The necessity of immunity of parliament and its Members has led to determine and assure particular privilege in the Constitutions or ordinary laws in the great majority of countries. This legal institution is to provide freedom of speech and to maintain the independence of representatives in the exercise of their duties without undue interference…

As most state governments were beginning their fiscal years on July 1, it looked like another tight year for state spending in many regions--and, by implication, also for appropriations for higher education institutions and state student assistance programs. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) spring report…

In this article, the author insists that those seeking public office prove their literary mettle. As an English teacher, he does have a litmus test for all public officials, judges and senators included--a reading litmus test. He would require that all candidates and nominees have read and reflected on a nucleus of works whose ideas and insights…

The 1997 Nebraska Legislature enacted Bill 806 to promote school consolidation, which legislators believed would lead schools to become more cost-efficient and provide a significantly larger curriculum. This legislative action begged the question: Has the move to consolidate schools made Nebraska schools more efficient while providing greater…

This article presents two viewpoints on creating change through politics. Frawley argues that every teacher can be an agent for change at the local level by first changing the way they think about the profession and embracing the concept that they need to take part in the conversation. Change will happen when technology teachers take greater…

NASBE is enlarging its focus from information and liaison functions to action-oriented policies with state legislators and as a representative at the national level. (MLF)

This directory includes data on more than 800 legislators who are enacting policy in their state capitols from the perspective of an educator. With occupation as the starting point, a summary was developed for each legislator from the education profession. These summaries include his/her chamber and party affiliation, address, telephone number,…

This guide contains resources gathered by the Department of the Army to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Within the document, there are brief historical facts about: (1) the Constitutional Convention; (2) the early years of the Constitutional government; and (3) the U.S. Army of the 1780s and 1790s. There are also condensed…

This discussion of the possibilities in televising Congressional sessions is a part of a symposium on legislative and judicial communications. (CH)

Although philosophers in the United States have advocated the concept of adversarity for the relationship between reporters and people in Congress, in actuality these two groups work together in symbiosis. This document reports on a study in which 190 reporters, members of Congress, and Congressional aides were interviewed regarding particular…

This legislative handbook for child advocates in Florida features a description of Florida's legislative process, including sessions, leadership and procedure, committees, legislation, public access to legislative information, state publications, and critical stages in the passage of a bill. A legislative glossary and a chart showing the route of…

Like most States, New Mexico's legislature grants not only basic foundation money for public schools but also a small percentage of additional discretionary funds. While the foundation money is almost always dispersed in light of a rigid formula, the discretionary funds present the opportunity for political bargaining. While hardly of as obvious…

This document is a report of the anonymous responses of 61 legislators and 70 men and women serving as college trustees or as members of boards or commissions charged with responsibility for higher education in Colorado. These responses were made to 50 selected issues in higher education to which respondents were given the opportunity to strongly…