How Laws Are Made
The process begins when a member of Congress introduces a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. (Bills may begin in either body or simultaneously in both; however, each body must ultimately pass an identical bill before it reaches the president.) After it is introduced, the bill is sent to the relevant committee or subcommittee, where the work begins ...
Let's pretend the voters (or constituents) from Senator Jones' state want a law requiring seatbelts on school buses. He and his staff write a bill, which is a draft (early version) of the proposed law. The bill is then passed out to each Senator. A Standing Committee (a small, permanent group made up of legislators who studies and reports on bills) reviews the bill and does one of three things:
1. Sends the bill back with no changes.
2. Makes changes and sends it back.
3. Tables the bill -- In other words, they can do nothing.
If the committee sends it back with no changes, then the bill goes on the Senate's calendar to be voted on. When that day comes, the bill is voted on and over half of the senators (51 of 100) must vote yes to pass it.
If the bill is passed by the Senate, it then moves to the other branch of Congress, the House of Representatives. The bill goes to a House committee, which studies the bill, and then is voted on by the representatives. Just as in the Senate, over half of the representatives (218 of 435) must vote yes to pass the bill.
If the bill is passed in both the Senate and House, the bill goes to the President of the United States. If the president signs the bill, it then becomes a law. It may also become law if the president does not sign it for 10 days. If the president rejects or vetoes the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House then vote in favor of the bill.
A bill may begin in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. So, Representative Smith could introduce a bill of her own just like Senator Jones. This bill would take the same steps only it would begin in the House of Representatives instead of the Senate.
Methods of voting:
ü Voice vote (Ayes and Nays)
ü Division (Stand and be counted)
ü Recorded (Use electronic voting devices)
ü Roll Call (By Alphabetical Order)
Name: ______
Date: ______
Constructing an Infographic on How Laws Are Made
Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. With an information graphic, computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians develop and communicate concepts using a single symbol to process information. They illustrate information that would be unwieldy in text form, and act as a visual shorthand for everyday concepts such as stop and go.
In newspapers, infographics are commonly used to show the weather, as well as maps and site plans for newsworthy events, and graphs for statistical data. Some books are almost entirely made up of information graphics, such as David Macaulay's The Way Things Work. Although they are used heavily in children's books, they are also common in scientific literature, where they illustrate physical systems, especially ones that cannot be photographed (such as cutaway diagrams, astronomical diagrams, and images of microscopic or sub-microscopic systems). Modern maps, especially route maps for transit systems, use infographic techniques to integrate a variety of information, such as the conceptual layout of the transit network, transfer points, and local landmarks.
Your assignment is to construct one based on “How Laws Are Made” by February 28th. A crude version is attached in this packet and better examples can be found on my website here: www.wikifreccia.wikisapces.com/how+laws+are+made/. Here are the factors you will be graded on in this project:
Ø Whether it is factually correct (10 Points)
Ø Whether it is Graphically elegant (5 Points)
Ø Level of Creativity (5 Points)
Ø Effort and Presentation (5 points)
Suggestions on how to proceed include:
Creating a podcast (graphics narrated by yourself), creating a web-based creation (using sites like www.glogster.com), creating a graphic or photographic digital work, developing a PowerPoint, developing a video based presentation, or creating a poster.
For some ideas, check out these great infographic websites:
Ø http://www.coolinfographics.com/
Ø http://chartporn.org/
Ø http://www.time.com/time/graphics
Ø http://socialmediagraphics.posterous.com/
Ø http://dailyinfographic.com/
Ø http://www.nytimes.com/pages/multimedia/index.html
Name: ______
Date: ______
Infographic of this Assignment
Infographics are found in…
Your Assignment:
Monday, Feb. 28
Options for completion (pick one):
I’m just a bill (1973)
Boy: Whew! You sure gotta climb a lot of steps to get to this Capitol Building here in
Washington. But I wonder who that sad little scrap of paper is?
I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,
But I know I'll be a law some day
At least I hope and pray that I will
But today I am still just a bill.
Boy: Gee, Bill, you certainly have a lot of patience and courage.
Bill: Well, I got this far. When I started I wasn't even a bill, I was just an idea. Some folks back home decided they wanted a law passed, so they called their local Congressman, and said, "You're right, there oughta be a law." Then he sat down and wrote me out and introduced me to Congress. And I became a bill, and I'll remain a bill until they decide to make me a law.
I'm just a bill
Yes I'm only a bill,
And I got as far as Capitol Hill.
Well, now I'm stuck in committee
And I'll sit here and wait
While a few key Congressmen discuss
and debate
Whether they should let me be a law.
How I hope and pray that they will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Boy: Listen to those Congressmen arguing! Is all that discussion and debate about you?
Bill: Yeah, I'm one of the lucky ones. Most bills never even get this far. I hope they decide to report on me favorably, otherwise I may die.
Boy: Die?
Bill: Yeah, die in committee. Ooh, but it looks like I'm gonna live! Now I go to the House of Representatives, and they vote on me.
Boy: If they vote yes, what happens?
Bill: Then I go to the Senate and the whole thing starts all over again.
Boy: Oh no!
Bill: Oh yes!
I'm just a bill
Yes, I'm only a bill
And if they vote for me on Capitol Hill
Well, then I'm off to the White House
Where I'll wait in a line
With a lot of other bills
For the president to sign
And if he signs me, then I'll be a law.
How I hope and pray that he will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Boy: You mean even if the Whole Congress says you should be a law, the president can still say no?
Bill: Yes, that's called a veto. If the president vetoes me, I have to go back to Congress and they vote on me again, and by that time you're so old...
Boy: By that time it's very unlikely that you'll become a law. It's not easy to become a law, is it?
Bill: No!
But how I hope and pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Congressman: He signed you, Bill! Now you're a law!
Bill: Oh yes!!!