Every day of every Congressional Session, be it Federal, State or Local, issues that affect us are being determined and decided. An understanding of how to lobby and advocate your needs to your representatives should begin with a basic understanding of how the United States government works. Federal and State Congresses are composed of two governing bodies. Individual State Congresses have a similar makeup. Each Legislator is elected by the constituency of the area they serve.
Legislatures have the power to make laws.
The President can veto the bill and send it back to the House and Senate. The veto can be overridden if both the House and Senate approve the bill by a two-thirds margin. A bill can be introduced in either the Senate or House. Legislation introduced by the members of Congress can come from many sources. Authorizing bills usually set a ceiling on the maximum amount of funds that can be spent by a program for a period of three to five years but do not establish the funds to operate the program.