Regular order within the context of the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
refers to the semi-strict or strict application of
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
and
subcommittee processes, including
public hearing
In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee.
Description
A hearing is generally distinguished from a trial in that it is usually shorter and o ...
opportunities and the holding of multiple
votes. Said processes are designed to promote
consensus-based forms of
decision making
In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either rati ...
, particularly in terms of fostering accommodations for minority viewpoints. In the context of the broader
history of the U.S. Congress, regular order is closely associated with
bipartisanship
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find c ...
.
In contrast to following regular order, the normal
Congressional structure and
procedural approach can be somewhat bypassed by organizing task forces that the leadership runs, attempting to reduce the ability to propose amendments and otherwise shorten the length of time a measure is discussed.
[
Political reporter Ron Elving, of ]NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
has remarked that "regular order is not only a process, it is also a state of mind."[
]
See also
* Bipartisanship
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find c ...
* History of the United States Congress
The history of the United States Congress refers to the chronological record of the United States Congress including legislative sessions from 1789 to the present day. It also includes a brief history of the Continental Congress from 1774 thro ...
* Procedures of the United States Congress
Procedures of the United States Congress are established ways of doing legislative business. Congress has two-year terms with one session each year. There are rules and procedures, often complex, which guide how it converts ideas for legislation ...
* Structure of the United States Congress
The structure of the United States Congress with a separate House and Senate (respectively the lower and upper houses of the bicameral legislature) is complex with numerous committees handling a disparate array of topics presided over by elected ...
** List of current United States congressional joint committees
This is a list of active joint United States congressional committees.
Committee leadership
For purpose of seniority on joint committees, total time ''in Congress''—Senate and House—is counted. Most joint committees rotate their chair and vi ...
** United States congressional committee
A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress). Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the ...
** United States congressional subcommittee
References
External links
"Restoring regular order in congressional appropriations"
brookings.edu
Terminology of the United States Congress
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