Government and Politics

Refine Search

What is a rider in Congress?

Riders are sometimes introduced as a means of implementing controversial policies, and at other times, the contentious suggestions are added on to prevent the legislation passing. They exist at a state and congressional level, and 43 of the 50 states are constitutionally able to veto them. In some cases, either the bill must pass with the rider included or it is rejected.One example of a rider is adding new policies to spending bills. The 2015 spending bill included a rider that proposed increasing donor spending power from $97,200 to $777,600. Such a proposal would counteract efforts to reduc..

Continue Reading

How can you challenge a traffic ticket?

Challenging an officer's subjective conclusion can be argued by saying your actions were safe and responsible considering prevailing traffic conditions, states Nolo.com. It is helpful to your case to point out the officer was not positioned in a good location to see what occurred. Securing statements from witnesses who are willing to testify is always beneficial. A mistake of fact can be shown, for example, by taking a picture of old and faded pedestrian crosswalk markers or an obscured sign to support your argument to the judge that you could not see the sign or markings.\nTo fight a tic..

Continue Reading

What is the incumbency effect?

This term is generally accredited to Alan Abramowitz who wrote an influential article in 1975 titled, "Name Familiarity, Reputation and the Incumbency Effect in a Congressional Election." In that article, Abramowitz asserted that the electoral advantage of incumbency was most notable in the elections held for the U.S. House of Representatives. Elections take place in the House of Representatives every two years and each time, the incumbency advantage is easy to note. From 1976 to 2013, more than 90 percent of the political representatives in office won re-elections.

Continue Reading

What are Pennsylvania's rules about common law marriage?

The burden of proof in gaining legal recognition of a common law marriage in Pennsylvania lies with the person attempting to prove its existence, states the Erie County Bar Association. Judges don't recognize such marriages unless there is clear and convincing evidence that there were no barriers to the marriage, and that the petitioners were eligible prior to Jan. 2, 2005. Older Pennsylvania law required the parties in common law marriages to be at least 18 years old and of opposite sexes.\nPeople seeking recognition of common law marriages in Pennsylvania must prove that neither party w..

Continue Reading

What is a medical record release form?

There are a number of entities that must comply with HIPPA laws, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. These entities include most health care providers, such as clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, dentists, doctors and pharmacies. Health care clearinghouses, which are entities that process health information received from a health care entity, must also follow HIPPA laws. Medicare and Medicaid, health insurance companies, company health plans and HMOs are also required under law to follow the rules of HIPPA.\nThere are a number of other people who do not work from the co..

Continue Reading

Who are the Colorado senators?

Bennet was the superintendent of Denver's public schools before being appointed to replace Kenneth Salazar, who had resigned from his post to become the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the newly elected Barack Obama presidential administration.\nGardner served for six years in the Colorado state House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. Gardner defeated incumbent Democrat Mark Udall to win his Senate seat.

Continue Reading

What are the requirements to become a U.S. citizen?

Citizenship is granted at birth to people born in the U.S. and in relevant territories. It is also automatically granted to people whose parents are American citizens at their birth, reports the Department of Homeland Security. However, other people must become citizens through the naturalization process.To start the naturalization process, prospective citizens must first obtain a green card. A green card offers permanent residence in the United States, which is an essential part of gaining citizenship.Before applying for citizenship, green card holders must have permanent resident status for ..

Continue Reading

What are some typical sentences for tax evasion?

Tax evaders are guilty of committing a felony, so they lose the right to vote and hold office, lose the right to own firearms and may lose professional licenses, says CriminalDefenseLawyer.com. In addition, tax evaders may also suffer a loss or reputation and reduced employment prospects due to their felony records.\nTax evasion denotes the violation of federal statute 26 USC 7201, explains The Ferraro Law Firm. It is an act of deliberate misrepresentation of taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service. Examples of committing tax evasion include not declaring total income, overstating expen..

Continue Reading

Why do countries engage in trade?

All countries, regardless of size, engage in trade because no single country can produce all the goods and services its citizenry requires. Countries attempt to produce goods with a low opportunity cost and trade them with other countries for goods that they cannot produce domestically or find expensive to produce.\nAbsolute and comparative advantages play an important role in determining the nature of trade between specific countries. When a country can produce more of a specific good with the same resources as compared to another country, it?s said to have an absolute advantage. In the same ..

Continue Reading

What is the U.S. Air Force motto?

In 2014, the United States Air Force brought back its "Aim High" advertising slogan for new recruits, which directly ties into this motto. The change of slogan from "I am an American airman" solidifies what it means to be an airman and appeals to potential recruits and active duty members alike.

Continue Reading
Showing 6011 to 6020 of 10000 (1000 Pages)