Vocabulary

bipartisan support: Legislation has bipartisan support when the two major parties support the bill.

Capitol Hill: Refers to the area encompassing the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate office buildings, and the surrounding residential area of townhouses and apartment buildings.

committees: Committees are panels of the House or Senate created to do the initial review of proposed legislation and to decide which measures are worthy of further consideration by the full House or Senate. The committees are each assigned various issuecategories to handle, known as jurisdiction. The House and Senate each have about 20 permanent standing committees; they

also have select committees and joint committees. Every Representative in the House is assigned to work on an average of two committees; Senators are assigned to an average of four. Members are expected to become specialists in the subject matter under their committee’s jurisdiction.

constituents: A group of residents represented by an elected official.

district: The geographical area in a state represented by a House member. Within a state, congressional districts are drawn so that each has an average of about 650,000 citizens.

law: Legislation passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and signed by the President, or passed over his veto.

legislator: An elected person who represents citizens in Congress and helps make laws.

Majority Leader/Minority Leader: The member elected by the majority or minority party to be the party’s principal spokesman and legislative strategist. The Majority or Minority Leader is assisted by a team of party whips.

partisan: Partial to a particular political party.

Speaker of the House: The presiding officer in the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House is responsible for the day-to-day functions of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Teaching Suggestions

Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress: How Congress Works can be used to teach students in grades 7 through 12 about the legislative branch of government and representative democracy. Below are some ideas on how you can use Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress in your classroom. These suggestions span a range of subjects and skill levels, so not every idea will apply to your situation. Choose what works best for your students.

Governmental and Non-Governmental Influences in the Legislative Process

Prior to conducting the lesson, visit the United States Senate Web site and browse through Active Legislation. Choose four bills that may be of interest to students. Explain to students that there are many factors that determine whether or not a bill will move forward in the legislative process. Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Talk about the various things that can help or hinder a bill from becoming a law. For example, you may want to discuss the power that individual members have, the role of political parties, the expressed desires of the voters, and the role of the Executive branch. Divide the class into four groups. Assign each group one of the four bills. Have students read newspapers and magazines or visit online news sources and read articles about the issues surrounding their assigned bill. Ask each group to summarize the bill, determine who the key players were working for and against the bill, summarize some arguments for and against the bill, and find out what compromises or obstacles arose to get the bill to the stage it reached. Allow each group to share its findings.

Interview with a Legislator

Ask students to read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Talk about why some proposals make it and some don’t. Have students write to one of their representatives or contact a former Member of Congress and ask him or her to describe a law which he or she played a significant role in getting passed. Students should ask the Congressman/woman to describe the debate and compromises that took place during the legislative process and explain some obstacles he or she had to overcome in order to get the law passed. Ask students to write a paper that summarizes the information they gathered.

Partisan Politics

Conduct a whole-class discussion about political parties. Students should understand that a political party is a group of people that have common political beliefs and seek to elect government officials under a given label and common philosophy. The two major political parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Discuss the role of political parties in the legislative process. Make sure students understand the terms “partisan” and “bipartisan” support. Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Discuss the role of partisanship in a representative government. Ask students to look through newspapers, magazines, or read online news sources and find examples of partisan politics and bipartisan support for a bill. Allow students to share their examples with the entire class.

The Importance of Discussion in the Legislative Process

Tell students to look at current and archived newspapers and magazines and examine how the media portray Congress and the legislative process. Encourage students to also look at letters to the editor and other editorials. Discuss how the Congress and the legislative process are portrayed. Explain to students that many people criticize Congress for bickering or not getting anything done. Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Ask students to explain why heated debate sometimes takes place and describe the importance of discussion and deliberation in the legislative process.

Standards

You can address many state standards when you incorporate Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress into lessons. Please select your state to view the corresponding standards.

Please select your state to view the corresponding standards:

Lesson Plan Feedback

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