Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
Capital Sidelights

journment many persons are mysti-
fed by the speed with which some
legislative proposals are disposed of
and the vexatious delay regarding
some pet measure Of their own, which
they are anxious to have passed. The
writer Of this column has been asked
to trace the progress of bill:
The committees necessarily WELD q
large power over legislation in its
early stages, and 1t Is quite as much
| a. selective as a constructive power.
When it Is stated that as many as
$3.50 measures have been introduced
in a single term of the House. we can
form some idea Of the magnitude of
the work cut out for the committees.
The process followed when q meas
ure is introduced in the House may
be briefly described. The bill is first
dropped, let us say, by Mr.. X into a
basket on the clerks desk known as
1.-The hopper" The Speakers clerk
goes through the batch of new bills
and assigns the X bill to the commit.
tee having Jurisdiction. The bill is
numbered and proper records are made
of it's introduction and the bill is sent
to the Government Printing Office,
! where a number Of copies of 1t are
struck off. The copies are deposited
in the document room Of the House,
|
members.
The committee considers the bill at
one OF its PERIODIC meetings and de-
| cldes whether to report 1t in its origi-
| nal form or to report 1t with amend
ments. Sometimes extensive hearings
on the bill are accorded it's friends
and opponents. Let US assume that
the committee approves the x bill
either with or without amendments.
fe hAN T..
the committee, with recommends
ton that it be passed. The clerk re-
ceiyes 1t and refers 1t and the report
to the calendar. II II is q public bill
involving charge of money or prop
erty, it is referred to the calendar of
| the committee of the whole House on
the state Of the Union. If it is merely
a public bill it goes to the House cal
endar. and If a private bill to the
private calendar. More records of it
are now made, and if ii has been
amended in committee another batch
or copies is printed carrying the cal
endar number and showing the pro
posed amendments
| Numerous are the ways provided by
the House rules for taking up a bill
once 1t is on the calendar, depending
upon its nature. whether privileged
or not. 1t may be taken up by unani
nous consent. may be called up on a
calendar Wednesday by direction OF
the committee reporting it, may be
passed under suspension of the rules
may come up on certain days If 1t is a
private bill, or NAV take precedence
over other bills if it is an appropria
ton or revenue bill. And IT, in the
view of the rules committee. the bill
deserves prompt and special consid
GRAFTON, that committee may bring ir
rule for its immediate considera
ton and prescribe the terms unde,
which 1t may be considered, overrid
ing all rules save the rule for a mo
l.tion to recommit. Ordinarily the du
ration of the debate Is determined b,
the importance of the measure The
discussion is generally opened by the
chairman of the committee in charge
and unless specified time has beer
set for debate. 1t is ended bv a mo
ton for the previous question"
Inc y bill being passed, that fac
is certified by the clerk of the House
and the certified copy is carried b,
MN TO the Senate, where, after Ger
tain formalities, it Is received by tn.
Vice President and by him referred t,
the Senate committee having turisdic
ton of the subject matter. Here 1
undergoes another process of exam
ination. The Senate committee, II
turn, is at liberty to shelve or pigeon
hole it," to approve as it stands, o.
to make amendments of it's own.
! approved or amended. the X bill is re
ported in due time to the Senate.
passed by that body, it is returned t
the House.
If the bill has been amended by tn,
Senate and the House accepts thu
amendment, that ends the matter, ant
the bill is signed by the Speaker ant
the Vice President and is presented
by the committee on enrolled bill
to the President for his approval o.
rejection. as the case may be. Blu
If, on the other hand, the House dis
agrees to the Senate amendments, TIL
Senate is so informed, and if it still
insists upon its amendments, eacl
branch appoints representatives to
joint conference committee, which i
charged with the duty of compromis
ing the differences between the tw,
bills. The committee nearly Away
reaches an agreement, and its repor
is almost invariably confirmed by tn
vote Of the two branches.
This is an outline of the progress O
an ordinary measure to final adoption
In the case of bills of major impor
lance, as. for example, a general tariff
means committee, to which such legis
lation is confided, but the Senat
finance committee, which exercises
corresponding function for the uppe
branch. holds public hearings for tn
discussion of the legislation in hand
1t sometimes happens that the Senat
and House committees are far apar
in their final conclusions as to the de
tails OF grave measures, and in sucl
cases heavy responsibility is intrust
, ed to the conference committee. Nor
and more in both houses the power
of the conference committees are b<
ing curtailed.
Whenever a few moments can b
, spared these days by Speaker Ions
worth from his official duties as pre
siding officer in the National House o
Representatives. he is kept busy DOS
ing for bust which Is peing execute,
in the Speakers Office in the Capito
by Moses Dykaar, Russian sculptor
who is soon to get his Ameficanshi]
papers.
1t was Dykaar who did the marbl
bust of former Speaker Champ Clark
which was recently unveiled an,
which occupies a pedestal in the cor
ridor leading from the House of Stat
uary Hall. He has also done bust
of President Coolidge, Hudson Maxim
Senator Owen and Maj. Gen. Georg
o. Squier.
! 1t is the expectation of his friend
that the bust of Speaker Lonswortl
will eventually occupy a place in tn,
Capitol.