TRY A CLASSIFIED AD PHONE 626-2191 or 394-3047 FARM •> Need more room? Farm Families have a "before you know it" way of growing and homes have a way of get- ting smaller. Save your family the inconveni- ence of cramped living space and ask us to- day about a loan for expansion. We have help- ed many young families live more comfort- ably with convenient financing. 411 W. ROSEVILLE RD., LANCASTER PH. 393-3921 Scan any Congressman’s voting record and you will find instances where it seems to be inconsistent. Those in consistencies puzzle many people and cause some to question whether their Representative has any firm opinions. The confusion results from the legislative process that often requires two, three or as many as five different votes on the same bill. That is, several votes on a bill that has the same number and title, but not necessarily the same language. Why so many votes and why would the bill change between votes? ' The first time the House of Representatives acts on a piece of legislation is as it emerges from the committee which considered it.' The language adopted by the committee is debated on the House floor and amendments may be added. Then we either vote the legislation up or down. If the bill clears the House, it goes to the Senate for con sideration. More than likely, the Senate will make some changes in the language, and may even change the entire intent and thrust of the bill as originally approved by the House. Any differences between House and Senate versions of the legislation must be resolved by a CREDIT 3 AGWAY BUILDING, LEBANON PH. 273-4506 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 31.1973 conference committee, and then we vote on the conference committee’s report. Depending on which version of the bill dominates the conference committee’s compromise proposal, a Congressman’s vote can change. If the Senate version is at odds with the original House bill, and the conference com mittee has adopted most of the Senate language, a Represen tative may find himself opposed to a bill he originally favored. This is true even though the bill carries its original title and number. Still another vote can come if the legislation is sent to the White House and vetoed there. At this point, the priorities that a Congressman has previously used in determining his vote may have to be revised to reflect the national priorities outlined by the President. For example, a vote on legislation the first time through and even the second time through can be based on a Represen tative's evaluation of his District’s priorities. He can vote for spending money to do things that his District feels are most important. But, a Presidential veto often causes a Representative to evaluate those District needs and desires more in light of the national interest. Congress has a habit of spending money for a little of everything and thereby causing deficits, inflation and increasing the possibility of new taxes. If the President is right that the spending in a bill favored by a Representative could break the budget and cause national economic problems, a vote against the bill after the veto may be in order. In other words, new circumstances require new thinking. The role of a legislator requires that he be flexible and realistic. Too often, it is those two things that make the legislative process seem indecisive or wishy-washy. But, in fact, it is flexibility and realism that result in the com promises needed in developing any piece of legislation. 45
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers