1. Warm UP
What are the jobs of the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial)?

2. Three Ring Goverment

3. Congress
How a Bill becomes a Law

4. Idea: Let the Chickens Go!
A member of Congress must sponsor (support) a piece of legislation
President can initiate an idea, but must be sponsored by a Congress person

5. Types of legislation: Bill: proposed law Resolutions:
Concurrent Res: not a law, procedural issues w/in HR & S
Joint Res: process used for a bill/constitutional amendment

6. In the HR: all revenue/tax bills must start here!
Hopper: bills are placed in this box
It’s given a number, such as HR 135
First Reading: read title, sponsor’s name, and #

7. Then it’s sent to a Standing Cmte
Speaker refers bill to appropriate committee
Most often the committee will not consider the bill – the bill “dies” in committee
Pigeonholed: the bill is forgotten about
No one cares about freeing the chickens 

8. Discharge Petition Used to get “pigeonholed” bills out of a committee
Need a majority of HR members to sign the petition – 218
If successful – sends bill directly to the floor of the HR

9. In the Committees
If the chairman of the cmte likes a certain bill, it will be sent to subcommittee
Hearings – a way to gather information from interested parties, such as interest groups, private citizens, etc
If it passes through subcmte, it is then sent to the full cmte

10. Full Committee
Bill will go through a “mark-up” session – members can make changes to bill
Vote
If it passes – this is known as reporting (or releasing) the bill

11. Rules Committee
Most bills in the HR must go here, it grants a rule to each bill:
Closed Rule: sets strict time limits for the amount of debate on the floor
Open Rule: allows germane amendments to bill

12. Floor Action
Calendar: each bill is given a date on the calendar according to what the Speaker & Majority Leader want

13. Debate on the Floor
Committee of the Whole: 100/435 members can debate and amend the bill BUT cannot pass it
Amendment must be germane – related to – the subject of the bill

14. Vote!
Quorum – must have the majority (218) members present to vote
If it passes, it then moves to the S

15. Summary (write questions)
A bill to increase taxes on cigarettes goes into the
Next, it receives its first .
Then, it is sent to the appropriate standing .
Here, no one is interested in this bill. It is therefore .

16. 5. To get the bill out of the committee, the sponsor of the bill begins a .
6. In order for this to work they need signatures.
7. It works! It is then sent to Cmte to be put onto the calendar.
8. From there it is sent to the of the HR for a debate and a vote. It passes and goes on to the Senate.

17. Warm Up
Discuss a movie in which the hero struggles against all odds and finally seems to have won the day only to be faced with another major challenge.
Remember all warm ups must be 3-5 sentences or bullets unless otherwise stated!

18. Senate Same basic procedures happen in the S
Senator introduces the bill in the S

19. Committee It then goes to committee and subcommittee
Can be tabled or pigeonholed
If reported out from the committee, it goes to the floor of the S

20. On the S Floor Can add riders – amendments that are non-germane
Christmas Tree Bill – a bill w/so many riders hanging off of it, it looks like a tree w/ornaments

21. Debate In the S, debate is nearly unlimited!
Filibuster: talk to a bill to death
A way to stall a vote
Used by the minority party
Threat of a filibuster often kills a bill

22. Cloture Rule Ends a filibuster with 60 votes Currently in the Senate:
44 Democrats
54 Republicans

23. Conference Committee
If the Senate passes the bill w/amendments that were not seen in the HR, it must go to a conference cmte
Conference cmte: consists of members of the S & HR who meet to find compromise between what was passed in the two houses
Both houses must re-vote on the bill

24. President (checks & balances)
Veto – reject the bill
Returns to Congress w/ veto message
Sign – becomes a law

25. Other Options
Law w/o signing - if Congress is in session for 10 days it automatically becomes law (if not vetoed)
Pocket Veto – if Congress is out of session for 10 days, automatically vetoed & can’t be overridden

26. No longer an option…..
Line Item Veto: Declared unconstitutional, briefly gave pres. The power to delete sections of an appropriations bill – governors often have this power

27. Final Thoughts: Congress can override a veto w/ 2/3 majority vote
Any bill not passed in one term of Congress is automatically dead

28. Question:
Give 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage for it being so difficult to pass a law.

29. Summary
Following that bill!!!