debate, subject to an appeal to
the Senate. The Presiding Officer may
submit any question of order for the decision of the Senate. An affirmative majority vote is required for
passage.
The Presiding Officer
shall enforce order whenever demonstration or confusion in the chamber or
gallery calls for it. He may do so on
his own initiative, without any point of order being made by a Senator.
Cloture may be invoked
upon any measure or matter by the presentation to the Clerk of the Senate of a
motion with the signatures of 16 Senators.
After a valid cloture petition has been filed, it must lay over
for 15 minutes, after which the clerk will call the roll for a vote.
An affirmative vote of 3/5 (three-fifths) of those Senators chosen and sworn is
required for passage. If cloture
has been agreed to, ten (10) minutes of debate time on the pending matter
remain. All Senators who have not spoken
on the question will be permitted one minute for debate.
To be recognized to
speak, a Senator should stand and say "Mr. President." The
chair will recognize the first senator to seek recognition, with the
understanding that the Majority Leader will always be recognized first.
No Senator shall interrupt another Senator without his/her consent.
Senator
A: "Mr.
President, will the Senator yield?"
Chair: "Will the Senator yield?"
Senator
B: "Yes."
Senator A then proceeds
to speak. If Senator B refuses to yield
with an answer of "no," Senator A must return to his seat.
A Senator may avoid
interruptions by telling the Presiding Officer that he/she will yield to
questions after he/she is finished speaking.
Except for the Majority
and Minority Leaders, no Senator shall speak twice upon any new question in
debate on the same day, except by permission of the Senate which shall be
determined without debate.
All motions or
resolutions may be withdrawn or modified by the mover at any time before the
decision, amendment, or ordering of the yeas and nays. This does not apply to a motion to reconsider,
which shall not be withdrawn without leave.
No Senator shall refer
offensively to any State of the
No Senator in debate
shall, directly or indirectly, speak of another Senator or his conduct in a
manner unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.
Any Senator who, in the
opinion of the Presiding Officer, transgresses the rules of the Senate shall be
called to order by a motion of the Chair or another Senator. Any Senator called to order may appeal the
ruling of the Chair, which shall be open to debate.
Back to TopIn order to judge the effectiveness and
authenticity of your role portrayal in this simulation of the United States
Senate,
Outstanding Senator Award: Will be given to five Model Senators who (1) organize and
speak in a rational, well-informed manner, (2) gain the respect of fellow
Senators, (3) understand the correct procedures for passing legislation, (4)
are able, to some extent, to influence others’ opinions, and (5) maintain close
uniformity with regards to the political and policy outlook of the portrayed
Senator. This award will require a great
deal of preparation and often a bit of acting.
Most Effective Committee: Judged on the basis of the manner in which the committee
conducts itself in discussing bills; also the quality of legislation reported
out of the committee and the effective use of witnesses and their testimony.
Best Committee Chair: Judged on the skill with which he or she guides discussion
and keeps order. Chairs should see to it
that everyone has a chance to speak and that the witnesses are effectively used.
Best Ranking Minority Member: Judged on the skill with which he or she organizes and
guides the discussion of the minority party. Ranking Members should see to
it that every minority member has a chance to speak and that the witnesses are
effectively used.
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please contact Gail Lenkiewicz at <glenkiew@stetson.edu> or (386) 822-7570.