[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4881]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ESSAY BY SMRITI AHUJA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 2016

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight from across the political spectrum that 
sheds a light on the concerns of our younger constituents. Giving voice 
to their priorities will hopefully instill a better sense of the 
importance of being an active participant in the political process. 
Many of the students have written short essays on a variety of topics 
and I am pleased to share them with my House colleagues.
  Smriti Ahuja attends Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. In your 
opinion, what makes the political process in Congress so challenging?

       From 5140 bills in Congress every year, less than five 
     percent of them are passed and become laws. That is only 257 
     bills. The United States Congress has been known to be 
     extremely slow in terms of passing laws, but what most people 
     don't realize is that passing a law is harder than it sounds. 
     There are many obstacles that result in the political process 
     in Congress being so challenging.
       First, the process to pass a law itself is extremely long 
     winded. First, the bill is assigned to a committee for study. 
     This study could take months in order to fully develop the 
     bill completely. Then, if the committee releases the bill, it 
     must be debated on, revised, and approved by a simple 
     majority. After approval, it moves to the Senate where it is 
     assigned to another committee, and another simple majority is 
     needed for the bill to move to the joint committees of the 
     Senate and the House to work out any tweaks that are 
     necessary. Then, the resulting bill goes to the House and the 
     Senate to be approved. Overall, this whole process could take 
     months which is why the process is so challenging. Every 
     single aspect of the process has to go smoothly in order for 
     the process to flow well.
       Second, Congress members must work together even with 
     different opinions. Most Congress members are split between 
     two political parties, Republican and Democrat. These two 
     political parties tend to have opposing views which results 
     in political polarization, and laws aren't able to be passed 
     because of conflicting opinions. Even more than that, 
     Congress members usually have their own opinions as well, 
     that can also result in incompatible ideas between not just 
     parties, but specific members. Also, Congress members are 
     split between the House and the Senate, and these two parts 
     of Congress have their own agenda. Since both houses must 
     approve the bill, different agenda can lead to challenges and 
     obstacles.
       The political process in Congress is extremely challenging, 
     with 535 individuals all debating and advocating for their 
     own opinions. Hopefully, in the future, Congress can become 
     less polarized and pass more laws for the benefit of the 
     nation.

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