A Closer Look at the Lawmaking Process

 

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Overview

In this lesson students will analyze, in depth, how a bill becomes a law. Students will examine the role that Congressional committees play in this process, and learn how one’s Congressional representatives can influence legislation through their specific committee assignments.

 

Grade Levels

9–12

 

Objectives

Students will:

• explain how a bill becomes a law; and
• describe the role that Congressional committees play in the lawmaking process.

Estimated Time

2 days

 

Materials Needed

• E-Learning Module: Dynamic Legislative Process
• Internet connection with Macromedia FLASH ® enabled
• Projection device
• Who Makes Up Congress? Worksheet

Procedure

Preparation

Before you start this lesson you should select a bill your students may be interested in. To search for a specific bill, go to the U.S. Library of Congress’s Thomas Web site at http://thomas.loc.gov/ or visit the Web site of your Representative or your state’s two Senators to see what measures they have been working on recently.

Day 1

1. Divide the class into five groups. Distribute the Who Makes Up Congress ? Worksheet, and ask each group to answer all of the questions.
2. Discuss the questions, and have groups self-correct the worksheet.
3. Review the legislative process with your students. Have students describe how a bill becomes a law. Then use an overhead projection device to show the “Textbook Legislative Process” in the Dynamic Legislative Process E-Learning module.
4. Explain to your students that the legislative process is more complex than it is portrayed in most textbooks. Use an overhead projection device to show “Dynamic Legislative Process” in the Dynamic Legislative Process E-Learning module. Discuss how this differs from the textbook legislative process and answer any questions the students may have.
5. Assign one of the following roles to each group: committee chairman, ranking member, majority committee member, minority committee member, or a member of the media. Tell your students that tomorrow you will hold a press conference. The members of the press will ask questions about the passage of the bill you previously selected, and each group of leaders will have the opportunity to explain the passage of the bill from their perspective.
6. For homework, have the members of the media prepare questions about the passage of the bill you previously selected. Students in this group should prepare questions about the interaction between the parties, compromises that were made, impact of the elections, etc. Students in the other groups should study the bill you previously selected and learn about its passage. Students in these groups may want to look at newspaper and magazine archives and learn about the obstacles legislators faced when trying to pass the bill, find out what compromises had to be made, and read about arguments made by legislators against the bill. They can then prepare responses to possible questions.

Day 2

1. Simulate the press conference. Give each group of leaders the opportunity to answer the questions asked by the press.
2. Discuss the simulation and debrief.
3. For homework, have students answer the following questions: What role do committees play? What impact do other groups within Congress have on the legislative process? What can you conclude about the power and the roles of Congressional leaders? How do they impact the legislative process? To what extent do they set the policy-making agenda?

Extension Activity

Have students find out on what committees or subcommittees your Congressional representatives serve. Then ask students to choose one committee and research

the size of that committee, its jurisdiction, whether or not your representative has any leadership role in that committee, and what legislation is currently before the committee. Discuss whether or not your Congressional representatives have seats on committees of significant importance to your state or community.

 

Assessment

Basic Concepts and Processes

Ask your students to respond to the following requests for information and assess their knowledge of key concepts taught in this lesson.

1. Explain how a bill becomes a law.
2. Describe the role that Congressional committees play in the lawmaking process.

Lesson Plan Feedback

If you have suggestions for improving this lesson plan, or if you have ideas for others using the module, please let us know. We value your input. Thank you!

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