Senate Committees

The Senate committee that pertains to my blog topic is the US Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources. This committee oversees all legislation relating to national energy policy, national parks, public lands and forests, and water and power. The committee chair is Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon. The committee has 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans. The contributions made to each member is very specific. The issues and the contributors are very local, not as concerned with policy outside of their states or regions. Because this committee can see very local, specific legislation, the committee prides itself on its bipartisan abilities. These regional issues tend to stay outside of the national partisan spotlight. Although there is one more Democrat than Republican, the committee is balanced.

House Committees: Energy

The House committee that corresponds with my topic of energy is the Energy and Commerce Committee. The chairman of the E&C committee is Fred Upton. He is a republican from Michigan. The E&C reviews a broad range of bills. This includes those concerning commerce, manufacturing, communications, technology, energy and power, the environment, economy as well as heath regulations. The E&C committee is the oldest standing committee in the house and was created to help regulate the growing manufacturing industry.

Legislative Process

First a bill in introduced to the House or the Senate and it is then referred to a committee. A subcommittee the reviews and votes on advance and it is sent back to a full committee review and they vote on the bill. If the bill was introduced in the House, the next step is different from the Senate. The Rules Committee makes special rules about the debating process and vote on them. Then in both the Senate and in the House, they debate the bill and vote on it. If it passes the House and the Senate confer and compromise on all the differences in the bill. The bill then goes back to the Senate or House and is debated on again and voted on. If it passes then it is sent to the President who has the power to veto the bill. If he signs it, the bill becomes law, if he vetos the bill, congress can override the veto with a two thirds vote.

All the Presidents Men Fact Check

The movie incorporated a lot of actual people and event but dramatized the roll the Washington Post had in the whole scandal. In the film it made it seem like Woodward and Bernstein uncovered the entire thing when really they had a much less significant role. A lot of work was done by the the FBI, federal investigators, special prosecutors and other investigative departments within the government. After the Watergate scandal, Woodward and Bernstein continued to write. They both wrote in magazines, newspapers and books about the government and even had a few best sellers.

Obama's Way 3-2-1

Discoveries 

• I learned just how much a president has to do on a day to day basis. I never thought He had to deal with so many meeting, phone calls etc. everyday 
• Another discovery I made was that President Obama coaches his daughter's basketball teams. I think it is really cool that the even the President of the United States can make time for his kids. 
• After Nixon, every president since has used a different desk

Connection 

• My dad used to coach my basketball teams. I know how important it is for a kid to have a dad that makes time for them even if his schedule is very busy
• Seeing how competitive Obama is on the basketball court reminds me of myself and my family. We are all crazily competitive. 

Question

• Why did Obama agree to do this extensive interview with Michael Lewis? Isn't his schedule very busy everyday? 

Campaign Contributions in the Senate

The Senate committee that realates to my topic is the Senate Committee of Energy and Natural Resources . This committee oversees all legislation relating to national energy policy, national parks, public lands and forests, and water and power. The committee chair is Senator of Oregon, Ron Wyden. The committee has 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans. The contributions made to each member is very specific. The issues and the contributors are very local, not as concerned with policy outside of their states or regions. Because this committee can see very local, specific legislation, the committee prides itself on its bipartisan abilities. These regional issues tend to stay outside of the national partisan spotlight. Although there is one more Democrat than Republican, the committee is balanced. Recently, the Committee has created and help pass bills like the Nuclear Administration Act of 2012. It helps regulate how nuclear waste is handled and adds safety precautions to help preserve the environment. 

Senator Ron Wyden 

Regulatory Commission

A regulatory commission is an agency charged with writing rules, and settling disputes over certain areas of the economy. And example of a regulatory commission is the FERC or the Fedral Energy Regulatory Commission. Their mission is to ensure the public has sufficient energy sources at reasonable costs. The FERC recently settled dispute with Deutsche Bank on the manipulation of California power markets. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in charge of reactor safety and security, licenses, and radioactive material safety. The NRC recently had to deal with a reactor shutting down after losing offsite power in Massachusetts.