Drafting Your Bill

The Legislative Process

Today’s Objective• After today’s lesson, students will be able

to…• Explain the legislative process by making a bill

and participating in a mock Congress

• Essential Skill• Attempt solutions or construct a product

Schoolhouse Rock!

Bill to Law• Read the article

• Highlight or number the steps you see in the process

Idea!• Any person can suggest a bill be formally

proposed

• Student

• Retiree

• Politician

• Legal Alien

• Professional

• Unemployed Person

• Interest Group

• Journalist

Formal Proposal• Only a member of

the House of Representatives (435) or a member of the Senate (100) may formally submit a bill

Public v. Private Bills• Most bills are public (ex. Safe Highways and

Infrastructure Preservation Act)

• Some bills are private (ex. alleviation of tax liabilities, armed services decorations)

• Appropriation bill• Authorizes government to spend money

• Resolutions – joint and concurrent

Welcome to Gallaland’s Congress!

• Congratulations on your recent election!

• Our Congress is focused on improving ‘Stoga, the country’s school

• Your job is to create bill proposals that will help us accomplish our goal

Gallaland’s Congressional Steps

• Write a bill

• Bring to House

• Bills introduced

• Committees Meet

• Bills brought to Floor – Vote

• Switch Houses – Repeat

• Bills sent to President for approval - *Extra Credit*

Sample Bill• Many colleges and universities operate under the policy of

affirmative action in determining the entrance of students; and minorities often gain entrance and white persons not of the minority race, though more qualified, are denied entrance. Acceptance of minorities to colleges and universities does not assure their ability to successfully compete with the more qualified non-minorities; and lesser qualified minority students often fail to meet the demands of higher education; therefore, be it resolved the colleges and universities abandon the affirmative action policy and judge entrance based solely on records of academic performance.

Drafting Your Bill

The Legislative Process

Day 2

Today’s Objective• After today’s lesson, students will be able

to…• Describe the steps a bill must go through in

order to become a law

• Essential Skill• Make decisions after reflection and review

Format• Speaker of the House and Vice President will read

each bill aloud (3 minutes)

• Speaker of the House and Vice President will send to bill to the correct committee (1 minute)

• Committees will consider the bills and vote (7 minutes)

Format • Bills that pass committee vote will make it to the floor

• Floor will vote on it – bills with majority pass (5 minutes)

• If a bill passes it moves to the other house

• Process repeats (15 minutes)

Differences between House

and Senate

*Member introduces bill

*Bill referred to committee

*Most bills die in committee *Bill must pass full floor vote

*Five Calendars

HOUSE

*Rules Committee*Restricted Debate

*Members must speak to the bill before the chamber

*Members may move the previous question

*Proceedings less formal *Rules less strict

*One calendar

*Majority leader calls bill to floor

*Nearly unrestricted debate

*Members may speak on anything

SENATE

*Unanimous consent agreement limits consideration time and amendments *Two speech rule *Filibuster

Reflection• What is your impression of the Bill to Law

process?

• Is it good? Is it bad? Why?

• Explain your thoughts!

Drafting Your Bill

The Legislative Process

Day 3

Today’s Objective• After today’s lesson, students will be able

to…• Organize the steps for a bill to become a law

and apply them in scenarios

• Essential Skill• State implications and scenarios

Senate Debate• A filibuster is when debate is extended, allowing one or more

members to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal.

• It is sometimes referred to as talking out a bill or talking a bill to death and characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body.

• Senate rules permit a senator, or series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless three-fifths of the Senators (usually 60 out of 100 senators) brings debate to a close by invoking cloture

Filibuster

Cloture• The procedure for "invoking cloture", or ending a

filibuster, is as follows:• A minimum of sixteen senators must sign a petition for cloture.

• The petition may be presented by interrupting another Senator's speech.

• The cloture petition is ignored for one full day during which the Senate is sitting.

• On the second calendar day the presiding officer presents the petition.

• The Senate must approve the petition with a 3/5 vote

Cloture• After cloture has been invoked, the following

restrictions apply:• No more than 30 hours of debate may occur.

• No Senator may speak for more than one hour.

• All amendments must be relevant to the debate.

• The presiding officer gains additional power in controlling debate.

• No other matters may be considered until the question upon which cloture was invoked is disposed of.

Committees• Standing

• Rules

• Conference

Standing Committees• Permanent committees that specialize in a specific topic

• House of Representatives – 20

• Senate – 16

• Examples• Appropriations, Budget, Judiciary, Ways & Means

• Responsibilities• Discuss bills that arrive in their committee and decide their fates

• Most bills die (pigeonholed) in committee

The House Rules Committee

The Committee is commonly known as “The Speaker’s Committee” because it is the mechanism that the Speaker uses to maintain control of the House Floor

The  Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor.

The House Rules Committee

Control over amendments and speaking time on each

If the leadership wants a bill pushed forward quietly, for instance, there might be no debate time scheduled; if they want attention, they might allow time for lengthy speeches in support of the bill.

Membership on the Rules Committee favors the majority party

Type of Rules• Closed: amendments not permitted. Debate restricted

(<5 min).

• Modified Open: germane (relevant) amendments. Debate limited (5-10 min).

• Open: amendments ok. Debate (5-15).

Conference Committee

• Necessary if the H.R. and Senate pass different versions of same bill.

• Members of both chambers (typically from committee which originally examined the legislation) make compromise version which needs to be approved by both chambers: 50%+

Presidential Action• After both houses approve of a bill, the President has

four options:• Sign It!

• Veto – President says why he disagrees with the bill and suggests changes (end of the line for most bills)

• Do Nothing – After 10 days, a bill becomes a law…Unless!

• Pocket Veto – Last 10 days of a Congressional session, bill dies

Graphic Organizer• Using your notes and the Congress Activity you

participated in—work with your group to fill in the chart below

• Remember that some steps will be used more than once

• Use a pencil