Through this WebQuest you will be able to do the following:

You will be expected to be informed on the issues, policies, and procedures that affect the law-making process. Before we begin our Classroom Congress simulation, I want you to build upon your background knowledge by completing the following WebQuest steps.

All of the underlined items below are links to resources or other pages that you will need to use to complete this WebQuest. Please read each of the following steps thoroughly. You must complete all 13 steps of the WebQuest below to receive full credit.

Steps 1-8 may be completed with a partner.  Steps 9-13 must be completed individually.

Step 1: Print the WebQuest worksheet.

Step 2: Now go to Ben's Guide to Branches of Government web page to identify and explain the Three Branches of the Federal Government.

Step 3: Use the the same web page, Ben's Guide to Branches of Government, to find out how many Senators and Representatives are currently serving in the United States Congress.

Step 4: Go to the White House web site to find the names of some of the important members of the President's Cabinet.

Step 5: Use the Wikipedia web site to find out the names of the current members of the United States Supreme Court. (Type in US Supreme Court.) Put an * next to the name of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Step 6: Do you know the names of your local and state members of Congress? Now is your chance to find out who they are. Link to a site called Congressmerge to find out your Congressional District (South Dakota is our district) and the names of your local and state members of Congress. All you have to do is enter your address and zip code at Congressmerge.com to obtain a list.

When you are finished searching,  use the back side of the webquest worksheet and draw a diagram of How a Bill Becomes a Law. Use Ben's Guide to U.S. Government. to help you.

Step 8: Now it is time for you and your fellow Congressmen and Congresswomen to get to work making laws, but first, you must complete your own research on two different bills. You will need a separate piece of paper to record information on each bill.

Your first bill is called HR 4954 Port Security Act http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-4954. The second bill is called the FREEDOM Act, S. 1617. You can find a summary of this bill at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1617

Use a separate piece of paper to record your arguments in favor or against  these bills. Be sure to include the title and the number of the bill along with a detailed summary of the bill at the top of the page.

1. When a Representative has an idea for a new law, s/he becomes the sponsor of that bill and introduces it by giving it to the clerk of the House or by placing it in a box, called the hopper. The clerk assigns a legislative number to the bill, with H.R. for bills introduced in the House of Representatives and S. for bills introduced in the Senate. The Government Printing Office (GPO) then prints the bill and distributes copies to each representative.

*What type of bill would you sponsor?  Decide on a topic and what you would do/change concerning that topic.  Place it in the "Hopper" (Shared/Students/Mrs. Kokes/Government/Bills) so everyone has a copy.

2. Next, the bill is assigned to a committee (the House has 22 standing committees, each with jurisdiction over bills in certain areas) by the Speaker of the House so that it can be studied.

The standing committee (or often a subcommittee) studies the bill and hears testimony from experts and people interested in the bill. The committee then may release the bill with a recommendation to pass it, or revise the bill and release it, or lay it aside so that the House cannot vote on it. Releasing the bill is called reporting it out, while laying it aside is called tabling.

*Committees will be two people from your office (Representative or Senator).  Decide which bills to "report" (revise and release for vote) or which bills to "table" (put aside and not vote on them.)

3. If the bill is released, it then goes on a calendar (a list of bills awaiting action). Here the House Rules Committee may call for the bill to be voted on quickly, limit the debate, or limit or prohibit amendments. Undisputed bills may be passed by unanimous consent, or by a two-thirds vote if members agree to suspend the rules.

4. The bill now goes to the floor of the House for consideration and begins with a complete reading of the bill (sometimes this is the only complete reading). A third reading (title only) occurs after any amendments have been added. If the bill passes by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate.

*Create a calendar (list) of the bills that you report.  Two people will be allowed to speak at most.  (One for and one against.)  If there is no opposition against the bill, one person may speak and then the bill will be voted on. A two-thirds majority is needed for the bill to pass to the Senate. (For time and people restraints we are merging steps 3 and 4.)

5. In order to be introduced in the Senate, a senator must be recognized as the presiding officer and announce the introduction of the bill. Sometimes, when a bill has passed in one house, it becomes known as an act; however, this term usually means a bill that has been passed by both houses and becomes law.

*Find a person from the Senator group that supports your bill.  That senator must ask the presiding officer (drawn earlier) for permission to speak about the bill.  This senator must understand the purpose of your bill.  They are the "cheerleader" for it in the Senate.

6. Just as in the House, the bill then is assigned to a committee. It is assigned to one of the Senate's 16 standing committees by the presiding officer. The Senate committee studies and either releases or tables the bill just like the House standing committee.

*The Senate committee (drawn) will study and release/table the bill.

7. Once released, the bill goes to the Senate floor for consideration. Bills are voted on in the Senate based on the order they come from the committee; however, an urgent bill may be pushed ahead by leaders of the majority party. When the Senate considers the bill, they can vote on it indefinitely. When there is no more debate, the bill is voted on. A simple majority (51 of 100) passes the bill.

*The entire Senate group will vote for the released bills.  A majority will win.

8. The bill now moves onto a conference committee, which is made up of members from each House. The committee works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The revised bill is sent back to both houses for their final approval. Once approved, the bill is printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office in a process called enrolling. The clerk from the introducing house certifies the final version.

*The original writer of the bill along with one House member and one Senate member will create a final version of the bill.  For time restraints Congress will not vote a second time on the bill.  The revised bill will be saved in the Shared/Bills folder as "revised #.

9. The enrolled bill is now signed by the Speaker of the House and then the vice president. Finally, it is sent for presidential consideration. The president has ten days to sign or veto the enrolled bill. If the president vetoes the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House then vote in favor of the bill.

*The Speaker of the House (drawn) and the vice president (me) will sign the bill.  I will also act as President and may veto a bill. See if you can override it!

Do you think it is easy to pass a law? Why or why not?
 

Congress WebQuest Steps 1-13 & Bill Diagram - 15 points

Port Security Act and FREEDOM Act (summary & pros/cons) 5 points

Adapted from http://clackhi.nclack.k12.or.us/~kunsteld/webquest.html