The+Legislature+-+Individual+Members+and+The+Flow+of+Interests


 * The Legislature - Individual Members and the Flow of Interests.**



This week, we conclude out look at the legislative branch with a look at the behavior of individual legislators and with special attention paid to local representatives on the national, state, and local levels.Our goal will be to come to terms with what makes them tick, and what exactly are reps do to serve the needs of their constituents.

We will also investigate the manner in which interests flow within legislatures and which players tend to have the greatest influence on the nature of legislation. More importantly, we will investigate how in fact this occurs. We will pay special attention to the networks of interests that developed within Congress around certain interests.

We will illustrate each of these by looking at current activity within the legislative branches.

This week, I want my lecture classes to rely primarily on the slides for the information for this class, though I have study guide questions and key terms listed below. As always, I want my online students to answer a series of questions.

As always, please write at least 150 words for each:
 * Questions for Spring 2010 online students.**

1. I want you to become familiar with the individuals who represent the Houston area in the U.S. Congress and, based on their activities and committee memberships, determine which interests are most likely to be represented by them. How? Are there any significant differences between the activities of Democrats and Republicans when it comes to local concerns? 2. Answer question #1 again, but this time for members of the area delegation in the Texas Legislature. 3. I want you to become familiar with the website run by the Center for Responsive Politics. It allows you to research the flow of money through Congress. Select a special interest important to the local economy and see what information you can obtain regarding how they try to have their interests addressed in Congress. 4. I've posted, and will continue to post, links to a variety of stories touching on the current gridlock in Congress. Critics wonder whether Congress is broken. Comment on this. Has the current political environment made the legislative process unable to meet the needs of the American people, or are the critics hysterical?

See the syllabus for the due date:

Study Guide Questions:

- will be posted soon.

Terms and Concepts.

Be prepared to define any of these terms: - Patronage. - [|Log Rolling]. - [|Earmarks]. - Constituency Service. - Pork Barrel Legislation. - Party Line Vote.

Area Legislators:

National:

- Wikipedia: [|United States' Congressional Delegations from Texas]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 2nd District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 7th District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 9th District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 10th District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 14th District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 18th District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 22nd District]. - Wikipedia: [|Texas 29th District].

State

Local:

Area City Councils: - Wikipedia: Houston City Council.


 * Influencing Members of Congress: Lobbying and Electioneering.

Lobbying.**

One of the freedoms clearly established in the First Amendment is also one of the more controversial. The right to peacefully assemble and [|petition] government for a redress of grievances, means that we are free to lobby Congress. But just saying we are free to do so does not means we are all able to successfully do so. Two of the principle ways that interest groups influence the legislative process is by [|lobbying], which means making direct appeals to members of Congress, and electioneering, which refers to efforts to aid in the re-election of incumbents, or the election of new members of Congress. Both are controversial because their relative effectiveness depends on the amount of money the groups have to spend.

The classic image of a lobbyist is one who hangs out in the lobby outside a legislative chamber and waits for members to walk out, so they can then approach them and discuss a particular issue with them. There are of course many ways this can be done. Aside from meeting in a legislators' office, they can meet in neutral sites such as fundraisers, award ceremonies, restaurants, and perhaps most controversially, private trips paid for by lobbyists. Lavish events tend to attract more members of Congress than more pedestrian ones. The key to effective lobbying is the ability of a lobbyist to gain access to a member of Congress. For that reason, familiarity helps. This explains why ex-members of Congress and state legislatures tend to make the best lobbyists. While we can all knock on a door, we cannot all have it opened and be invited inside. In the case of Texas Legislators. it helps explain why someone might put up with a job that only pays $600 per month. Once out of office, that person can earn six and seven figure salaries lobbying for well funded private interests.

- Meet [|Billy Tauzin], ex-Congressional Representative, current head of [|PhRMA].

In addition to ex-legislators, ex-staff members of legislators, or of legislative committees can be effective lobbyists. Not only would they also be acquainted with members of the legislature, they would also be familiar with the intricacies of the legislative process. They would know how things get done in a particular committee and be especially useful in passing, or stalling a given bill.

Controversies aside, lobbyists do serve an important function. They educate legislators about issues they might otherwise ignore. If the lobbyist can organize groups of constituents from the legislators' district, then the importance of a particular issue can be made clear. That said, this only helps interests that can afford to send people to Austin or Washington DC.

//Types of Lobbying//.

We normally think of lobbying as an interaction begun by the lobbyist who makes a plea to a legislator for a vote on a bill or the insertion of an amendment to a bill, or perhaps even for the introduction of a bill crafted by the lobbyist themselves. But sometimes, the relationship can be reversed. Reverse lobbying occurs when a legislator approaches an interest group and makes a demand that they do certain things in exchange for the legislators' support on a bill. Cross lobbying occurs when interest groups lobby each other in an attempt to increase their influence on a particular bill or issue.


 * Electioneering**.

Interest groups want to ensure that the composition of Congress is as favorable as possible for their positions. This means that they get involved in the recruitment, funding and election efforts of legislators they believe would vote their way, and attempt to defeat those that would not. Interest groups often get involved in public relations efforts not directly tied into the elections of legislators who support their positions in order to tilt the landscape in their favor.


 * What is Legal and What's Not**.

Despite the constitutional rights associated with lobbying and electioneering, questions continue to be raised about the ethics and legality of certain practices. In a sense, the offering of a vote in exchange for a favor is considered bribery. But in another sense, it is an effective way for constituents to ensure that they are well represented. If we are free to contribute money to candidates running for office, and presumably we are more likely to do so for people who will support the issues we support. Some degree of reciprocity should be expected. This is the heart of representation. But the idea that lobbyists, by possessing certain benefits not available to others, have a special ability to ensure that legislation benefits them or their interests at the expense of others, violates our belief that we are equally represented.

In recent years a variety of laws have been passed that attempt to address the unequal access that lobbying provides: - Wikipedia: [|Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995]. - Wikipedia: [|Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007].

The case of Jack Abramoff illustrates the problems associated with lobbying.