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About Representative Nethercutt's office
- What is Representative Nethercutt's
mission in the United States House of Representatives?
- Where can I find out how Representative
Nethercutt voted on a bill I'm interested in?
- How can Representative Nethercutt offer
me assistance?
- When was Representative Nethercutt
elected?
- What bills has Representative Nethercutt
sponsored?
- How can I contact Representative
Nethercutt?
- How can I request an appointment
to see Representative Nethercutt?
- What if I would like to work or intern
in with Congressman Nethercutt?
About your Federal government
- How can I find out which bills are
currently being debated by the House of Representatives?
- Where can I find out where a specific
bill is in the legislative process?
- How does a bill become law?
- How much is the overall budget of the
United States?
- Who is my U.S. Representative and who
are my Senators?
- Who are the other U.S. Representatives
from Washington State?
- What are the differences between
the House of Representatives and the Senate?
- Who has a direct role in the confirmation
process of Presidential cabinet and other executive appointments?
- Where can I find good information as a
teacher or parent to help students learn about our government?
- What does the Science Committee do?
- What is the Appropriations
Committee?
- What is a "fiscal year"?
- What is "discretionary"
spending versus "mandatory" (or "entitlement")
spending?
- What is the Appropriations Subcommittee
on the Interior?
- What are "earmarks" and "riders"?
- How much money does a U.S. Representative
make?
- I'd like to contact other offices
on Capitol Hill. What is the number for the Capitol Switchboard?
- How can I find information on the
President, Vice-President and White House?
About your state and local government
- Who are my Washington State Representatives
and who is my Washington State Senator?
- Where can I find links to Washington
State and local government websites?
What is Representative Nethercutt's mission
in the United States House of Representatives?
I recently rewrote my mission statement as follows:
To serve the people of the 5th Congressional District
with integrity, dignity, efficiency and enthusiasm, while
being guided by the principles of individual liberty,
Constitutional authority and free enterprise. In matters
of legislation, mediation with government officials, and
in educational advancement, we will advocate for the improvement
of individuals. We are committed to the strengthening
of families and support institutions of government for
the common good of the people of the 5th Congressional
District, the State of Washington and the United States
of America.
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Where can I find out how Representative Nethercutt
voted on a bill I'm interested in?
I have provided information on my voting record, broken
down by the year of the vote, on my Legislative
Activity page. I also offer a weekly update by e-mail,
in which I provide a summary of the major legislation I
have voted on in the past week. You may subscribe
to receive this update, or view the archives.
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How can I find out which bills are currently
being debated by the House of Representatives?
The Majority Whip's
office maintains a calendar of events, and updates activity
currently on
the House Floor. You can also sign up through the Whip's
office for e-mail
updates to inform you daily of current and upcoming
legislation.
The leadership of the majority party of the House of Representatives
is responsible for setting the calendar of business. "Majority
party" simply means the political party that holds
the most number of seats. Since there are 435 total seats,
the majority party will have at least 218 members - just
over 50 percent.
The Speaker of the House
is the highest position of leadership, followed by the Majority
Leader and then by the Majority
Whip. The Whip's job is to provide information to other
Members of Congress and to coordinate strategy within the
House of Representatives.
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How can I find out where a specific bill
is in the legislative process?
The Library of Congress provides a comprehensive website
that provides all kinds of legislative information. The
site is named for one of the Library's first benefactors,
Thomas Jefferson, and is called THOMAS
- Legislative information on the Internet. You are able
to look up specific legislation by bill number, title, sponsor,
cosponsor and any number of other methods. As always, if
there is information that you cannot find on THOMAS, please
contact my office.
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How can Representative Nethercutt offer me
assistance?
If you would like information on a specific bill or law,
I encourage you to visit the Library of Congress' Thomas
- Legislative Information website, otherwise, I am always
happy to answer your questions or respond to your comments
if you contact me. If you are looking
for help in other ways, I suggest you visit my Constituent
Services page, to learn what services I offer residents
of Eastern Washington. Working with constituents that are
having difficulty with specific Federal government agencies,
ordering flags, lining up tour tickets, providing information
on the service academy nomination process, and offering
Congressional internships are among the many personalized
services I am able to offer to residents of the Eastern
Washington.
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When was Representative Nethercutt elected?
I was first elected to serve the Fifth District of Washington
State in November of 1994, when I defeated then-Speaker
of the House Thomas Foley. I was sworn in to office in January
of 1995. Since then, the people of Eastern Washington have
reelected me 3 times, in 1996, 1998 and 2000. All 435 Members
of the House of Representatives are elected every two years.
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What bills has Representative Nethercutt
sponsored?
I have provided a link to all legislation I sponsor during
each two-year session of Congress on my Legislative
Activities page.
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What if I would like to work or intern in
with Congressman Nethercutt?
If you are interested in an internship in either my Washington,
D.C. office, or one of my offices in Eastern Washington,
please visit my Congressional
Internship page.
While my office in Washington, D.C. does not currently
have any openings for full-time positions, I am happy to
receive your resume and keep it on file should a staff opening
become available. Please mail or fax your resume along with
a cover letter outlining your qualifications and areas of
interests.
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How much money does a U.S. Representative
make?
United States Representatives make approximately $150,000
before taxes as a salary paid out of the United States Treasury.
Many forms of outside income are banned, but those that
are allowed must not exceed 15 percent of salary, or roughly
$22,500. Members of Congress, like all Federal employees,
are eligible to participate in the Federal Employees Health
Benefits program and may select from among several health
benefit plans. Participation is on a voluntary, contributory
basis. Since 1984, federal employees - including Members
of Congress - have been required to participate in Social
Security. For more information on Member retirement benefits,
please view this
report compiled by the Congressional Research Service.
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Who is my US Representative and who are my
Senators?
If you are from Washington State, your Senators are Patty
Murray and Maria Cantwell. If you are from the 5th Congressional
District of Washington State, which runs from the Oregon
border near Wallula to the Canadian border just west of
Ferry and all the way to the Idaho border, I am your Representative.
If you are from outside the 5th District, or outside Washington
State, you can look up your US Representative by
zip code or last name, and are able to look up your
Senator by by
the state you live in.
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What are the differences between the House
of Representatives and the Senate?
Our Federal government is divided into three branches.
The first branch is the Executive branch, which is headed
by the President and contains cabinet departments and all
agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.)
and the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.). The next
branch is the Judicial branch, which is made up of all the
Federal courts in the nation, including the highest court,
the Supreme Court. The third branch of our Federal government
is the Legislative branch, comprised of the United States
Congress. Our Constitution was written so that a series
of "checks and balances" would make sure that
none of the branches would become too powerful.
The Legislative branch is charged with all law-making power
of the Federal government. The Founding Fathers were charged
with deciding how that power would be divided. Should representatives
be chosen in a proportional representation system, in which
lawmakers are elected based on population, or should they
be chosen with the state as the underlying unit? This became
a major debate between the smaller and larger states of
our young nation. The smaller states argued for a state-based
system, which would give each state an equal say, regardless
of the number of people living in the state. In contrast,
the larger states argued for proportional representation
so that each citizen had an equal say in their Federal government.
As part of what is known as the "Virginia Compromise,"
the Constitution sets forth a bicameral, or two-chambered,
Legislative branch. The Senate is made up of two Senators
from each state, while the House of Representatives consists
of 435 Representatives distributed based on population.
Each Representative now represents about 600,000 constituents,
with at least one Representative from each State.
The two bodies of Congress are generally considered equal,
in that both must pass a piece of legislation before it
can be sent to the President to be signed into law. There
are, however, some duties which are delegated by the Constitution
to on specific chamber. For instance, all tax legislation
must originate in the House, while the ability to confirm
Presidential appointees and ratify treaties is left to the
Senate.
Currently, Congress is in its 107th session. Each session
is two years long, and for those two years the membership
of the House and Senate remain the same unless there is
a resignation or death. Each Member of the House of Representatives
is elected every two years, while Senators are elected every
six, with about one-third elected during each two-year cycle.
Each chamber is given autonomy in crafting and following
its own rules and procedures. The House of Representatives
is led by the Speaker of the House who is voted from within
the House membership at the beginning of every two-year
session. The Senate is led by the Vice-President of the
United States, who is elected every four years along with
the President. If you would like to read more about the
differences in procedures, please read this Congressional
Research Service (CRS) Report.
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Who has a direct role in the confirmation
process of Presidential cabinet and other executive appointments?
Only the Senate has a role in the confirmation of public
officials nominated by the President. Under Article 2, Section
2 of the US Constitution, the President "shall nominate,
and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall
appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls,
Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the
United States, whose Appointment are not herein otherwise
provided for, and which shall be established by Law; but
the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior
Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone,
in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
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Who are my Washington State Representatives
and who is my Washington State Senator?
The Washington State Legislature, which meets in Olympia,
offers a web page that allows users to look up their State
Representatives and Senator by
zip code.
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Where can I find good information as a teacher
or parent to help students learn about our government?
The Government Printing Office (GPO) maintains a website
called "Ben's Guide
to US Government for Kids" that contains a wealth
of information for kids of all ages. The site is broken
down by age group ranges such as Kindergarten
through 2nd Grade, 3rd
through 5th, 6th
through 8th and 9th
through 12th, and also includes a section for teachers
and parents.
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What does the Science Committee do?
The Committee on Science is generally responsible for all
non-defense research funding and oversight done by the United
States government. More specifically, the Rules of the House
of Representatives state that the Committee is responsible
for:
- All energy research, development, and demonstration,
and projects therefore, and all federally owned or operated
non-military energy laboratories.
- Astronautical research and development, including
resources, personnel, equipment, and facilities
- Civil aviation research and development.
- Marine research
- Commercial application of energy technology
- National Institutes of Standards and Technology
(NIST), standardization of weights and measures, and
the metric system.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Space Council
- National Weather Service
- Outer space, including exploration and control
thereof
- Science scholarships
- Scientific research, development, and demonstration,
and projects therefor.
The Committee has four subcommittees: Energy;
Space
and Aeronautics; Environment,
Technology and Standards; and Research.
I am a member of the Energy Subcommittee, and the Space
and Aeronautics Subcommittee. To learn more I encourage
you to visit any of the subcommittee pages, or the Science
Committee's Homepage.
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What is the Appropriations Committee?
The Appropriations Committee controls all of the discretionary
money the federal government spends. Discretionary spending
amounts to about one-third of total federal spending, or
about $717 billion in Fiscal Year 2002.
The authority of the Appropriations Committee is granted
specifically by the Constitution. Article I, Section 9,
Clause 7 of the United States Constitution notes that "No
money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence
of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and
Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money
shall be published from time to time."
The Committee on Appropriations was formed in 1865 when
the House of Representatives separated appropriations duties
from the Committee on Ways and Means.
The Appropriations Committee works with the authorizing
committtees, which are responsible for establishing, continuing
or modifying federal agencies or programs. In general, appropriations
bills provide new budget authority for a program, activity
or agency previously authorized. Budget authority is the
authority provided in law to enter into legal obligations
that will result in immediate or future outlays of Government
funds. Often, authorizations bills establish spending ceilings
or specifically describe the functions of a particular program.
Authorizing committees include the Committee on Transportation,
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Science,
and the Committee on Resources. These committees authorize
specific activities, and then it is the responsibility of
the Committee on Appropriations to balance all of the competing
demands on the federal budget and make the actual funding
allocations for the coming year.
As a result of this broad mandate, the Appropriations process
provides a unique opportunity for Congress to oversee the
functioning of the entire federal government.
For more information, please read this report compiled
by the Congressional Research Service, The
Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction.
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What is a "fiscal year"?
The federal government operates on a Fiscal Year calendar
that begins on October 1. For example, Fiscal Year 2002
ends on September 30, 2002 and Fiscal Year 2003 begins on
October 1, 2002.
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What is "discretionary" spending
versus "mandatory" (or "entitlement")
spending?
Generally, budget authority is discretionary when provided
in an annual appropriations act and mandatory if provided
in authorizing legislation. Congress annually has an opportunity
to decide to allocate funding and balance priorities. Nearly
all spending controlled by the Appropriations Committee,
slightly less than $800 billion, is discretionary.
Entitlement programs, are the largest component of the
mandatory budget. Mandatory spending is automatic - legislation
obligates the federal government to make payments to beneficiaries
of the entitlement program based on a formula set in law.
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are the three largest
components of the mandatory budget. When combined with interest
payments the federal government must make on outstanding
debt, mandatory spending constitutes about two-thirds of
the federal budget, or about $1.4 trillion in Fiscal Year
2002.
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What is the Appropriations Subcommittee on
the Interior?
Along with being a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee
on Agriculture and the Vice Chairman of the Defense Subcommittee,
I am a member of the Interior Subcommittee. The Interior
Subcommittee is responsible for the spending bill that encompasses
the Department of the Interior, and deals with natural resources,
cultural heritage, national parks, and Indian affairs, among
other responsibilities.
It is not intuitive for the Interior Department to be responsbile
for those things which occur mainly out of doors, the word
"Interior" was chosen to represent all those resources
which are within - or in the interior of - our borders.
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What are "earmarks" and "riders"?
The term "earmarking" is derived from the practice
of farmers putting identifying marks on cattle and sheep
to prevent theft. In the appropriations process, the term
is often used as a pejorative to indicate a wasteful designation
for federal spending. Some organizations go so far as to
suggest that all spending items in appropriations bills
that do not originate with the President and Federal agencies
are unwarranted. Such a viewpoint ignores the Constitutional
role of the Appropriations Committee in shaping the nation's
spending priorities and imposing the will of Congress on
federal agencies. Through the "power of the purse string"
Congress is able to advance policy and priorities that may
not necessarily be shared by the Executive Branch. Designations
for specific or directed spending by Members of Congress
is an appropriate outcome of the Appropriations Committee's
role.
The term "rider" refers to authorization language
carried on an appropriations bill. Such provisions are generally
prohibited by the Rules of the House.
Clause 2(B) of Rule XXI, in the House Rules, notes:
A provision changing existing law may not be reported
in a general appropriation bill, including a provision
making the availability of funds contingent on the receipt
or possession of information not required by existing
law for the period of the appropriation, except germane
provisions that retrench expenditures by the reduction
of amounts of money covered by the bill (which may include
those recommended to the Committee on Appropriations by
direction of a legislative committee having jurisdiction
over the subject matter) and except rescissions of appropriations
contained in appropriation Acts.
However, the Rules Committee regularly makes exceptions
to this Rule, and nearly every appropriations bill is passed
with some form of waiver to this restriction.
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How much is the overall budget of the United
States?
The federal government spent $2,227,867,000,000 in fiscal
year 2001. That's just over 2.27 trillion dollars.
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How does a bill become law?
For a detailed explanation of the complicated process a
bill must go through before becoming part of the US Code
- before it becomes law - please visit this
website compiled by the House Parliamentarian. In general,
a piece of legislation is introduced by a Representative
or a Senator, and is immediately referred to the committee
or committees with jurisdiction over the bill's topic. Once
the committee considers, amends and passes the legislation,
it is considered, amended and passed by the entire body
- either the House or the Senate. Once a bill has passed
one body, it must then go through a similar process in the
other. Generally, a bills passed by the two bodies, while
similar, will be different. If this is the case it must
be sent to a conference committee to iron out the differences.
Once an agreement is reached, the final, singular, version
of the bill is passed by both bodies, without amendment,
and is sent to the President for his signature. Only after
a bill is signed by the President does it become law.
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I'd like to contact other offices on Capitol
Hill. What is the number for the Capitol Switchboard?
The Capitol Hill switchboard can be reached at 202-225-3121,
and can direct you to a particular Congressional office.
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How can I find information on the President,
Vice-president and White House?
Information on the President, Vice-president and White
House - including contact information - can be found at
the White House Homepage.
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How can I request an appointment to see Representative
Nethercutt?
If you would like to meet with me in Washington, D.C.,
please fax your request to 202-225-2006. If you would rather
meet with me in Eastern Washington, please fax your request
to 509-353-2412, or mail it to:
920 West Riverside, Suite 594
Spokane, Washington 99201
You may also fill
out the form to request an appointment online.
Who are the other Representatives from Washington
State?
Since Representatives are determined by population, with
roughly one member for every 650,000 citizens, Washington
has nine Representatives.
The US Constitution stipulates that a census shall be taken
every ten years, and that new Congressional districts should
be drawn after the results have been drawn from population
patterns. The map below shows the Congressional district
boundaries as they will appear once the new lines take effect
after the November 2002 election, and are based on the 2000
census data.
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