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Contents Chapter Focus Section 1Section 1How a Bill Becomes a Law Section 2Section 2Taxing and Spending Bills Section 3Section 3Influencing Congress Section 4Section 4Helping Constituents

Chapter Objectives How a Bill Becomes a Law Explain the process by which federal legislation is proposed, reviewed, and enacted. Chapter Objectives Taxing and Spending Bills Analyze the power of Congress to raise and spend money through tax laws and appropriations bills. Influencing Congress Identify factors that often influence members of Congress. Helping Constituents Explain how members of Congress help voters in their state of district.

Section 1 Introduction-1 Section 1 :How a Bill Becomes a Law Key Terms public bill, simple resolution, rider, hearing, veto, pocket veto Key Questions: What are the positive and negative implications of the lengthy process through which all bills must go before becoming laws? Why is it easier to defeat legislation than to pass it?

Section 1-2 A.Public bills involve national issues; private bills deal with individual people or places. I.Types of Bills and Resolutions (pages 181–183) B.Resolutions may be passed by either house or by both houses jointly. C.Both houses pass concurrent resolutions, which do not have the force of law. D. A rider is a provision attached to a bill on an unrelated subject.

Section 1-2 E. Only a few bills become laws because: I.Types of Bills and Resolutions (pages 181–183) 1. the process is long and complex; 2. measures must have broad support; 3. supporters must be willing to compromise; 4. many bills are introduced that have no chance of passing.

Section 1-4 A.Introducing a new bill in Congress is the first step in the lawmaking process. II.Introducing a Bill (pages 183–186) B.New bills are sent to committees and sometimes subcommittees. C.Both houses usually agree with the committees’ decision on a bill. D. If a committee decides to act on a bill, it holds hearings on it. E.When a committee hearing is complete, committee members review the bill line by line and make changes in it by a majority vote.

Section 1-5 F.The committee kills or reports the bill to the House or Senate, sending with the bill a written report that describes the bill, explains the committee’s actions, lists the committee’s changes, and recommends passage or defeat. II.Introducing a Bill (pages 183–186)

Section 1-6 II.Introducing a Bill (pages 183–186) Why do congressional committees play such a key role in bills after they are introduced? Committee members have authority because they are considered experts on the bills they receive.

Section 1-7 A.During debate any lawmaker may offer amendments. III.Floor Action (pages 186–187) B.The bill, including proposed changes, must receive a majority vote in both the House and Senate to pass. C.Congress may use standing, roll-call, record, or voice votes.

Section 1-8 III.Floor Action (pages 186–187) How may bills be changed during floor debates in each house? Amendments may be added.

Section 1-9 A.To become a law, a bill must pass in identical form in both houses; conference committees work out differences when necessary, and send a compromise bill to each house of Congress for final action. IV.Final Steps in Passing Bills (pages 187–188) B.The president may then let the bill become law by signing it or keeping it 10 days without signing it, or kill it using a veto or pocket veto. C.Congress can override a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in each house.

Section 1-10 D.The line-item veto was challenged in the Supreme Court and declared unconstitutional. E.After a bill becomes a law, it is registered with the National Archives and Records Service. F.Citizens can track legislation using an online information resource called THOMAS. IV.Final Steps in Passing Bills (pages 187–188)

Section 1-11 IV.Final Steps in Passing Bills (pages 187–188)

Section 2 Introduction-1 Section 2 :Taxing and Spending Bills Key Terms tax, closed rule, appropriation, authorization bill, entitlement Key Questions What is the procedure whereby Congress provides money to the executive agencies and departments?

Section 2-1 Members of Congress often promote spending bills that benefit their district or state. For example, in 1997 Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama added a measure to the House appropriations bill to spend $3 million for fertilizer research in Alabama. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas added a bill to build a new commuter lane on a bridge in El Paso. Both senators were important members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and their efforts were successful.

Section 2-2 A.The House of Representatives has exclusive power to start all revenue bills, and all important work on tax laws occurs in the House Ways and Means Committee. I.Making Decisions About Taxes (pages 189–190) B.Until the 1970s the closed rule forbade members of Congress from amending tax bills from the floor of the House; members felt tax bills were too complicated and in too much danger of being amended under pressure from special-interest groups to allow such changes.

Section 2-3 C.In 1973 the House revolted against the powerful Ways and Means Committee and its chairperson to do away with the closed rule; critics charge that doing away with this rule has allowed tax bills to become a collection of amendments favoring special interests. D.The Senate may propose changes in tax bills, and the Senate Committee on Finance has primary responsibility for tax matters. I.Making Decisions About Taxes (pages 189–190)

Section 2-5 A.Congress has the power of appropriation, or approval of government spending. II.Appropriating Money (pages 191–192) B.Congress uses a two-step procedure in appropriating money: 1.an authorization bill, setting up a federal program and specifying how much money may be spent on it; 2.an appropriations bill, providing the money needed to carry out the program or law. C.In each house of Congress, an appropriations committee and its subcommittees handle appropriations bills.

Section 2 Assessment-1 1.Main Idea Using a graphic organizer like the one below, show the two-step procedure that Congress follows when appropriating money. Checking for Understanding 1. authorization bill 2. appropriations bill

Section 2-6 D.Appropriations subcommittees may develop close relationships with certain agencies and projects for which they appropriate funds. E.Powerful interest groups try to influence appropriations subcommittees to give the agencies all the money they request. F.Most of the money the federal government spends each year is for uncontrollable expenditures. II.Appropriating Money (pages 191–192)

Section 3 Introduction-1 Section 3: Influencing Congress Key Terms lobbyist, lobbying, Political Action Committees (PACs) Key Questions What factors must a member of Congress weigh when deciding whether to support the views of an interest group or of the president? What specific groups and individuals influence the legislators’ decisions? How closely should the votes of members of Congress reflect the opinions of their constituents?

Section 3-2 A.Lawmakers’ views on decisions are seldom based on individual conscience. I.Influences on Lawmakers (page 194) B.Voters back home, lawmakers’ staff members, lawmakers’ own political parties, the president, and special-interest groups all influence lawmakers’ views. C.Some concern these other “constituencies” more influential than voters back home

Section Focus 3 1) Answers will vary.2) Answers will vary.3) Answers will vary.

Section 3 Assessment-5 5.What influence does the president have on Congress? Checking for Understanding Presidents can use the media to rally public opinion for or against a policy. They can also grant or withhold support for projects important to a lawmaker’s constituents.

Section 3-6 A.Nearly all members of Congress belong to one of the two major political parties and generally support their own party’s stands on legislation. III.The Influence of Parties (pages 196–197) B.House members support their parties more strongly than do Senate members, but the issues themselves also determine whether members follow their party leaders’ agenda. C.Members of Congress usually support their party because party members usually share the same general political beliefs.

Section 3-7 III.The Influence of Parties (pages 196–197) What might happen when a lawmaker does not vote with their own political party on an important bill? He/she may loose support from other parties members for his/ her legislation He /she may loose support for reelection.

Section 3-1 Lobbyists representing interest groups may have gotten their name from favor-seekers operating in the New York state legislature. As early as the 1820s, those favor-seekers sought out New York lawmakers in the “lobby”—the corridor or other parts of the state capital building at Albany—seeking to influence legislators’ votes. Since that time, lobbyists have become one of the most powerful influences on governments.

Section 3-8 A.Presidents work hard to persuade lawmakers to support laws they want passed and give or withhold political favors to secure lawmakers’ support. IV.Other Influences on Congress (pages 197–198) B.Interest groups and their lobbyists represent various interests, including labor and business groups, education and environmental organizations, and minority groups. C.Political action committees (PACs) are political fund-raising organizations that give their funds to support lawmakers who favor the PAC’s position.

Section 3-9 IV.Other Influences on Congress (pages 197–198) Do you think lobbyists are beneficial or detrimental to the lawmaking process in Congress? Explain. Answers will vary. See lobbyists’ influence on text page 198.

Section 3 Assessment-6 6.Making Inferences Why do some people think that PACs now have more influence over members of Congress and the process of congressional legislation than do individual lobbyists? Critical Thinking PACs often are better organized and better funded than individual lobbyists.

Section 4 Introduction-1 Section 4 : Helping Constituents Key Terms casework, pork-barrel legislation, logrolling Find Out How do the organization and methods of Congress contribute to pork-barrel legislation? Why do legislators spend much of their time helping their constituents?

Section 4-2 A.Lawmakers in both houses must deal with their constituents’ problems and needs involving government. I.Handling Problems (pages 200–201) B.Caseworkers on lawmakers’ staffs help them deal with voters’ requests for help. C.Lawmakers spend a great deal of time on casework because responding to voters helps them get reelected, casework brings problems with federal programs to lawmakers’ attention, and caseworkers help citizens cope with the huge national government.

Section 4-4 A.Lawmakers bring federal projects and money to their districts and states through pork-barrel legislation, federal grants and contracts, and keeping federal projects. II.Helping the District or State (pages 201–203) B.Congress appropriates billions of dollars for local projects that can bring funds and jobs to districts and states; these appropriations for local projects are sometimes called “pork-barrel legislation.” C.A Lawmaker may engage in log rolling: agreeing to support another lawmaker’s bill in exchange for support for his or her own bill

Section 4-1 Critics say that the “pork” in “pork-barrel legislation” is used to “grease” the wheels of government. By that, they mean that when Congress appropriates millions of dollars for local projects, such as hydroelectric dams, environmental cleanup programs, and mass transit projects, it does so for two reasons: to help districts and states provide services and, just as important, to improve their own chances of being reelected.

Chapter Assessment 2 Reviewing Key Terms 1.A(n) ___________________ is money that citizens and businesses pay to support the government. 2. ___________________ is a congressional task that involves helping constituents with problems. 3.A(n) ___________________ is an often controversial provision tacked on to a bill pertaining to a different subject. tax Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. taxclosed rule riderauthorization bills hearingentitlements pocket vetocasework lobbyistpork-barrel legislation Casework rider

Chapter Assessment 3 Reviewing Key Terms 4.Interest on the national debt and Social Security payments are examples of ___________________. 5.A person who represents a special-interest group to Congress and other government officials is known as a(n) ___________________. 6.Witnesses usually offer testimony in a committee ___________________ regarding a specific bill. entitlements Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. taxclosed rule riderauthorization bills hearingentitlements pocket vetocasework lobbyistpork-barrel legislation lobbyist hearing

Chapter Assessment 4 Reviewing Key Terms 7.Under a(n) ___________________, House members were forbidden to offer amendments to tax bills from the floor. 8.___________________ is when Congress passes laws to appropriate money for local federal projects. 9.The president gives a(n) ___________________ by not signing a bill during the last 10 days Congress is in session. closed rule Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. taxclosed rule riderauthorization bills hearingentitlements pocket vetocasework lobbyistpork-barrel legislation Pork-barrel legislation pocket veto

Chapter Assessment 5 Reviewing Key Terms 10.___________________ set up federal programs and specify how much money may be appropriated for those programs. Authorization bills Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. taxclosed rule riderauthorization bills hearingentitlements pocket vetocasework lobbyistpork-barrel legislation

Chapter Assessment 7 2.What are four actions a president may take on a bill? Recalling Facts A president may sign the bill into law, veto the bill, pocket veto the bill, or leave the bill unsigned and allow it to become law after 10 days if Congress is still in session. 3.What role does the House Ways and Means Committee play in tax legislation? It initiates and reviews all the tax laws.

Chapter Assessment 8 4.What factors influence lawmakers when they consider legislation? Recalling Facts Possible answers include the nature of the issue, voters at home, other lawmakers, staff members, political parties, the president, special-interest groups, and the lawmaker’s own beliefs. 5.What key tool do lawmakers use to secure the passage of public works legislation? Lawmakers use logrolling to secure the passage of public works legislation.

Chapter Assessment 10 2.Political Processes Would lawmakers’ activities be different if there were no special- interest groups? Understanding Concepts Possible answers: Without special-interest groups, lawmakers would not be pressured to vote according to the demands of the special- interest groups but would vote in the best interest of their constituents; there are enough other influences to continue to have an impact on lawmakers’ activities.

Chapter Assessment 12 2.Drawing Conclusions Why is Congress reluctant to appropriate the full amount of money an agency requests? Critical Thinking Possible answer: Congress may want an agency to avoid wasteful spending or force an agency to concentrate its allotted spending on the most effective measures.

Section Focus 4 1) CA, NY, TX, FL, PA 2) CA, TX, FL, PA, NY 3) PA ranks highest; FL ranks third.