Introduction

The purpose of this project is to help you gain a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the legislative process. All of you can rattle off the various steps a bill must go through to become a law, but those steps only provide us with the bare outline of what really occurs on Capitol Hill. They do not illuminate the role of politics in the process, the power of the Speaker of the House or the House Rules Committee, or the advantages held by the majority party. By taking part in the process yourselves, by visiting the Senate and the House in Washington, D.C., and by talking with various elected representatives, you will be challenged to not simply learn how a bill becomes a law but also to evaluate the process.

Our guiding questions throughout this project are: is the legislative process fair? democratic? is this the most efficient and effective way to make policy? Keep those questions in mind as we move through the next couple of weeks. You will be asked to write a reflective essay at the conclusion of our project addressing these questions.

Click here for the Model Congress Wiki Page.

Part I: The Research Phase

The purpose of this phase of our Model Congress is to help you understand the process members of the U.S. Congress follow when drafting legislation. An emphasis will be placed on proposing innovative solutions to national issues.

Step 1: Assessing representative pieces of legislation

The Library of Congress maintains a web site with all the legislative information you could ever desire from the U.S. Congress. Take a look here: http://thomas.loc.gov/

We are going to take a look at some sample pieces of legislation. As we do so, you will answer the following questions:

• What’s the purpose of this legislation?

• Who will benefit from the proposal?

• What types of costs are included in funding the legislation?

Step 2: Brainstorming Possible Topics

Sit with members of your political party. Decide which states you will represent. Then brainstorm some answers to the following questions:

• What issues are important to my constituents–locally, regionally, and nationally? If you need some help here, check out the Democratic Party web site, the Republican Party web site and the web sites for members of the House of Representatives or the Senate from the states you have chosen.

• Which of these issues are the highest priorities for your constituents? Your party?
  

• What solution will help the most people?

• What other criteria do you think are important to consider?
  

After your brainstorming discussion, identify the issue that you and your partner are going to focus on for your bill.

Step 3: Researching

Your goal is to be able to answer the following questions. Your research notes are worth 20% of your final grade. Keep careful track of your sources. Paraphrase your information. You will need to submit a correctly formatted Works Cited as part of your final bill. You can find lots of resources for research by going to the Model Congress Research Page.

You can download a Research Guide here: researchguide.doc

• What’s the history of your particular issue?

• How does this issue have an impact on people? the environment? Are there any case studies you could refer to to support your ideas?

• When did this issue first surface?

• What is the Republican Party position on your issue?

• What is the Democratic Party position on your issue?

• What current legislation is under consideration in Congress on your issue? Refer to specific bills by name. What is the bill title? Who sponsored it? What is the bill’s purpose?

Part II: The Writing Phase

Part III: The Committee Phase

Part IV: The Floor Debate

Part V: Reflective Essay

Assessment