Lex Majoris Partis: How the Senate Can End the Filibuster on Any Day by Simple Majority Rule

Amar, the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, explains his preferred version of the so-called nuclear option by which a simple Senate majority may modify or eliminate the Senate\u27s entrenched filibuster practice

Immigration Bill Not Likely To Influence Senate Vote 08/05/13

Almost half of New Hampshire residents say they support the immigration bill that recently passed in the U.S. Senate. However most say that a Senator’s vote for the bill will make little difference in their vote for U.S. Senate

Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion

A record 102 women currently serve in the 113th Congress: 82 in the House (63 Democrats and 19 Republicans) and 20 in the Senate (16 Democrats and 4 Republicans). One hundred one women were initially sworn in to the 113th Congress—1 female Republican House Member has since resigned, and 2 Democratic House Members have been elected. This is higher than the previous record number of 95 women who were initially elected to the 111th Congress. The first woman elected to Congress was Representative Jeannette Rankin (R- MT, 1917-1919, 1941-1943). The first woman to serve in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA). She was appointed in 1922 and served for only one day. Hattie Caraway (D-AR, 1931-1945) was the first Senator to succeed her husband and the first woman elected to a six-year Senate term. A total of 298 women have served in Congress, 194 Democrats and 104 Republicans. Of these women, 254 (165 Democrats, 89 Republicans) have served only in the House of Representatives; 34 (21 Democrats, 13 Republicans) have served only in the Senate; and 10 (8 Democrats, 2 Republicans) have served in both houses. These figures include 4 non-voting Delegates, 1 each from Guam, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A total of 33 African American women have served in Congress (1 in the Senate, 32 in the House), including 17 serving in the 113th Congress. Ten Hispanic women have been elected to the House; nine serve in the 113th Congress. Nine Asian Pacific American women have served in Congress (8 in the House, 1 in both the House and Senate), including seven in the 113th Congress. Nineteen women in the House, and 10 women in the Senate, have chaired committees. In the 113th Congress, 1 woman chairs a House committee, and 5 women chair Senate committees, with 1 female Senator chairing two committees. This report includes a discussion of the impact of women in Congress as well as historical information, including the number and percentage of women in Congress over time, means of entry to Congress, comparisons to international and state legislatures, records for tenure, firsts for women in Congress, women in leadership, and African American and Asian Pacific American women in Congress. The report may reflect data at the beginning or end of each Congress, or changes during a Congress. See the notes throughout the report for information on the currency of the data

A Case for Undocumented Students in Higher Education: The Pursuit of Social Justice in Oregon Senate Bill 742

Should undocumented students be able to pay resident tuition rates at public universities? In the spring of 2011, the Oregon Senate introduced Senate Bill 742. The bill would allow undocumented students to pay resident tuition rates at the state\u27s seven public universities. This article presents philosophical arguments in support of the bill by using the ideologies outlined in egalitarian and communitarian ideas. Moreover, the liberal ideas of political philosophers Robert Nozick and Friedrich Hayek present counterarguments to my thesis. Senate Bill 742 could help to rectify the injustice inherent in the college admissions system

Assuming the Leadership Role on Climate Change and Energy Security

With decades of service in the United States Senate, including Chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Lugar addresses the most looming issues facing mankind: global climate change and energy dependence. He concludes that effective leadership must not exist myopically, but must be shared by global partners, both friendly and hostile, and optimistically forecasts resolution through ingenuity and innovation

The Public Health Effects of Sprawl: A Compelling Case for Addressing Public Health in Transportation and Land Use Policy

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute, in conjunction with the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, held a Congressional briefing to explore the relationship between public health, transportation and land-use. New studies indicate that improvements in land use and community design could help moderate many of the chronic diseases of the 21st century -- high blood pressure, obesity, and asthma -- by providing transportation options that increase physical activity and reduce air pollution. The panel discussed the need to adequately address health considerations in transportation and land-use decisions, and the specific policy measures that could move us toward healthier land-use patterns and healthier communities. The Senate Smart Growth Task Force founded by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Jim Jeffords (I-VT) co-sponsored this briefing. In her opening remarks, Kris Sarri, legislative assistant to Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Task Force, invited Senate offices to join the task force. Established in 1999, the Task Force provides Senators with a forum for education and coordination of efforts concerning sustainable growth patterns. The overall goal of the Task Force is to determine and promote ways the federal government can help states and localities to address their own growth management issues. On the date of the briefing 20 Senators or 1/5th of the Senate were listed as members of the Task Force

Weak Presidents, Treaty Ratification, and Presidential Leadership Style

Traditionally, the president is seen as getting his way when it comes to foreign-policy issues; however, with treaty making, an aspect very much related to foreign policy, things are different. Treaties are seen as salient, high-profile, and requiring direct positive action by the Senate. Presidents with high approval ratings would expect to have a relatively easy job at getting treaties approved by the Senate, but when a president is faced with low public approval, one of the most useful tools at his disposal to get Senate approval is not in play. The authors look at a case study of President Carter and the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties to suggest what “weak” presidents can do to get their way

The Amended Canadian Patent Act: General Amendments and Pharmaceutical Patents Compulsory Licensing Provisions

On November 19, 1987, the Canadian Senate gave final approval to a number of far-reaching and controversial amendments to the Canadian Patent Act ( Amending Act ). On the same day, following Senate approval, the Bill C-22 became law upon royal assent. The Patent Act, enacted in 1935, had remained largely unchanged, notwithstanding amendments in 1952 and 1969. The present amendments therefore constitute an unprecedented overhaul of the Candian law of patents

The Whalesong

Student Senate opposes tuition fee -- Senate votes to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- Campus calendar -- Program cuts haunt budget -- Got class? Register now -- Big oil leaves messy tracks in Alaska -- "C" is for cookie, that's good enough for me -- Poetry corner -- Photo student leaves UAS bittersweet -- Requiem gives talented students musical outlet -- Native oratory contest awards speaking skills -- Winner of Pulitzer Prize for poetry visits UAS campus -- Diversity: A key to education in the 21st century -- Graduation still elusive -- Ready or not for finals -- Ten tips to tension tamed tests -- Finals crossword -- Congratulations to UAS fall and spring 2005 graduate