Size Senate 100 members House 435 members Senators

*Size: *Senate: 100 members *House: 435 members *

*Senators may speak (debate) as long as they want about a bill *Representatives are given time limits *

*Talking a bill to death *Senator takes the floor and won't give it up; *Finally, a majority of the Senate agrees to abandon the bill *

*1. Can't stop talking or sit down *2. Can't leave the senate chambers *3. 1 st 3 hours: must talk about the bill *4. After that, you can talk about anything: childhood stories, sports scores, reading the Constitution, reading from the dictionary *

*1957 --Strom Thurman from North Carolina spoke for 24 hours 18 minutes *He was blocking civil rights legislation *

*Dream Act—would have allowed young people brought to the U. S. illegally as children to become citizens. *Filibustered to death on Dec 18, 2010. *

*YES! *Invoking Cloture: 60 or more senators vote to stop a filibuster. *Very difficult to get. *

*Senator Jefferson Smith (good guy) *Senator Joseph Payne (used to be good, but has been corrupted) *Mr. James Taylor (bad—the political boss of a political machine that owns Montana) *Sen. Smith wants the land on Willet Creek to be used for a Boy Ranger Camp. James Taylor, who owns the land, wants the gov’t to buy it so that he can make money off of the sale. Sen. Payne has created a bill to do just that, but Sen. Smith stands in the way. *

*https: //www. youtube. com/wat ch? v=HX 8 a. Fpn. Wx. PA *12: 08 minutes long *