The name is absent

33

On the other hand, declarations, resolutions, and communications are the
remaining kinds of bills. Their scope is more limited than national bills, especially
relating the enforcement of their mandates. Specifically, these projects are
recommendations to the other branches of power to do something specified in the bill.
As examples, any single legislator can ask the executive to "allocate two million pesos in
order to finish the road of Route 40" or to "give a $500 subsidy to the Athletic Association
Taruca Pampa, Province of Tucuman". Even if passed, the Executive does not have to
mechanically submit the money; the road may be paved and the Club may get the
subsidy anyways, but not as a product of the approval of the bill. No judge will tell the
executive to sign the check at all, and everyone Imderstands that. In as much, these bills
can be used as devices of accountability. Legislators can summon members of the other
branches (i.e. Ministers or Secretaries) to give explanations to the floor or to committees.
Another common use is the target of activities of different interest. Bill contents such as
"Declare the City of Rosario the 'Hand-Made Ice Cream Capital", "Declare the agricultural
emergency in the Province of Santa Fe", "Declare of National Interest the Third National
Conference of Environmental Protection" or "Suspend the demotion to the second division of
soccer teams for the 1983/84 season" are examples of how legislation is used to highlight
groups, activities and places. Their nature is "private" (they do not attain major national
goals), but their nature differs from the notion of private legislation used in American
politics. Since the effects of submitting and having these pieces passed involves more
signaling, targeting, and credit claiming for campaigns than "bringing home the bacon",
they cannot technically be considered "pork" ɪ⁷. Therefore, I decided to call them "non-
public bills".

¹⁷ The distribution of resources to provinces, districts and municipalities is channeled through negotiations

<<   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   >>

More intriguing information