Welcome Back Everybody! Hope your break was better than mine!

Today: 1. Welcome Back!2. New Seats3. Legislative Branch Simulation4. Intro Legislative Branch

Looking Ahead: Legislative Branch Simulation- If you will be absent in the next two week – I NEED TO KNOW.

Legislative Branch Simulation PlanDay 1- Students are assigned their Senate roll and committee position – students spend time researching their senate roll (what it means to be a conservative republican, what their state thinks about certain issues)

Day 2 – More research and party meetings – students research into their specific committee bill. Meet with the other students of the same party/committee.

Day 3-4 – Committee meetings – students meet in committee to complete the mark-up phase of bill review. By the end of the class period they must have re-written the bill and passed it in committee so that it is ready for floor debates.

Day 5 – Sponsoring senators make speeches introducing the bills to the senate floor – VP sets schedule for day 5 when floor debates and votes may take place.

Day 6- Students research into the issues they will be voting on and write their Constituent Letters.

Day 7, 8, 9 – Floor debates on the three bills. Students are given breaks between sessions so they can do some coat-room negotiations. Receive letters from their constituents etc.

Day 10 – Final votes on each bill.

Day 10/11– Signing party – Speeches made by sponsoring senators. Cake!

Legislative Branch

• Powers: write and pass laws, levy taxes, declare war.

• Bi-Cameral Congress – House and Representatives – Senate

• Two Party System– Democrats– Republicans – Independents (?)

House of Representatives

• 435 Members– Elected by small districts – more polarized opinions – Size based on census numbers/population – 233 Republicans– 200 Democrats – 2 spots currently up for special election (vacant)

• New Jersey and Alabama

• 2 year terms– No term limits

• Key Positions– Speaker of the House – John Boehner – Minority Leader – Nancy Pelosi – Majority Leader – Eric Cantor – Whips (Second String)

Senate • 100 Members

– Elected by the whole state – Generally more moderate – 2 representatives per state – 52 Democrats – 46 Republicans– 2 Independents

• 6 year terms– Elections staggered – No terms limits

• Key Positions– V.P. is President of the Senate – Joe Biden– President Pro Tempore – Patrick Leahy – Majority Leader – Harry Reid – Minority Leader – Mitch McConnell

Good Morning Senators!

Today: 1. Understanding the Role of

Political Parties 2. Receive Senate Roles

Cards3. Research your role,

national political party stances on the issues, and your state political parties stance on the issues.

Political Parties

Two party system.Organized at the national, state and local level. Political Parties have five primary functions: 1. Recruit candidates ands support campaigns2. Organize elections and inform voters3. Organize the government4. Unite people and allow for collective action5. Checks on each other – watch for ethical

misconduct by dominant party in power.

Third Parties

Often organize around a single issue, but can also be a splinter or faction of one of the major parties. Examples of Third Parties are:• Green Party• Peace and Freedom Party• Libertarian Party• Communist Party• Socialist Party• Tea Party?

Constituents

Definition: The people of an area or district who vote for their congressperson and are represented by him/her for the congressional period.

Senate Constituents = every person in the state that can legally vote.

House of Representatives Constituents = every person that can legally vote in your small local district (town/city/geographic region).

Electoral Districts Definition: A distinct area in which the people who live there vote for one or more representatives in the House of Representatives. Only voters who live within the geographical bounds of an electoral district (constituents) are permitted to vote in an election held there.

Gerrymandering

Illegal process of drawing electoral district lines to unfairly favor one party over another party.

Senate Role Cards

• Today: – You will begin researching:

• National Party Positions – Republicans: http://www.gop.com/– Democrats: http://www.democrats.org/

• State Party Positions – We will elect Senate Majority and Minority Leaders from the most

senior members of the party. By the end of the day today be able to answer: 1. What it means to be Republican or a Democrat. 2. Whether you are a social/fiscal conservative or liberal.3. What issues are most important to your constituents.

1. What the want to see done in terms of legislation

Key Issues: Energy and the Environment, Minimum Wage, Gun Control.

Happy Block Day Senators!

Today:1. Current Events – 30

min. 2. Mini-Lecture –

Committees 3. Mark-Up Phase

1. Party Mark-up Meetings.

2. Committee Meetings

Current Events

Do not write a description of the article.

Highlight the PERSPECTIVE that it represents. What is the interests that the right/conservative perspective has in your issue? How is it different

from the more centrist or left/liberal perspective.

How a Bill Becomes a Law pt. 1

• Senator or Representative introduces a piece of legislation that either they or a special interest group has written.

• Committees review the bill – mark it up- change it – combine it will other bills – let it die- or report on in favorably for a vote by the whole Congress.

Committees

• Standing Committees– Agriculture; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing

and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Environment and Public Works; Finance; Foreign Relations; Governmental Affairs; Judiciary; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

• Special Committees– If they want to investigate something in particular, new or specific

• Select Committees – Ethics, issues within the senate ex. Rules

• Joint Committees – Committees which are sat on by members from both houses.

Roles of Committees

• Review Relevant Bills• Mark up and fix relevant bills• Make sure bills are the same in both houses• Combine redundant bills • Make recommendations regarding which bills

should be voted on by the whole congress. • Hold hearings• Change Senate Rules

Mark-Up Phase

What you will be doing today:1. Review a relevant bill2. Fix any problems in the bill3. Make changes that both parties will agree to

when the bill is voted on4. Sponsor bills so that they can be voted on by

the Congress.

Today:

• Review the bill you will be marking up in committee.

• Read positions on the bill from special interest groups.

• Begin Mark-up Phase of Legislation Committee Meetings and Party Meetings – First with Party– Then with full committee

Happy Friday Friends!

Today:1. Updates2. Current Event Group

Discussion3. Large Class Discussion

– Ukraine Looking Ahead: Next week – Continuing our simulation.

Assessment for Legislative Simulation

1. In Class Essay– What factors most impact the creation of laws through the legislative process?

2. First paragraph: In the simulation, as a senator, what factors allowed you to achieve your goals or caused you to fail.

3. Evidence to support your claims regarding what factors most impact the legislative process should be taken from both the simulation and current events.

Current Event Discussions

Guidelines: 1. We will meet today in groups of 4. 2. No electronics should be out during the discussion. 3. When you present, you are presenting on the differences

between the conservative and liberal viewpoint on your topic. Along with any other important news updates.

4. Each TOPIC still get 5 min discussion. You should still answer questions asked by your group members or write them down to look them up.

5. Make sure you select one topic to be shared with the entire class (and a back-up if someone else steals it). We want to work towards a whole class discussion on one of the interesting topics you selected.

MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY!

Types of Special Interest Groups

Economic Interest GroupsBusiness groupsUnions

Citizens GroupsEnvironmental ACLUStudent groupsNRA

Government GroupsNational Governors Association Public Employee Unions National Education Association

Nationality GroupsReligious GroupsVeterans GroupsPACs and SUPER PACS

Functions of Special Interest Groups

• Raise money• Research and propose policy • Write legislation• Focus the conversation/debate• Support Candidates• Lobby for legislation• Educate the public • Educate Candidates • Litigation against bad bills• Organize grassroots campaigns

Pros and Cons of Special Interest Groups role in government.

Pluralism – Madison’s idea that political power should be evenly distributed and shared by many groups in society. Pros:1. Allow for many entrances into

politics2. Create easier mobilization for

groups of people with similar values.

3. Act as a check on the government1. Litigation2. Campaigning

4. Keep people informed5. Protect the rights of minority

groups6. Influence policy7. Write legislation

Cons:1. Place the interests of one group over

the interests of the country as a whole.

2. May be overly focused on certain issues.

3. Dominate the conversation with minority opinions

4. Flood money into the system1. Pay off representatives2. Election contributions

5. May no represent the people as a whole.

6. Polarize the political discussion

The Mark-up PhaseIn Committees Senators and Representatives make changes to bills that they see as necessary to please their own constituents, and that make the bill passable through the entire Congress.

You can pass a bill out of Committee with a simple majority, HOWEVER, if it doesn’t pass the Congress, then you’ve failed over-all.

You may want to meet with Senators from other committees to see what they are doing, let them know what your constituents would like to see, and make deals with them regarding the final votes on the Senate floor.