LAWMAKERS
LAWMAKERS
WETA "LAWMAKERS" 01.06.1983 IN 19.57.45-WETA credit/sponsor credits/title sequence 19.58.37-PAUL DUKE-on program-preview of 98th CONGRESS, one sure to be more independent of REAGAN and more determined to find practical solutions. COKIE ROBERTS/LINDA WERTHEIMER report. 19.59.15-shots of pair of white men's shoes doing a weird tap dance, pan up over pair of pants, suspenders, face of man dancing, pullback shows a fiddler playing in a hometown sendoff for a West Virginia Congressman. Shots of sendoff party for Rep. MARCY KAPTUR (D-OH), high angle shot of HOUSE chamber, shows a toddler, daughter of a Congressperson, falling on floor of Well. Shot of Rep. MIKE DEWINE holding baby. M/S TIP O'NEILL and ROBERT MICHEL entering chamber. M/S O'NEILL and MICHEL on podium, MICHEL welcomes new REPUBLICANS and also new DEMOCRATS, urges all to work as STATESMEN rather than POLITICIANS. PARTISANSHIP is fundamental, but cooperation and compromise is vital to solving national problems. O'NEILL promising action, working with the REPUBLICAN SENATE and avoiding stalemate. 20.03.11-O'NEILL quotes FDR, "economic laws are not made by nature", Congress should make laws to get the country out of the RECESSION and LOWER INTEREST RATES, stop waiting for REAGANOMICS THEORY to work. L/S O'NEILL leading oath of office for new Congressmen. Split screen with O'NEILL and a pan over assembled Reps taking oath. Full screen L/S O'NEILL banging gavel, Congress cheers. 20.04.21-WERTHEIMER-Discussion of some family pedigrees in Congress. DUKE-Partisanship broke out early over CHANGING RULES in HOUSE. REPUBLICANS objected to changes they thought tightened DEMOCRATS control over HOUSE business. 20.05.24-M/S O'NEILL in Speaker's place with flag backdrop. Rep. BOB WALKER (R-PA) asking for a rollcall vote, O'NEILL entertaining the motion. DUKE v.o.-asking for a rollcall to approve the record of the previous day is a common delay tactic. WALKER does this on a regular basis. Rep. MARTIN FROST (D-TX) in office, says REPUBLICANS like WALKER often want to slow business down or harass the DEMOCRATS. C/S WALKER in office, says he thinks votes should be on the floor in public (sure, mr. altruism). M/S O'NEILL on House platform. DUKE v.o.-DEMOCRATS changed rules to hinder such tactics and make it harder to tack UNRELATED AMENDMENTS onto a bill. 20.06.50-zoom in on a page with a bill on it, a DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL with a rider that bans the funds from being spent on ABORTION. Rep. FROST-the tactics are so common, his constituents want appropriations to be handled in an orderly and logical way. Says the new rule is evenhanded, motivated by LEGISLATIVE EFFICIENCY. Rep. MICHEL says that Congress is trying to change the rules to prevent democracy. Rep. TRENT LOTT (R-MS) says the rule changes trample on the minority and make the majority look cynical. C/S JIM WRIGHT debating in well of House, says the rules protect the majority from being sabotaged by lunatic fringes who can't get the votes to pass their proposals, quotes long rhyming passage of Kipling.