52006200 Families and Social Policy Lecture Two

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5200/6200Families and Social PolicyLecture
Two
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This week.

• POLICY PROCESS
• Today
• How does policy work exactly? Civics review
• Brief history of family policy and political
  administrations.
• Go over book reports and sign up for times.
  First come, first serve
• Thursday
• Federalism, Values, and the Implications for
  Family Policy
• International efforts to change policyone
  percent for the kids/UK
• Talk about paper/handout

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Guided discussion

• One page handout
• Present background of article
• Draw from other readings for the week or other
  sources
• Present proposal for change
• How much would it cost
• Critique proposal
• What would work
• What would likely not work
• Is the benefit more than the cost?
• What are some other ways to alter policy not
  mentioned by the article
• Where to go for more information

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How does policy work exactly?
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3 BRANCHES OF THE US GOVERNMENT
EXECUTIVE
LEGISLATIVE
JUDICIAL
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Executive Branch

• Presidential branch
• Administration of laws created in legislative
  branch
• 14 departments to carry out this work
• Heads of departments make up the cabinet

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Executive departmentscabinet

• Agriculture
• Commerce
• Defense
• Education
• Energy
• Health and Human Services
• Housing and Urban Development

• Interior
• Justice
• State
• Transportation
• Treasury
• Veterans affairs

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Judicial Branch

• Interpretation of law
• System of courts headed by supreme court
• Supreme Court
• 11 Courts of appeal
• 91 District courts

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Legislative Branch

• Bicameral legislature
• House of Representatives
• representatives of the people
• number per state based on population
• Senate
• representative of the state as a whole
• 2 members per state

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Drafting Bill or Resolution

• Numerous sources
• Members of congress
• Petition by the people
• Sent from the president
• Executive departments

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Introducing bill or resolution

• Senate
• Often without comment
• If formally introduced, senator will usually make
  a supporting statement
• If no objection, title is read and assigned to
  committee
• House
• Not even read by title
• Printed in the Congressional Record
• Assigned to committee
• Sent to Government Printing Office
• Made available in document rooms and to public

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House Committees

• Energy and Commerce
• Foreign Affairs
• Government Operations
• House Administration
• Interior and Insular Affairs
• Science, Space and Technology
• Small Business
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Veterans affairs
• Ways and Means

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Banking, finance urban affairs
• Budget
• District of Columbia
• Education and Labor
• Judiciary
• Merchant Marine and Fisheries
• Post office and Civil Service
• Public Works and Transportation
• Rules

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Senate Committees

• Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
• Appropriation
• Armed Services
• Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs
• Budget
• Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Judiciary
• Labor and Human Resources
• Rules and Administration
• Small Business
• Veterans Affairs

• Energy and Natural Resources
• Environment and Public Works
• Finance
• Foreign Relations
• Governmental Affairs

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Committee Process

• Most critical part of process
• Sent to relevant depts agencies for review
• Public hearings held
• Markup session--subcommittee
• Subcommittee makes recommendation
• Bill returns to floor or is killed

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Bill returned to floor

• Open debate on floor or house or senate
• Bills can be
• Returned to committee
• Approved
• Defeated
• Tabled

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Consideration by other house

• Once passed by the House or Senate, the other
  chamber must consider the bill
• If bill is amended, conference committee is
  convened to reconcile differences

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To the President

• Once a bill has been accepted by both houses, on
  to the president
• President can
• sign
• veto

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Bill introduced
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State Government

• Each state has an organization similar to the
  federal government
• Control over
• regulation of property, business, public
  utilities
• working conditions within state
• criminal code

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City Government

• Directly serves needs of people
• Fire and police protection
• Health regulations
• Education
• Public transportation

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County Government

• Sub-division of state
• One town or city county seat
• Control over
• salary of county employees
• road maintenance
• supervises elections
• levies taxes

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Mosaic of little republics

• Supremacy of federal government
• Works in collaboration with other governments
• Multi-layered system reflects the evolution of
  the U.S. democracy

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Linkages to prior political administrations
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Linkages to Prior AdministrationsRecent History
80s and 90s
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1980--White House Conference on Families

• First conference to replace children with
  families
• Focus on family stopped any major
  accomplishments
• Beginning of division between parties on family
  issues
• Conservatives--pro-family
• Liberals--anti-family

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Enter the Reagan Administration

• Government off the backs of the people
• Ultimate privacy for and responsibility of
  family for its members
• Favored a personal responsibility approach to
  social problems

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100th Congress followed

• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (PC
  97-35)
• Reduced federal spending
• 25 major childrens programs
• 11 cut
• Regressive tax measures
• increased taxes on poor and middle class
• gave cuts to wealthiest

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George H. W. Bush 1989-1991

• 1000 points of light.
• Focus on family values at the 1988 convention.
• Bush was more indirect
• Childcare--22.5 million child care bill to make
  quality child care available to American families
• Family planning--1989, Supreme Court ruling gave
  states new authority to restrict access to
  abortions.
• Family leave--Vetoed in 1990 and 1992.

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Clinton Administration

• Increased funding for child care
• Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997
• Hosted a conference on early childhood
  development in April of 1997

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More recent history

• However, the 105th Congress was a balance to the
  Clinton administrations initiatives
• The Contract with America
• Cut spending on social programs
• Give responsibility for families (as they defined
  family) back to the family
  
  

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George W. Bush

• Compassion
• Equal treatment for faith-based and community
  organizations.
• welfare plan 240 mil for a State-based matching
  to support healthy marriages,
• Economy
• Job creation
• Health care
• Created New Health Savings Accounts. signed
  legislation that makes HSAs available
• Education
• No Child Left behind

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Summary

• Everyone agrees that that families have changed
  over the years
• Carter and Clinton more direct and all during
  terms
• Reagan at the end of term
• Bush more indirect
• All 4 pres had limited successes with their
  family policy initiates in congress.
• Why does the US have no major family policy yet?