Vocabulary

bill: A legislative proposal which would make law if it passes both the House and Senate and if it receives Presidential approval.

committees: Committees are panels of the House or Senate created to do the initial review of proposed legislation and to decide which measures are worthy of further consideration by the full House or Senate. The committees are each assigned various policy categories to handle, known as jurisdiction. The House and Senate each have about 20 permanent standing committees. The House and Senate also have select committees and joint committees. Every Representative in the House is assigned to work on an average of two committees; Senators are assigned to an average of four. Members are expected to become specialists in the subject matter under their committee’s jurisdiction.

constituents: A group of citizensrepresented by an elected official and living in his or her specific district.

district: The specific geographical area within a state represented by a House member. Congressional districts are drawn so that each has an average of about 650,000 citizens. States with small populations may have only one district — for example, Alaska — while a state like California , which has a large population, has 53 districts.

law: Legislation passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and signed by the President or passed over his veto.

legislator: An elected officialwho represents a group ofcitizens in Congress and helps make laws.

omnibus bills: Legislation which packages together several measures into one bill or combines diverse subjects into a single bill. Examples are budget reconciliation bills and combined appropriations bills.

Teaching Suggestions

Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress: The Legislative Process can be used to teach students in grades 7 through 12 about the legislative process and representative democracy. Below are some ideas on how you can use Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress in your classroom. These suggestions span a range of subjects and skill levels, so not every idea will apply to your situation. Choose what works best for your students.

Difficulties Faced in the Legislative Process

Have students look at a textbook and examine how the text explains the process of how a bill becomes a law. Explain to students that the legislative process is more dynamic than most texts portray. Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Explain to students that Members of Congress must work with a diverse group of people who represent different interests and eventually come to some type of agreement. Talk about the non-governmental influences in the legislative process. Have students create a poster presenting all the players they can think of who might emerge on a bill of a chosen topic. If it was prescription drug costs, for example, players would include Congressmen/women, Senators, the President, doctors, advocates for the elderly, pharmacists, drug companies, food-and-drug safety specialists, etc. Have students share their posters and discuss some of the difficulties Members of Congress face when they must decide how to vote. If there is time, ask them to work through the e-learning module “The Dynamic Legislative Process” on the Center on Congress Web site.

The Pros and Cons of a Slow and Deliberative Legislative Process

Explain to students that Congress was not designed to move quickly and efficiently. The Founders wanted a slow and thoughtful legislative process in order to ensure that all proposals receive careful scrutiny and all voices are considered. Have students read “The Legislative Process” on the Center on Congress at Indiana University Web site. Discuss how a bill becomes a law. Then ask students to read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Talk about the deliberation and heated debate that takes place in the legislative process. Have students create a table that shows the pros and cons of having a slow-moving legislative process.

A Closer Look at Unconventional Lawmaking

Review the legislative process with students. Make sure students understand the traditional way a bill becomes a law. Divide the class into three groups. Ask students in the first group to contact a Member or former Member of Congress and ask him or her to describe the work of committees and explain why the committee review process is important. Have students in the second group conduct research to learn more about omnibus bills. A good source is Congressional Quarterly’s Almanacs of Congress, which are issued at the end of each session of Congress and are available at most public libraries.Students in this group should be able to explain what omnibus bills are and cite some examples of omnibus bills. Have them draw up a list of the pros and cons they can think of with omnibus bills.Ask students in the third group to contact a Member or former Member of Congress and ask him or her to describe some of the ways legislators bypass some of the steps in the traditional legislative process. Allow students in each group to share their findings. Then have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Talk about unconventional lawmaking. Have students describe some of the costs of unconventional lawmaking and discuss the importance of deliberation.

Standards

You can address many state standards when you incorporate Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress into lessons. Please select your state to view the corresponding standards.

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