Representational Roles
Having been recently elected as a Republican to the Senate from a competitive district just outside of Dallas, I am confronted with a dilemma to tackle. The first bill that I must vote on is House Bill 3- a Bill to require the death penalty for anyone convicted of selling opioids for the third time. Both my constituents and the Governor of my party support the bill, but the Speaker of the House and I oppose it under the grounds that the death penalty needs to be reserved for heinous crimes, such as premeditated murder. In this case, I will adopt a trustee representational role. I have the mandate to make significant decisions on behave of my constituents while putting the national interests first (Burke, 1996). This is because I have the knowledge that my constituents may be lacking and, therefore, I have to make the right decision on behave of my constituents.
Influence of Legislative Leaders
The legislative leaders involved in determining the fate of House Bill 3 include the Speaker of the House, the Lt. Governor, and Governor of Texas. These congressional leaders have varying influence in determining the fate of the bill. First, the Speaker of the House is opposed to the law. Given that he is the most visible and authoritative spokesperson for the majority party in the House, he will play a significant role in opposing the bill. He will structure the House debate in a manner that disadvantages the passing of the bill (Caufield, 2019). With such, the Speaker to the House will abide by the strict rules and procedures vital in overcoming the difficulties in the management of the House of Representatives (Caufield, 2019). Therefore, the Speaker of the House will influence negatively in determining the fate of the bill.
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The Lt. Governor has the power to veto full legislative measures ( Mallory, 1961 ). The bill may not become law unless the governor vetoes it within the specified number of days ( Mallory, 1961 ). The Lt. Governor will also be crucial in determining the fate of the bill. If he assents to the bill, it becomes law; otherwise, the bill is nullified or subjected to further amendments. The Governor of Texas is another legislative leader who will play a critical role in determining the fate of the bill. He has a constitutional power to sign or veto the bill in the case where it is passed by the Legislature ( Mallory, 1961 ). Besides, the Governor of Texas has the power to veto individual components of the bill ( Mallory, 1961 ). In this case, the Governor supports the bill. He, therefore, will contribute significantly in approving the bill to become law in case the Legislature passes it.
The Influence of the Constituents
The constituents also have a significant influence on the passage of the bill. For instance, the representatives are usually elected by the electors to represent their interests. Thus, it is expected that the representatives are much inclined to vote the bill as per the wishes of the constituents. This implies that if the constituents are supporting the bill, then there is a likelihood that the representatives will vote in favor of the bill. On the other hand, if the constituents are opposing the bill, they are likely to influence their representatives in voting against the bill.
The representatives in the Legislature are elected by the constituents; hence, the voters may pressurize their representatives in either voting for or against the bill. If the representatives vote against the interests of the constituents, they may be wiped out in the subsequent general elections. In this case study, the constituents are supporting House Bill 3- a Bill to require the death penalty for anyone convicted of selling opioids for the third time. The implication here is that the representatives are put under pressure by the constituents to vote in favor of the bill. Consequently, the constituents might try to influence me in voting in support of the bill.
Order of Influencing Factors
This article has outlined four factors that may determine the fate of a bill. These factors are constituents, governor, party leaders, and the representative’s opinion. The other factors include recommendations of the colleagues, interest group views, friends’ recommendations, and staff recommendations. However, these factors influence voting in varying degrees. Ranking them in order of their importance, these factors will affect my vote in the following order: personal opinion, constituents' desires, colleagues' recommendations, staff recommendations, interest group views, friends' recommendations, party leaders, and governor.
My Vote
Based on the above analysis, I resolve to vote against the bill. In my view, selling opioids is a serious crime that requires a hefty penalty. However, the death penalty needs to be reserved for heinous crimes, such as premeditated murder. In this regard, it should be considered that the seller does not force the buyers to abuse the drugs. The users buy at their pleasure and use the drugs at their own will; hence, there is no evidence of premeditated murder.
Although my constituents and the Governor support the bill, I have the moral right to vote as per the national interests. Besides, being a trustee representative, I have the mandate to use my knowledge and represent my constituents in the best way. The voters may be lacking enough experience in making the right decision; hence, they have trusted me in making the right decision on behave of my constituents. In this case, the right choice is to vote against the bill while ignoring the influence of both the constituents and the governor to safeguard the national interests.
References
Burke, E. (1996). Speech to the Electors of Bristol in the Works of the Right Honorable Edmund Burke . New York: Oxford University Press.
Caufield, R. (2019). What does the Speaker of the House do? (Online). Retrieved October 17, 2019; from https://theconversation.com/what-does-the-speaker-of-the-house-do-94884
Mallory, J.R. (1961). The Lieutenant-Governor's Discretionary Powers: The Reservation of Bill 56: The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science / Revue canadienne d'Economique et de Science politique. 27(4): 518-522.
The Texas Legislature: Written Lectures. (n. d). p. 1-46.
