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 * 94th Congress 1975-1977 **





Climate of 94th Congress During the time period of the 94th Congress, the Democrats had the majority in both houses. In the senate, the Democratic Party had 60 seats, with a strong majority. The Republicans had 38 seats, and the two other seats were controlled by the conservative party, and an independent party. In the House of Representatives, the Democrats still had the majority. The Democrats held 291 seats, with a 67% majority and the Republicans held 144 seats with a 33% minority. In the Hose of Representatives, the leader of the House, known as the Speaker of the House was Democrat Carl Albert. The House majority leader was Thomas O’Neill, and the minority leader was John Jacob Rhodes. The House also had two whips, a majority and minority one. The majority whip was John McFall, and the minority whip was Robert Michel. There were also many different important roles in the Senate that were run by both the Democrats and Republicans. The President of the Senate was Republican Nelson Rockefeller, and the President Pro Tempore was Democrat James Eastland. The majority leader was Mike Mansfield, and the Senate minority leader was Hugh Scott. Finally, the Senate majority whip was Robert Byrd and the minority whips was Robert Griffin.

94-168 || This act made the metric system the official system of weights and measurements for US trade || 94-142 || Provides education for children with disabilities and special needs || 94-210 || This act regulated the railroad industry to improve the quality of service || 94-409 || This Act was extremely important because it said that the public was allowed to be aware of all parts regarding the decision making process of the government and all its parts || 94-469 || This act gives the administrator of the EPA the right to test any new chemicals that could be hazardous to the environment before it is manufactured. It also makes it illegal for anyone to produce or distribute PCB. || 94-553 || This act established the current copyright laws for all works including literature, art, music, and plays. || 94-580 || This act provides the government with means to reduce dependency on oil, gas, and nuclear power by using alternate ways to discover energy || 94-588 || This act states that the Secretary of Agriculture has to report to Congress all Forest preserve land that needs to be restored ||
 * Amendment/Bill || Summary ||
 * Metric Conversion Act
 * Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
 * Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Ac t
 * Sunshine Act
 * Toxic Control Substance Act
 * Copyright Act of 1976
 * Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
 * National Forrest Management Act

Highlights
 * Passed many pieces of legislation to deal with the energy crisis
 * got the country out of an economic downfall
 * Replacement of President Nixon after the Watergate scandal

Pitfalls
 * Congress was Democratic majority and the President was Republican
 * Much tension between Congress and President
 * Hard to get legislation passed

Criticisms -The many environmental regualtion acts upset many large coorperations because it cost them alot of money to regulate their products - Decisions made involving the Vietnam War were highly criticized

Characteristics of the 94th Congress During the 94th Congress, the climate was very tense. Since President Ford was a Republican, and the majority of the Senate and House of Representatives were Democrats, there was much tension, and they did not get along well. Whenever the president put out a piece of legislation, Congress most of the time would not pass it. The same applied when Congress put out a bill, because the president would veto it. They also had trouble with the Supreme Court, because the majority was republican with only a few democrats as justices. This was difficult to get legislation passed because the Supreme Court most of the time sided with the president and not Congress. During the 94th Congress, President Ford vetoed over 50 bills. Although there was no cooperation between the president and Congress, they were able to bring the county back from an economic downfall.

Congress’ Impact in 1975-1977 During the 94th Congress, many things were happening in the United States. First of all, the county had just gotten a new president, because President Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal. This scandal caused the country to loose faith in the government, and not support its decisions. During this time, the country was also going through an economic depression, and Congress passed many new laws to pick the country up out of this downfall. There were many problems with the environment that the government was dealing with also. They passed many bills that would regulate the environment, and the things that companies were putting into it. The country was also using too much oil and natural resources, so Congress passed a law that would provide funding to discover alternate ways for energy sources. The final major event that the 94th Congress was dealing with was the Vietnam War. Congress was facing much criticism from Americans regarding their actions and decisions during this time.

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