Model Congress is a participation activity that engages students in many aspects of policy-making by simulating a model legisl

MODEL CONGRESS HANDOUTS

Model Congress is a participation activity that engages students in many aspects of policy-making by simulating a model legislature. The activity described here is based on a number of versions used in several Fairfax County high schools. The scope of the law-making activity can be broad (all proposed bills--state and federal) or limited to federal legislation. This model is based on the House and includes a role for a president who uses the veto.

Objectives

At the end of this project, students will be able to:

1. Explain the meaning of the term civic life and civic responsibility in terms of holding public office. (1.1)

2. Describe how the public agenda is set and how it effects public policy. (4.1)

3. Take and defend a position on issues regarding the responsibility of government to make domestic and foreign policy. (4.2)

4. Explain the organization and powers of the U.S. Congress. (4.5 and 4.6)

5. Describe how a bill becomes a law from proposed legislation to floor vote. (4.7)

6. Explain how Congress and the executive branch can check and balance each other. (4.6)

7. Make decisions about where they stand politically. (6.6)

Time Needed

The model congress opens with one day to caucus, organize, and elect leaders; two days of committee hearings; (rules committee meets after school to prepare calendar of bills); two to three days of floor debate, voting and presidential vetoes and override voting.

Bill-writing:

• Provide students with a template of a bill and assign each student to write two bills.

• Show samples of actual bills and describe the essential elements you want students to include on their versions. It is recommended that a bill be one page, one-sided, typed, and ready to photocopy with the action sheet copied on the back.

• It is important that blank spaces be designated for the bill number (HR#___) and the Committee that it will be assigned to. This part of the bill will be completed during the committee phase.

• The teacher’s name and class period should also be affixed to the bill.

• Urge students to keep all of their work on a disk and to make a back-up.

• Tell students to bring three copies of their final bills to the opening session of the congress: one for the “Hopper,” one for the teacher, and one to keep during the congress.

The Caucus:

• Meet in a space large enough to hold all of the participants with room to subdivide into party caucuses and committees.

• Students should place one copy of each bill in a box designated the “Hopper.”

• Teachers should call the group to attention and explain the procedures/objectives of the day.

• Divide the group into two parties (Democrat or Republican). Tell students they must either move to the right side or the left side of the room. Note: It is important that students have a basic understanding of party ideology, principles, and general characteristics.

Electing the Leadership:

• Count the number of students in each party to determine majority/minority status.

• The majority party will elect the speaker, party leader, party whip, and committee chairs.

• Elect the speaker first. Have anyone wishing to be speaker stand before the majority party and give a one minute speech. By a show of hands the majority party will select a speaker.

Note: The speaker essentially runs the model congress. Before the election, point out that the individual must be someone who is reliable, an effective speaker in front of a group, and who possesses strong organizational skills. Encourage the most responsible and enthusiastic students to run for leadership positions. Stress the importance of perfect attendance during the simulation and that members of the Rules Committee may need to stay after school for their meeting.

• After a speaker is elected, the teacher working with the majority party should turn the process over to the speaker to elect the remaining positions.

• On the opposite side of the room the minority party will elect a president, leader, whip, and determine ranking member status for future committee work. Record the results of the elections by completing a Committees and Leadership form.

• Have the speaker pick someone to serve as a clerk of the congress and have the president select someone to perform the duties of sergeant-at-arms.

• Before the close of the caucus have the leadership introduce themselves to the congress.

• Be sure there is a clearly labeled folder for each congress to store the leadership and committee assignments. These folders should not be taken from the room.

Assigning Bills to Committees:

• While students are engaged in electing leaders one or two teachers should quickly scan the titles of the all of the bills and assign bills to one of seven committees. Prepare seven committee folders containing the bills assigned to each committee. Include a blank copy of the Committee Report.

• To even out the committee work-load it is recommended that each committee be given approximately the same number of bills even if the name of the committee does not exactly line-up with the topic of the bill. For example, you may find an abundance of Legal/Justice Committee bills but few for the Labor/Immigration Committee.

Committee Work:

• Students are randomly assigned to one of the seven standing committees on the first caucus day.

• Determine the size of each committee by dividing the number of total players by the number of committees for your congress; majority representation must always exceed minority representation.

• The chairman’s first duty is to prepare a committee roster of names, teacher, and party. Copies of the roster must be filed with the clerk of the congress.

• The committee folder must be maintained. Keep the bills, action sheets, and other papers in the committee folder. The chair must return the committee folder to the clerk at the end of the period.

• Begin deliberations by assigning each committee member a bill (or bills) to read through. Have each reader give a summary report to the committee--the nature of the bill, key points, and what they think are the pluses and minuses of the proposed law.

• Committees will hold hearings. The sponsor of a bill must be contacted and asked to testify before the committee takes final action on a bill. The sponsor of a bill must also be notified of the committee’s intention to amend the bill. Sponsors cannot prevent the committee from amending their bill, but they may withdraw the bill from consideration if they do not want their bill amended.

• Bills may be recommended for adoption (reported out), amended or rewritten entirely, rejected (killed by majority vote), or “pigeonholed” (quietly ignored).

• Action Sheets on the back of each bill must be completed for all bills.

• All legislation passed by a committee is given to the clerk of the congress at the end of the committee phase of the simulation.

The Rules Committee

• Membership on the Rules Committee will be determined by the teachers. This model recommends the following: seven members consisting of the speaker, majority leader, majority whip and one committee chair chosen by the speaker; minority leader, minority whip and one ranking committee member appointed by the president.

• Members of the Rules Committee will have nothing to do in the committee phase of the congress, however, they will “rule” on each bill reported out of the committees.

Note: As a general rule, one day of floor action will be able to consider approximately 10 to 15 bills. With that in mind, the Rules Committee will select only 30 to 40 bills to place on the Union Calendar.

• The Rules Committee will:

- Review all of the bills reported out by the committees

- Select 30 to 40 bills based upon party/leadership preferences

- Arrange the bills in order of the Committee’s priorities

- Assign a number to each bill #1 to #30 (as many as the committee chooses)

- Prepare the Union Calendar and determine a “rule” for each bill:

* how much debate time to allow for each bill?

* how much time for each speaker?

* can the bill be amended or not?

- List each bill on the Calendar by number and write the corresponding number on the bill.

Calendars must be printed in ink. Place the Union Calendar on top of the bills and submit to the clerk of the house for duplication by the teachers.

Floor Action

• At the beginning of each day of the floor action allow the parties to caucus for 15 minutes to examine the Union Calendar and to determine a strategy for the general session.

• The Speaker will preside over the floor sessions.

• See Rules for Floor Debate for detailed procedures.

Presidential Vetoes

• On the last day of floor action the president will deliver his/her veto messages on all of the bills that have passed the congress. The president may veto any bill but must briefly state his or her reasons. There is no debate about the president’s decisions.

• After all of the veto messages have been delivered party caucuses are held to determine strategies for possible override action.

• The clerk must count all of those present and announce how many votes are needed (two- thirds) for a veto to be overridden.

• The Speaker resumes control of the congress and leads the override session.

• The override vote is the final step in the model congress.

Leadership

Speaker of the House

The Speaker is elected by the majority party. The Speaker presides over the debates and floor votes on each bill. The Speaker may request that the majority leader or other majority member temporarily preside as needed. The Speaker is assisted by an appointed Clerk who reads each bill, maintains the Action Sheets after bills leave committees, and records the votes taken on the bills. The Speaker is further assisted by a Sergeant-at-Arms (who is selected by the minority leadership) to keep a record of the time, to announce the end of the debate, and to help the Speaker maintain order in the House. The Speaker may sit on any committee during their deliberations.

Party Leaders

Party leaders are elected by the party caucus. They help develop and articulate a party platform, read all bills to determine whether the party will take a position, and are prepared to speak for or against each bill as desired. Party leaders may assign someone else to speak on various bills. The Majority Leader presides over debate in the absence of the Speaker. Leaders may testify on committees during the time their party’s bills are being considered.

Party Whips

Party Whips are elected by the party caucus. Whips assist party leaders, read all bills to help leaders determine the party’s position on the bills, promote party position on the bills, and lobby party members to vote the party “line.”

The President of the United States

The president is elected by the minority caucus. The president is not a prime minister. The main duty of the president is to sign or veto bills passed by the floor. In general, the president should support the minority position on most of the bills. However, the president may act on a bill even if that action cuts across his or her party’s interests. During the committee and floor phases of the simulation, the president will generally act like any other member of the congress. A president will, however, begin to lobby and make deals in support of favored bills at any time. As bills are passed by the congress, the president must decide his or her position on that bill. If a veto is planned the president must develop a message to explain the reasons for the veto. On the final day of floor action the president will deliver the veto messages.

Rules for Floor Debate

1. A head table will hold: Speaker, Clerk , and Sergeant-at-Arms.

2. Bills are read by the Clerk, discussed, debated, and voted on by the entire House. A bill passes with a simple plurality of the votes.

3. If passed, bills are sent to the President who will sign or veto them and return them to congress. All vetoed bills require a brief message as to why this action was taken.

4. Vetoed bills may be brought back to the House for a two-thirds vote to override at the end of the session (last day).

5. The first person to speak on any bill is the sponsor of that bill. The second person is the party leader and the third to speak is the minority leader--unless either or both waive the privilege. Others may speak alternating between those in favor and those opposed. All speakers must stand and address the Chair loud enough for all to hear.

6. Members must rise and say “Mr. or Madame Speaker” to gain recognition from the Chair. Do not start to speak until the Chair recognizes you by name, nods to you, or in some other way gives you the go ahead. Debate on a bill is limited to the allotted time as set by the Rules Committee.

7. If the Chair recognizes someone else, wait until that speaker is finished and repeat #6 above.

8. Under no circumstances may you argue with the presiding officer (usually the Speaker of the House). Your only remedy is to rise to a point of order on parliamentary procedure, to appeal the decision of the Chair, or to rescind or reconsider. If you do appeal the decision of the Chair, you may state why you do so but no other debate is allowed. Once a vote is taken the matter is over.

9. When referring to another member of the Congress during floor sessions always use the most polite forms of address: “the distinguished gentleman or gentle lady,” the “honorable member,” etc. You may address another member only through the Chair, never directly.

10. The Speaker may enter discussion on a bill only by giving up the Chair to someone else and moving to the floor. The speaker should never abandon the podium without first asking a colleague to preside temporarily in his or her place. This should be neither the Clerk nor the Sergeant-at-Arms.

11 Members of the congress are responsible for having all relevant materials in hand each day as well as a pencil or pen. You must remember to bring your copy of the Union Calendar each day.

Model Congress: Committees and Leadership Assignments Period:___

Number of players____ Teachers:_______________________________________

MAJORITY:____________ #______ MINORITY:_______________ #______

Elected Leaders

Speaker______________________ President of the US_________________

Majority Leader_______________ Minority Leader____________________

Majority Whip_________________ Minority Whip______________________

Appointed Leaders

Clerk of the House______________ Sergeant-at-Arms_______________

Standing Committees # per committee=____

[Note: the number of Majority party members must always be greater than the Minority party members]

1. Finance/Budget (budget, spending, taxes, economy, business, trade)