Constitution’s Origination Clause: Why Revenue Bills Start in the House, Part 3

Part 1 examined the history and purpose of the US Constitution‘s Origination Clause.  Part 2 introduced the Senate practice of “gut and replace” that pretends to comply with the Origination Clause.  This article explains why “gut and replace” violates the Constitution.[1] The Origination Clause provides that laws for raising revenue[2] must have started in the […]

Constitution’s “Origination Clause”: Why Revenue Bills Start in the House, Part 2

For Drafters of the Constitution, a vexing problem was to establish a government that would give life to the philosophies of the Declaration of Independence and meet the practical political considerations of merging diverse states of differing size and traditions into a nation. Among the solutions was the Constitution’s Origination Clause in Article I, Section […]

Constitution’s “Origination Clause”: Why Revenue Bills Start in the House, Part 1

This is Part 1 of a three part series discussing the Constitution’s Origination Clause.  Part 2 explains the Senate procedure of  “gut and replace”. Part 3 explains why “gut and replace” violates the Constitution. There are overriding principles embodied in the US Constitution, derived from the Declaration of Independence.  These principles are beliefs about the […]