by: Erika Lovely and Marin Cogan, July 14, 2010
Constututional Connection:
The legislative branch is made up of the two houses of Congress; the Senate and the House of Representatives. The most important duty of the legislative branch is to make laws. Laws are written, discussed and voted on in Congress.
There are 100 senators in the Senate, two from each state. Senators are elected by their states and serve six-year terms. The Vice President of the U.S. is considered the head of the Senate, but does not vote in the Senate unless there is a tie. The Senate approves nominations made by the President to the Cabinet, the Supreme Court, federal courts and other posts. The Senate must ratify all treaties by a two-thirds vote.
There are 435 representatives in the House of Representatives. The number of representatives each state gets is based on its population. For example, California has many more representatives than Rhode Island. When Census figures determine that the population of a state has changed significantly, the number of representatives in that state may shift proportionately. Representatives are elected by their states and serve two-year terms. The Speaker of the House, elected by the representatives, is considered the head of the House.
Both parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives elect leaders. The leader of the party that controls the house is called the majority leader. The other party leader is called the minority leader.
Analysis of the Connection:
As of right now there are complications in the legislative branch because they dont want to pass a job giving law for war veterens. Congress also put itself out of this law that would aid post-military employment for veterans. Congress has a veteran hiring act that goes into action when ever a veteran needs a job. They give these unemployed veterans jobs because they have good leadership experiance, do quality work, have had training, and know-how. The Congressional Budget Office and some support positions in the House and Senate do not receive this affirmative-action-type boost, potentially preventing veterans from getting jobs.
Representative Duncan Hunter says, "It’s incredible that Congress, years after applying VEOA to government jobs, has yet to finalize the regulations for veterans’ employment in the legislative branch. Veterans are some of the most qualified individuals joining the work force today, possessing quality leadership, training and know-how, we have made a commitment to these men and women, and it’s important that we follow through". Representative Lorretta Sancgez agrees with Hunter and says "It’s unacceptable for Congress to exempt itself from VEOA requirements. I believe we have an obligation to honor the service and sacrifice of our veterans, including those who are looking for jobs in government. They have certainly earned the right to every possible advantage". Congressional approval for this law is very important so that veterans can benefit from the accelerations congress was giving them in the first place.
In my opinion, i agree that Congress should pass this law for veterans because they have surved our country well and sacrificed most of their life to fight for us as Americans. Even though it might not be fair to other citizens of this country because they feel like they got fired because of the budget cuts and they still have to support their family too, veterans have helped this country in many ways and with out them there would probably be no us.
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