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The Second Session of the Seventy-Seventh Congress
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2013
Extract
The course of affairs in the second session of the Seventy-seventh Congress can best be differentiated from that of all recent years if examined with the thought that the United States is in an “all-out” war. That was how the President presented the situation to Congress on January 6 in his annual message on the state of the Union. And that was the phrase frequently used throughout the year by Representatives and Senators as an argument for or against enacting controversial bills, delegating unprecedented regulative powers, or appropriating many billions of dollars to defray governmental expenses.
On the other hand, while all of the recommendations for legislation embodied in the President's message were designed to bring the war more quickly to a close, Congress was asked by the Administration at various times during the year for the enactment of measures not related to the defense program, as the proposals to “rid Congress of trivia” and for settlement of claims of American nationals against the government of Mexico. The House and Senate, likewise, of their own accord, troubled themselves with such matters as the repeal of poll tax laws, the right of Senator Langer to his seat in the Senate, and the so-called “Congressional pension bill.”
- Type
- American Government and Politics
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © American Political Science Association 1943
References
1 House Doc. 501.
2 House Doc. 562.
3 House Doc. 722.
4 These data are subject to very slight error, but certainly not enough to modify the picture. Bills were not tabulated unless the debate, as distinguished from printed pages incorporating the text of the bill, involved three printed pages.
5 The appendix this year consumed 4,777 pages, as compared to 6,105 pages for the preceding session.
6 Cong. Record (hereafter referred to as C.R.), 77–2, p. 4369, May 15, 1942.
7 C.R., 77–2, p. 5594, June 22, 1942.
8 C.R., 77–2, p. 5860, June 29, 1942.
9 C.R., 77–2, pp. 7081–7082, Aug. 17, 1942. See also pp. 817 (Jan. 28) and 8480 (Oct. 15).
10 C.R., 77–2, pp. 9130–9131, Nov. 14, 1942.
11 C.R., 77–2, p. 1006, Feb. 3, 1942. On this occasion, a quorum was lacking. According to one informant, the clerk counted one member not present to get a quorum.
12 C.R., 77–2, pp. 798–800, Jan. 28, 1942.
13 See C.R., 77–2, pp. 4364–65.
14 During the first session of the Seventy-seventh Congress, 58 special rules were adopted by the House, and the next highest number of special rules to be adopted in any other session was 48, in the Third Session of the Seventy-sixth Congress.
15 Two rules merely waived all points of order against two different appropriation bills.
16 The time for debate was divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the bill.
17 See S 2600, Rubber Bill; S 2152, Rubber Bearing Plant Bill; and HR 6269, Registration of Persons Employed to Disseminate Propaganda in the U.S. It should be mentioned, however, that this last-mentioned bill was requested by the Department of Justice later to be vetoed by the President.
18 See proceedings on HR 10.
19 The bill never became law.
20 In the First Session of the same Congress, a total of 649 public and private laws were enacted, of which 397 were public and 252 private.
21 The House passed 1,127 bills in 1940, 1,043 in 1941, and 806 in 1942; the Senate passed 1,100 bills in 1940, 886 in 1941, and 912 in 1942.
22 See HR 6559.
23 HR 1024.
24 HR 3487; see also HR 6446, Military Pay Bill.
25 The bill merely made Congressmen eligible for retirement pensions as are civil service employees.
26 HR 6868, P.L. 528.
27 HR 7378, P.L. 753.
28 Truman Committee (SRes. 71), Byrd Committee on Non-Essential Activities (1941 Revenue Act), Murray Small Business Committee (SRes. 298 of the 76th Congress), Development of Mineral Resources (SRes. 53), Gasoline and Petroleum Shortage Problem (SRes. 156), Wool Committee (SRes. 276), and Special Silver Committee (SRes. 261).
29 National Defense Investigation by Military Affairs Committee and the Naval Affairs Committee (HRes. 162), National Defense Program Investigation by Merchant Marine and Fisheries (HRes. 281), Air Accidents (HRes. 125), Patman Small Business Group (HRes. 294), Tolan Committee on Defense Migration (HRes. 113 of the 76th Congress, and HRes. 16), Petroleum Industry (HRes. 188), Dies Committee (HRes. 26 of the 76th Congress), and Phosphate Supply Investigation (Pub. Res. 68 of the 76th Congress.).
30 See Sen. Rep. 480, Parts 5–14 incl.
31 See House Reps. 933, 1266, 1319, 1338, 1381, 1543, 1575, 1588, 1592, 1741, 1827, 2058, 2059, 2297, 2298, 2323, 2383, 2533, 2615, and 2740.
32 House Reps. 982, 1634, 1735, 1767, 1873, 2031, 2081, 2148, 2246, 2272, 2371, 2515, and 2588.
33 House Reps. 369, 1286, 1553, 1879, 1911, 2124, 2396, and 2589.
34 For complete details on nominations, see Civilian Nominations, prepared by Lewis Bailey, executive clerk of the Senate.
35 Hearings on the Agriculture Department Appropriations Bill before the House Appropriations Committee, HR 6709, p. 384.
36 C.R., 77–2, p. 772, Feb. 3, 1942.
37 C.R., 77–2, p. 7721, Sept. 25, 1942.
38 House Doc. 589.
39 See HR 6559.
40 See p. 2 of House Doc. 562.
41 A proposed bill (four typewritten pages) was attached to this communication and signed by Henry L. Stimson.
42 Mrs. Norton, chairman of the Labor Committee handling the bill, stated that the following agencies recommended the bill: “the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Labor; the Federal Works Agency; the War Department, which endorsed it most heartily; and the Bureau of the Budget, and I think you will all agree with me that the Bureau of the Budget scans a bill pretty closely before it endorses it.” C.R., 77–2, p. 1488.
43 C.R., 77–2, p. 1483.
44 HR 7762.
45 C.R., 77–2, p. 1646; see also S 2255 and HR 6564.
46 See pp. 1647–1648 of C.R. 77–2.
47 In 1941, the Ways and Means Committee included a mandatory joint returns provision in its tax bill and the President sent a letter to Chairman Doughton re questing its elimination. The committee did not oblige him, but an amendment adopted by the House later eliminated the item.
48 House Doc. 611.
49 House Doc. 834.
50 House Doc. 834.
51 House Doc. 716.
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