this parliamentarian job... can someone explain its real purpose...

[butters]

...and how does it really meet the daily reality of the senate? seriously, i don't know much at all about it but keep seeing stuff like this:

https://imgur.com/gallery/jFFB4QX

 

[Paul_Chance]

The Senate is run by a set of rules (which the Senate can change through an internal process). The Parliamentarian's job is to interpret those rules for the Senator's in an advisory capacity and provide "rulings" on whether something is following the proper process. The role is non-partisan and they serve at the Senate's pleasure, though in practice they've served as long as they chose to (they are full time government employees, not political appointees).

In this specific case, she ruled that the minimum wage increase could not be handled through reconciliation, since it did not meet the Byrd Rule (at a high level the Byrd rule means the only things that can be handled in reconciliation are budgetary matters involving expenditures and revenues. Since the minimum wage law is neither, it did not quality.

The Presiding Officer of the Senate can overrule the Parliamentarian, whose role is advisory, but in practice this is almost never done. The current Parliamentarian was appointed by Harry Reid, back when he ran the Senate.

 

[KeithD]

...and how does it really meet the daily reality of the senate? seriously, i don't know much at all about it but keep seeing stuff like this:

https://imgur.com/gallery/jFFB4QX

I suppose it exists to do exactly what it did in this case, and the parliamentarian, as much as it can be disliked, most likely made the right ruling. If the Democrats wanted to just ignore the advisory ruling, that would be OK with me--the Republicans have done so before. It's time to do as the Republicans in Congress do when they can with legislation--just ram some citizen-supportive laws (for a change) up the Republicans' asses. Do for the Republicans' district (rather than their pocketbook) constituents what the Republicans in Congress won't do for them.

 

[butters]

thankyou, both.

 

[Dribble]

I agree. This was the correct decision. I totally support a raise in the Federal Minimum Wage...but in this particular case, it needs to pass the normal Congressional process. If people don't like the Rules...stop electing Republicans that do not care about your welfare.