> When the U.S. Senate convenes and debates on a bill, the speeches made by each Senator are limited in number to 2 speeches per legislative day, but are not normally limited in length or duration. An exception was established by The Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which allows for "reconciliation," that sets the maximum hours for budget-related speeches to twenty, thereby shielding budgetary bills from excessive filibuster.

> To filibuster is to speak on a bill for such a length of time that the passing of the debated bill or motion is prevented or delayed. The intended functions of filibuster are to champion free speech and balance the potential incongruities of power and influence between the majority and minority seats in the Senate. Like most instruments, the filibuster can be used for well-intended purposes as James Stewart exemplifies in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, or for individual agendas that may or may not benefit the greater good.

> Cloture allows the Senate to put the breaks on a filibuster by limiting the remaining time on the speech. This move requires a three-fifths vote in the Senate to happen, and has only occurred on a handful of occasions within the past five decades. President Woodrow Wilson introduced the rule for cloture in 1917. By the early twentieth century, counter-productive filibustering had become rampant in the Senate. And when a lengthy 23-day filibuster sought to prevent the providing of weapons to commercial vessels during WWI, President Wilson had had enough, and established a way to put the filibustering in check. The first filibuster in the U.S. Senate occurred in 1841, and lasted for nearly one week. In recent years, U.S. Senators have sought to curb excessive filibusters by raising the requirements needed to conduct and maintain a filibuster; restricting filibuster to the actual debating on a bill rather than on the bill's preceding motions to introduce the bill; and setting aside a certain number of amendments afforded to both sides of the debate to diminish the need for filibuster.