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Party Influence on House of Representatives

CHANGES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

This research paper describes the changes which have occurred in the leadership, organization and management of the House of Representatives under the Republicans in 19941995, as compared with the way business was conducted under the Democrats previously, and discusses the effects of such changes on the legislative process. On January 3, 1995, the Republicans took control of both the Senate and the House for the first time in more than forty years. In deciding how to further their legislative agenda and political purposes, House Republicans under their new Speaker, Representative Newt Gingrich of Georgia faced a number of challenges and choices with respect to the way they would run the House. A number of changes have been made, some of which were designed to streamline operations, others came in response to demands for procedural and ethical reforms and still others strengthened the powers of the Speaker. Although some of these measures enjoy broad support and are likely to endure, the principal effect of many of these changes has been to enable the Republican leadership to control more tightly the legislative process.

Reforms in The House and the Democrats

By the time that Gingrich became Speaker of the House, serious questions were being raised as to the effectiveness of the House as a legislative body. The Constitution requires all revenue and appropriations bills to originate in the House which since its inception has initiated most important federal legislation. To expedite its work load, which has grown in volume and complexity over the years, the House, in contrast with the Senate, became "more hierarchically organized" (Congressional Quarterly Guide 409). Its rules were more rigid, being designed, said Cohen, "to allow the majority to work its will" (89). This was necessary to control the centrifugal forces which are inevitable in a body with four hundred thirty five...

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Party Influence on House of Representatives. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:50, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693111.html