1. Chapter 7 Congress at Work

2. 7-1 How a Bill Becomes a Law

3. Types of Laws Public – applies to whole nation
Private – applies to an individual; i.e. immigration issues
Ryder – unrelated issue attached to a law that is likely to pass; often “pork” being sneaked in

4. Types of Resolutions Becomes a law if passed?
Requires president’s signature?
Applies to:
Uses or examples:
Simple No
One house of congress
Joint
Yes
Whole nation
Correct error in earlier law; appropriate money
Con-current
Congress
Set date of Congress’ adjournment; express Congress’ opinion

5. How Laws are Made – Simplified
Introduce
Committee Action
Floor Action
Conference Action
Send to President
Signature, 10-day rule or veto
What are the more detailed steps? See diagram on p. 185.

6. Committee Action
Hearings – testimony from expert witnesses, government officials and/or interest groups
Markup session – committee makes changes in bill
Reporting a bill – committee sends bill and its report to House or Senate

7. Vocabulary “Pigeonholing” – committee lets a bill die by doing nothing
Line-item veto – ability to veto portions of a bill (usually appropriations)
Appropriation – approval of government spending

8. 7-2 Taxing and Spending Bills

9. Taxes The committees that work on tax laws are:
House Ways & Means Committee
Senate Finance Committee

10. Appropriations The president proposes the annual budget
The budget must be approved by Congress in a two-step process
Authorization bill – approves a program
Appropriations bill – approves the funding
House & Senate appropriations committees deal with this

11. Vocabulary
Uncontrollables – spending to which the government is committed by previous laws or contracts (about 70% of budget)
Entitlements – social programs that continue from one year to the next

12. 7-3 Influencing Congress

13. Constituents Representatives listen to: Why? Reelection!
Visits home / face-to-face meetings
Letters, faxes, s, form letters
Surveys
Polls
Key supporters
Why? Reelection!
Constituents expect politicians to defer to the district’s needs more than the “good of the nation”
What about when there is a conflict between what the district wants and the good of the nation?
Why do politicians do this? Reelection!
Have you tried to influence politicians?

14. Political Parties
Strong influence on economic and social policy issues
Less influence on foreign policy
Why?
Elected officials tend to have the same views as their parties
They can’t be experts on everything
They get pressured
They want election support
Read aloud p. 196

15. Other Influences President Special interest groups / lobbyists
PAC’s (Political Action Committees)
Lobbyists or PAC’s may represent:
Businesses
Labor unions
Professions (doctors, educators, etc.)
Non-profits (environmental groups, etc.)
Read aloud p. 196

16. 7-4 Helping Constituents

17. Vocabulary
Casework – helping constituents with problems related to government
Public works – infrastructure – “built” environment” under the jurisdiction of a government
Roads, mass transit, airports
Sewage, water supply, dams
Sometimes hospitals, schools, jails
Pork Barrel legislation – benefits a particular district
Logrolling – lawmakers helping each other get federal projects for their districts
Read aloud p. 200 – many different requests