When an enrolled bill becomes law, it is then sent to the Archives of the United States. If the bill becomes law by legislative override of an executive veto, Congress sends the bill to the Archives. If the bill becomes law through any other method, such as a pocket approval or signature approval, the White … Read more
Under certain circumstances, congressional committee staff members may choose to depose potential witnesses and scheduled witnesses. The purpose of such depositions is to gather information in order to prepare for a hearing. This is more common in investigative hearings. photo credit: Vincent van der Pas Formal in nature, such questioning of a witness is the … Read more
When faced with an ethical dilemma, public relations professionals ultimately have four choices available to them: avoidance, compliance, ignorance and resignation. photo credit: The Co-operative Avoidance The most ethical choice can sometimes be to avoid answering a question. If you are faced with a question that would require you to make a difficult ethical decision, … Read more
Within the federal government, there are two primary types of organizations: executive departments and independent agencies. photo credit: Mr. T in DC Heading the executive departments are members of the president’s cabinet. They report directly to the president and serve at his pleasure by implementing his agenda and carrying out his policies. The heads of … Read more
As an advocate, particularly in a courtroom setting, it is important to think out in advance the answer you want to hear and then design your questions to present a view toward obtaining that desired answer. photo credit: Taylor.McBride™ Ultimately, you are seeking an answer that favors your position. And a big part of your … Read more
One of the important activities you can undertake as part of advocacy is performing an issue audit. The purpose of this audit is to assess media coverage and public opinion. This refers not only to current media coverage, but also to anticipated media coverage. Such an audit should be conducted on a national level as … Read more
“Accomplishments” in Congress are often collected and touted to fuel reelection bids. Every two years representatives face the grind of election while senators face election every six years. During the interim, members continue to run reelection campaigns. The question of “what have you done for me lately?” hangs over the heads of all Congressional members. … Read more
There are four types of votes that occur in the House of Representatives. They are voice, division, yea and nay, and record votes. A voice vote refers to members calling out ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ whenever a question is put in the House. The Speaker will determine the outcome of the vote by the volume of … Read more
Whenever hearings are completed a committee may meet to mark up a measure. The language of the original measure will be analyzed line by line or section by section and then marked up or changed and amended. photo credit: withassociates The easiest way to conduct a markup is to use an introduced measure. In this … Read more
Preparing to testify before Congress can require a significant amount of preparation on the part of the witness. When you are invited to testify before Congress, it is important to understand the advance preparations that must be made and the rules and requirements related to those preparations. photo credit: Daquella manera Committee rules and guidelines … Read more