What Is a Filibuster in the US Senate

A filibuster is a delaying tactic used in the United States Senate to block a bill, amendment, resolution, or other measure being considered by preventing it from coming to a final vote on passage. Filibusters can happen only in the Senate since the chamber’s rules of debate place very few limits on Senators’ rights and opportunities in the legislative process. Specifically, once a Senator has been recognized by the presiding officer to speak on the floor, that Senator is allowed to speak for as long as he or she wishes. The term â€Å"filibuster† comes from the Spanish word filibustero, which came to Spanish from the Dutch word vrijbuiter, a â€Å"pirate† or â€Å"robber.† In the 1850s, the Spanish word filibustero was used to refer to American soldiers of fortune that traveled Central America and the Spanish West Indies stirring up rebellions.  The word was first used in Congress in the 1850s when a debate lasted so long that a disgruntled senator called the delaying speakers a pack of filibusteros. Filibusters cannot happen in the House of Representatives because House rules require specific time limits on debates.In addition, filibusters on a bill being considered under the federal budget â€Å"budget reconciliation† process are not allowed. Ending a Filibuster: The Cloture Motion Under Senate Rule 22, the only way opposing Senators can stop a filibuster is to gain passage of a resolution known as a â€Å"cloture† motion, which requires a three-fifths majority vote (normally 60 of 100 votes) of the Senators present and voting. Stopping a filibuster through the passage of a cloture motion is not as easy or as quick it sounds. First, at least 16 Senators must get together to present the cloture motion for consideration. Then, the Senate typically does not vote on cloture motions until the second day of the session after the motion was made. Even after a cloture motion is passed and the filibuster ends, an additional 30 hours of debate is usually allowed on the bill or measure in question. Moreover, the Congressional Research Service has reported that over the years, most bills lacking clear support from both political parties may face at least two filibusters before the Senate votes on final passage of the bill: first, a filibuster on a motion to proceed to the bill’s consideration and, second, after the Senate agrees to this motion, a filibuster on the bill itself. When originally adopted in 1917, Senate Rule 22 required that a cloture motion to end debate needed a two-thirds â€Å"supermajority† vote (normally 67 votes) to pass. Over the next 50 years, cloture motions usually failed to garner the 67 votes needed to pass. Finally, in 1975, the Senate amended Rule 22  to require the current three-fifths or 60 votes for passage. The Nuclear Option On November 21, 2013, the Senate voted to require a simple majority vote (normally 51 votes) to pass cloture motions ending filibusters on presidential nominations for executive branch positions, including Cabinet secretary posts, and lower federal court judgeships only. Backed by Senate Democrats, who held a majority in the Senate at the time, the amendment to Rule 22 became known as the â€Å"nuclear option.† In practice, the nuclear option allows the Senate to override any of its own rules of debate or procedure by a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than by a supermajority of 60 votes. The term â€Å"nuclear option† comes from traditional references to nuclear weapons as the ultimate power in warfare. While actually used only twice, most recently in 2017, the threat of the nuclear option in the Senate was first recorded in 1917. In 1957, Vice President Richard Nixon, in his role as president of the Senate, issued a written opinion concluding that the U.S. Constitution grants the presiding officer of the Senate the authority to override existing procedural rules On April 6, 2017, Senate Republicans set a new precedent by using the nuclear option to expedite the successful confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. The move marked the first time in Senate history that the nuclear option had been used to end debate on the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice. Origins of the Filibuster In the early days of Congress, filibusters were allowed in both the Senate and the House. However, as the number of representatives grew through the process of apportionment, the leaders of the House realized that in order to deal with bills in a timely manner, House rules had to be amended to limit time allowed for debate. In the smaller Senate, however, unlimited debate has continued based on the chambers belief that all senators should have the right to speak as long as they wish on any issue being considered by the full Senate. While the popular 1939 movie â€Å"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,† starring Jimmy Stewart as Senator Jefferson Smith taught many Americans about filibusters, history has provided some even more impactful real-life filibusters. In the 1930s, Senator Huey P. Long of Louisiana launched a number of memorable filibusters against banking bills he felt favored the rich over the poor. During one of his filibusters in 1933, Sen. Long held the floor for 15 straight hours, during which he often entertained spectators and other Senators alike by reciting Shakespeare and reading his favorite recipes for Louisiana-style â€Å"pot-likker† dishes. South Carolina’s J. Strom Thurmond highlighted his 48 years in the Senate by conducting the longest solo filibuster in history by speaking for a staggering 24 hours and 18 minutes, nonstop, against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

The Importance Of Social Responsibility, Communication,...

This essay will discuss the importance of social responsibility, communication, and teamwork in the workplace in particular as a nurse in the healthcare setting of general practice. By giving care to be proud of and being open, honest and approachable as well as working together as part of a team for the same outcome will benefit the patients. As a nurse in general practice the role includes a lot of involvement in the community. You become the face of the clinic and if you live in the same area you are often recognised on the street. By being a part of the community it shows the patients that you are involved whole heartedly with the health and wellbeing of the patients. Due to the demand on the health care system the demands on the staff are high and the patients have high expectations on the type of care they receive. Social responsibility, communication, and teamwork are crucial skills for a nurse working in general practice because patient care and the outcome of their health is important for patient satisfaction, job satisfaction and a harmonious workplace. Giving care to be proud of by being open, honest and approachable as well as working together as part of a team for the same outcome will benefit the patients. The key areas that will be covered in this essay will include social responsibility; this includes different cultures, beliefs and work ethics. Communication, which will discuss openness, honesty and giving and receiving feedback. Teamwork whichShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Teamwork, Social Responsibility And Communication1879 Words   |  8 PagesThis essay looks at workplace citizenship and its essential components and critically argues the importance of teamwork, social responsibility and communication as important core values and skills to the NGO sector. 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Racism in the Work Place Free Essays

Racial discrimination at the workplace is, unfortunately, becoming common. It exists in workplaces across the world. With globalization and better work opportunities, people are traveling across to other countries and settling down. We will write a custom essay sample on Racism in the Work Place or any similar topic only for you Order Now Their culture, traditions, interests, beliefs differ from that of the locals and this leads to a conflict of interest, of sorts. This can lead to racial discrimination at places of work, community, schools and so on. On April 14, 2005, the class action lawsuit Gonzalez v. Abercrombie Fitch, was granted final approval settlement. The settlement requires the retail clothing giant to pay $50 million, less attorneys’ fees and costs, to Latino, African American, Asian American and female applicants and employees who charged the company with discrimination. The settlement also requires the company to institute a range of policies and programs to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimination based on race or gender. Abercrombie Fitch is a clothing retailer marketing to young adults, teenagers and children. It employs over 22,000 employees, most of whom are college-age adults, in over 700 stores throughout the United States. The settlement agreement also contains provisions related to the recruitment, hiring, job assignment, training, and promotion of Abercrombie Fitch, Hollister, and Abercrombie Kids employees. The provisions include; †¢ A new Office and Vice President of Diversity, responsible for reporting to the CEO on Abercrombie’s progress toward fair employment practices. †¢ The hiring of 25 recruiters who will focus on and seek women and minority employees. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Diversity Training for all employees with hiring authority. †¢ A new internal complaint procedure. †¢ Abercrombie marketing materials that will reflect diversity by including members of minority racial and ethnic groups. In addition, Abercrombie created a $40 million Settlement Fund for distribution to individual class members. This will total approximately $1 0 million, bringing the total amount Abercrombie must pay to approximately $50 million. The young men and women who applied to work at Abercrombie should have been judged on their qualifications, and not their skin color or gender. The class action settlement compensates class members for being subjected to the challenged practices and ensures that Abercrombie will improve its employment practices and diversity efforts nationwide. Given that Abercrombie is a nationwide store, only proves that even today discrimination is very common and everyone should take a stand against it. How to cite Racism in the Work Place, Papers