Legislative process

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

In this unit, you learned about the legislative process the EPA takes to transform policy into legislation and then laws. For this assignment, you will further explore this topic by composing an essay that addresses the following.

• Briefly explain the federal legislative process that creates laws and regulations.
• Explain how individuals can engage in this process.
• Describe the optimum point for industry and corporations to engage Congress to help shape the scope of the legislation. What tools do they use to influence Congress?
• Describe how industry and corporations engage the EPA during the time when they are fleshing out the law into regulations.
• Discuss how enforcement is related to regulatory compliance.

Your essay must be at least three pages in length, and you must use at least two academic sources. Your essay should include an introduction and be clearly and logically organized. APA formatting is required. All sources used, including the course textbook, must be referenced. Paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in-text citations.

Resources

The following resource(s) may help you with this assignment.

• Citation Guide
• CSU Online Library Research Guide
• Submit Writing Center Request

SAMPLE STUDENT ANSWER

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the US agency responsible for the protection of the environment. In other words, its mandate is to protect environmental and human health (Thomas et al., 2019). It regulates processing, manufacturing, use of chemicals and other pollutants, and distribution in the US. It ensures that all activities done within the US and its territories do not harm human health and the environment. For the EPA to function, it needs legislation that helps it create regulations and laws (Thomas et al., 2019). The purpose of this study is to explain the process of making federal legislation, how Congress can be involved, and how they created regulations are enforced.

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Legislative Process

The first step of making legislation is drafting a bill. For instance, if EPA wants certain laws to help it function effectively, it will draft a bill with the help of a senator or a representative from the House of Representatives (Zipper & Dahan, 2020). The agency must find a legislator willing to sponsor the bill into the legislature. The second step is introducing the bill. After it has been drafted, the bill must be introduced by a legislator. If the bill is sponsored by a senator, it will be introduced in the senate or House.

Third, the bill is taken to the environmental committee for analysis and approval (Haight et al., 2013). The committees can even call a hearing where the agency can explain to it the gravity of the matter. The bill is considered dead if a subcommittee does not act on it. In step four, the subcommittee on environmental reviews the bill. Any changes are made by a vote before returning it to the full committee.

The fifth step is marking up the bill. The committee will make any changes before recommending them to the floor. Sixth, the bill is debated on and passed or failed through voting. If it passes, it will be sent to another chamber for debate and voting (Haight et al., 2013). If consensus between the two chambers, a conference committee can be called and both houses can resolve any problems they have about the bill.

After the bill has passed through both chambers, it will be sent to the President for assent. If he is satisfied with the bill, he will sign it and it will become the law (Zipper & Dahan, 2020). However, if the President is not satisfied with the bill, he will veto it and send it back to the chambers. Congress can override the President’s veto by passing it through votes by a two-thirds majority. After the bill has become law, the EPA will use it to make regulations and function.

Individuals Engaged in the Process

Individuals can be engaged in the legislative process through public participation. Public participation is any process where the public is directly engaged in decision-making and their input is taken into consideration. The legislators often engage people by holding hearings to listen to various experts, groups, and people to identify their views about the bills (Haight et al., 2013). The legislators can also consult the public to understand how they feel about the bill. EPA also engages people in the process by providing them with information which helps them understand solutions, options, and issues.

Engagement of Industry or Corporations

Corporations and industry have a great influence on the law-making process. One of the ways the industry shapes the scope of the legislation is by supporting legislators and asking them to introduce a bill in the chambers (Haight et al., 2013). EPA officials often meet legislators in private to suggest legislation and provide arguments to support their thinking. The industry also provides experts who can attend hearing sessions to explain to legislators why the bill is important. Interest parties can use tools such as social medial, mainstream media, and public campaigns to influence the legislative process.  

Industry and Corporations

Industry and corporations often engage EPA during the development of legislation into law by sending their representatives to negotiate with the agency about laws that can make them work effectively (Haight et al., 2013). These corporations can also engage the EPA through the media. They can release a press statement on their position about the bill drafted by the organization. 

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Compliance

Law enforcement plays a key role in ensuring that the regulations by the EPA are followed following the law. The agency has a team of investigators who are responsible for investigating corporations that do not comply with the regulations. The agency ensures compliance by revoking licenses for corporations preventing them from operating in the US.  

Conclusion

EPA can work effectively only when there are better laws that guide them. They can influence the process by working with Congress. The process of making laws includes drafting the bill, introducing it to the chambers, taking it to committee, subcommittee, full committee, to the floor, and then to the president. Individuals can be engaged through hearings and public participation. The corporation can influence the process through media and negotiating with legislators.

References

Haight, J. M., Butler, T. S., Caccavale, S., Fink, W. S., Freeman, J., & Jos, A. J. (2013). Environmental Safety and Health Regulations. American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781885581808

Thomas, R. S., Bahadori, T., Buckley, T. J., Cowden, J., Deisenroth, C., Dionisio, K. L., & Williams, A. J. (2019). The next generation blueprint of computational toxicology at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Toxicological Sciences, 169(2), 317-332.

Zipper, T., & Dahan, R. (2020). To review, or not to review? A comparative perspective of judicial review over the legislative process. Indon. J. Int’l & Comp. L., 7, 329.