Trainees: In this movie, the messenger trainees in Congress are a group of children who are responsible for leading members to their positions, summoning members to the venue according to the speaker's order, leading members to require physical evidence to enter the venue, and so on. The United States Congress first hired boys as messengers in 1820. The first African-American boy became a trainee in April 1965, and female trainees were accepted in May 1973. Trainees, mostly 11th grade high school students, are responsible for sending documents to and from Congress and learning how Congress works. In 2011, the House of Representatives announced the cancellation of the messenger trainee program, citing severe financial problems and the development of information technology. But the Senate still implements the plan.
The seats in the Senate Hall include the press box, the VIP seats of members of the Congress and the President's friends, and the diplomatic seats, as well as specially arranged seats for tourists.
Senate meetings are chaired by the Vice President, who presides but does not have the right to vote.
Before the meeting begins, a collective prayer is required. According to traditional practice, the daily routine meeting of the U.S. Senate begins with a prayer ceremony. The prayer was presided over by a full-time priest. On March 7 this year (2014), the Dalai Lama was invited by the Senate to start the prayer before the regular session of the day with chanting.
How does a proposal become a bill? It is mentioned in the video that, first of all, after the parliamentarians have drafted the proposals, they will first introduce them to the parliamentarians at the meeting, and then the trainees will submit the proposals to the committee for study, and select valuable proposals before submitting them to the parliament for discussion. Wait in line unless the steering committee (majority leadership committee) thinks the proposal is important enough to bring it up front. After the Senate discusses and approves it, it is handed over to the House of Representatives for discussion. The House of Representatives makes revisions and then returns to the Senate. The Senate revises the unsatisfactory changes. It is easy to get stuck in the middle. After the vote is passed, it is turned into a bill.
Congress adjournment system
Congress usually only has 130-140 days a year, and the rest of the time is "recessed", also known as "constituency work period". The time of the recess period is determined by the parliamentarians through consultation at the beginning of the year. Set for more communication with citizens of the constituency, this period of time is freely arranged by MPs. In an election year, the recess date is brought forward, allowing lawmakers to prepare for the campaign early.
While the first film does have exaggerated and dramatic plot arrangements, the film also reflects several key points in the functioning of the U.S. Senate. If you don't understand the reason why you don't understand the political system in movies, you can absorb knowledge well by watching movies and understanding the knowledge behind movies.
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