Day 1
I. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The detailed process for how a bill becomes a law is complicated and
tedious. One of the best tools for teaching this process is the School
House Rock! video "I'm Just a Bill." It gets the message across, but
makes it simple and interesting. (The video can be obtained ordered
from or bought from just about any bookstore.)
A. Present the "I'm Just a Bill" video to the class, asking them
to note the different steps of the process.
B. Ask students to brainstorm and list the steps for a bill to become
a law from the video. For the lecture on federal government, have
students follow along and fill in the flow chart as you explain the
different steps in the lecture. For state government, students can
just follow the already filled-in chart. For local government and
voter-initiated referenda, students should take their own notes.
C. Where does a bill start? When an individual or group gets an idea
for a new law or a change to an old law. It starts with the people.
D. What is a bill? An idea of a citizen, taken to a congressperson,
and put down in writing as a proposed law.
E. After a bill is drafted, Representative(s) (either Congresspersons
or Senators) propose(s) a bill in the House or Senate.
F. The Bill is read to the representatives on the floor (a bill must
be read into the record three times - watch for these three occasions!)
G. The Bill is sent to the appropriate House or Senate standing
committee (For example, an issue dealing with education would be sent
to the Education Committee; an issue dealing with the interstate highway
system would be sent to the Transportation Committee)
H. The committee holds public hearings on the bill where individuals
or interested groups can give public comment or testimony on what
they think of the bill.
I. The committee debates and votes on whether to approve the bill
and send the bill back to the floor (with or without amendments),
or to "kill" the bill by keeping it in committee for further debate
("Stuck in committee . . .")
J. If the committee approves the bill, it goes to the floor of the
originating house where it is read a second time. At this point, any
amendments made to the bill are debated by the members of this house
of Congress.
K. After the debate is finished, the bill is read a third time. The
members debate again, and vote on the bill.
L. If the first house passes the bill, it goes to the second house
(for example, if the bill started in the House of Representatives,
it would then go on to the Senate).
M. The whole process starts over again in this second house.
N. If the House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill,
the bill is sent to a conference committee made up of members from
both houses to try and reach a compromise on the bill. Both houses
must then agree to the compromise by majority vote.
O. If both houses agree on a final version of the bill, it goes to
the president for his or her signature.
P. The president can
1) sign the bill into law or
2) veto the bill. Q. If the president vetoes the bill, it is sent
back to the Congress. Congress can then re-vote on the bill. If each
house of Congress votes to override the veto by a 2/3 majority vote,
the bill becomes a law.
· Ask students:
* What part of the process lies within the legislative branch?
* What part of the process lies within the executive branch?
* What are the check and balances you see in this process between
the executive and legislative branches? Mark them on your chart.
* Where do private citizens have a voice in the process?
* Drafting the legislation; * At the public hearing during committee;
* Calling and writing to key committee members;
* Calling and writing to their individual representatives; and
* Calling and writing to the President.
II. ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
- Before going through the steps of how a bill become law in Illinois,
have students take a few minutes to see if they can figure out what
the differences are between the Illinois chart and the one they just
filled in.
- Explain that for state government, the process in Illinois is very
similar to Congress. The following are some differences between the
federal and state process:
1. Citizens may testify during public committee hearings by filling
out a "witness slip".
2. In the House, 60 votes are required to pass a bill. In the
Senate, 30 votes are required to pass a bill.
3. The Governor may veto the bill in 4 different ways:
- Item veto: eliminates a part of the bill but passes the rest.
· Reduction veto: reduces a budget item
- Amendatory veto: changes a part of the bill and passes the
rest.
- Total veto: rejects the whole bill.
4. If the Governor changes the bill, it goes back to the legislature
for a vote.
5. To override a veto, 3/5 of both houses must vote to override.
Day Two
Review the basic steps for passing a bill into law at the state level.
For the following activity, students will be acting as legislators in
the Illinois General Assembly.
Activity: The Branches Game
1. Divide the classroom in half and tell each group they are the executive
branch of government. As the executive branch, one of their jobs is
to propose legislation.
2. Have students brainstorm changes in laws that they would like to
see, either in their schools or community. (Lowering of the driving
age, allowing those under 18 to have others under 18 in the car. Make
a list and have students vote on the issues that they find to be most
pressing.
3. Give one of the top two topics to each group so that they can draft
and propose legislation on that topic. For example, one group will design
a bill to combat the problem of drugs in school. The other group will
design legislation to lower the driving age.
4. Have the two groups list their ideas and be ready to present them
to the other group. Students can use the butcher paper and markers to
draft their final copy. Each group should elect a speaker to present
the bill.
5. Now inform the two groups that they are switching hats to become
the legislative branch. Have the groups exchange their pieces of legislation.
Each group will debate and modify the original bills, voting on each
proposal.
6. Those proposals that each group passes by vote must go back to the
executive branch. Both groups become the executive branches again and
decide whether or not to sign their proposals into law (switch them
back).
The following is an outline and instructions for a short lecture
on local lawmaking
III. LOCAL ORDINANCES (local laws)
· An ordinance is a formal local law that if passed, is permanent
unless repealed.
· Examples of local ordinances are laws governing the park district,
liquor license requirements, smoking bans, and zoning laws*
* Teachers can obtain copies of current ordinances at the local library,
or City Hall. Some communities have ordinances on-line.
Pass around a few copies of your town's municipal code for students
to browse.
Typical Steps for passing a local law
1. A member of the community or a council member has an idea for a
law.
2. A council member proposes or introduced the idea.
3. City council members (or village trustees) often form a committee
to evaluate the proposed law, or assign the proposal to an appropriate
committee. This step is not required.
4. A public hearing is required for some ordinances, such as zoning
ordinances. Citizens must have at least 10 days notice of the hearing.
5. The members of the committee vote on whether or not to adopt the
ordinance.
6. The committee recommendation goes to the Council. A majority of
the Council must approve the ordinance for it to pass. Usually the mayor
or village president does not vote except in the case of a tie.
7. The mayor or village president can veto an ordinance, but only if
it 1) creates liability against the city, 2) provides for spending money
or for 3) involves selling any city property.
8. The members can override the executive's veto with a 2/3 vote.
Assignment: The Power of Citizen Action:
Have students search newspapers and magazines to find an example of
individuals taking on a cause, and making a difference as a citizen.
Students should read the article and be prepared to tell the class how
the individual influenced change.
They should write down answers to the following questions
· What caused the individual to get involved?
· At what point in the political process did the individual get involved?
Did that individual help create legislation, comment on it, protest
it, etc.?
· Was the individual's initiative successful?
· Would you consider doing something similar to the subject in the
article?
· About what subjects do you feel so passionately that they would
move you to action?
· Has anything moved you to act on an issue before?
· Were your efforts successful in your mind?
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL HANDOUT
©Copyright 2003 Citizen Advocacy Center. All rights reserved. No part
of this lesson plan may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior, written permission of the Citizen Advocacy Center.
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