Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator -- a web-based newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to enhance civic education and improve the understanding of Congress. Communicator is one of the five sites that make up The Dirksen Center's Web suite. Each monthly Communicator provides information about any changes to the other four sites in The Center's Web suite, share classroom uses of the information posted on them, and highlight any Center related accomplishments.

Go ahead, take a peek -- http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org/

***How a Bill Becomes a Law***

Each Congress is elected for a two-year term and holds two annual sessions. As many as 20,000 bills might be introduced during that time. Only 5 to 10 percent of them are actually signed into law. Some may pass through Congress rather quickly, but others may lead to lengthy hearings in subcommittees or committees and extended debates on the floor of the House and Senate. Few legislative proposals emerge from the process exactly as they were first written.

Legislation can be introduced in either the House or the Senate, with the exception of revenue or tax bills -- they must originate in the House. The executive branch writes a majority of the bills. A Senate or House member may sponsor or introduce a bill, and the bill may have numerous congressional cosponsors. Each bill is assigned a number (a prefix "HR" in the House or "S" in the Senate) by the clerks of the House or the Senate. The Speaker of the House or the Senate majority leader then sends the bills to the appropriate committees.

Teachers, do your students know the steps required for a bill to become a law? Do they know how to present a bill? This month, our featured CongressLink lesson plan, The Creation of a Bill: Mr. Smith and You, teaches students how a bill is created and presented in Congress. Students view an excerpt of the classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and then work in groups to develop and present their own bills to the class. They will have a chance to debate and decide which bill has the most potential for success. At the same time, they will identify issues of concern in the community and nation. Download this lesson at: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/HCSmith.htm.

Determined by the committee chair, a bill goes to one of the standing committees and then to a subcommittee. The subcommittee listens to depositions from its supporters and opponents by holding hearings on the bill. The subcommittee usually issues a report that is either favorable or unfavorable to the bill following the hearings. The bill may be reported as an amended or changed bill. The original bill may be rewritten entirely as a committee print. The standing committee usually accepts the recommendation of its subcommittee.

Teachers, present new vocabulary words to your students -- committee, subcommittee, hearing, amendments, and bill. As a follow-up lesson, introduce another CongressLink lesson plan, How a Bill Becomes Law: Charting the Path, to help them use these terms in constructing a flow chart to differentiate the steps of a bill becoming a law in order to create a story that incorporates all of the steps. Download this lesson at: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/HCBillLaw.htm.

Debating and voting procedures on legislation are different in the House and the Senate. Each member is allowed five minutes to speak on a bill in the House. Amendments must be allowed by the Rules Committee and must pertain to the bill itself. The members present, accept or reject amendments by a vote. There is no time limit on debate in the Senate. The Senate also puts no restrictions on amendments to a bill. Bills are passed in the House and Senate by voice vote (either "aye" or "no"), standing vote (members must stand up to indicate "yes" or "no"), or roll call vote (each member's vote for or against a bill is recorded). To help your students understand about a bill before the full House and Senate, you might be interested in our hot link this month, How Laws Are Made. This hot link goes to an on-line version of a very popular and useful publication prepared by one of the leading experts on Congress, Charles W. Johnson, the parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives. This hot link also includes an equally valuable companion publication prepared by the Senate Parliamentarian, Robert B. Dove. Find this hot link on our About Government site at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/legislativebranch.htm.

There are a variety of factors that influence legislators in making their decision to vote for or against a bill. The unwritten rules of Congress certainly have a role. Members develop an expertise in a particular field by serving on committees. The members' judgement that a bill merits their support is likely to be accepted by other representatives or senators. We invite you to read an analysis focusing on six aspects of Everett Dirksen's personality and character that made it possible for him to shape some of the most important laws of his generation as a senator. Everett Dirksen: Master Legislator was written by Byron Hulsey, Assistant Director of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. Hulsey delivered these remarks at the National Archives on January 11, 2001. Find this analysis at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/hulsey.htm.

A bill is sent to the president for final action if the House and the Senate approve it. A bill becomes a law when signed by the president. Congress can override a veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses if the president vetoes a bill. A bill becomes a law if the president does not sign or veto the bill within ten days. If Congress adjourns within this ten-day period, the bill is dead. This month our Fun, Facts, and Trivia includes an opportunity for students to write their own bill. Teachers, now you can have your students write, print, and send their bill to Congress in five easy steps. Find Write Your Own Bill at: http://yourcongress.com/writebill.asp.

Which committee is it?

Legislation that has been passed in different forms by each chamber is reconciled into a single bill by...

A. standing committees
B. select committees
C. special committees
D. conference committees
E. secret committees

True or False: To stop a bill from passing their chamber, it takes only 41Senators.

Formalization Fun!

A _______ is a marathon speech that may go on for hours with the Senator yielding the floor only to members who support his or her position. (Link toanswer and definition: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#F)

A. delay in legislation
B. congressional obstruction
C. filibuster
D. long-winded oratory

When the president rejects a bill by refusing to sign it after Congress has adjourned, this is known as a _______. (Link to answer and definition: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#P)

A. pocket veto
B. line-item veto
C. cloture
D. rider

Find answers to November' s issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia1101ans.htm.

Got grants? We do!

John K. Lee from Georgia State University will develop a dynamic Web-based version of the Constitution by constructing a digital semantic structure to support a hypertext presentation of the document. Mr. Lee received a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grant of $3,500 for his project entitled, The Semantics of the United States Constitution. This project will provide an in-depth, textual analysis of the Constitution, identifying recurring themes and concepts. The resulting structure will employ Web technology, enabling users to access various sections of the Constitution based on their conceptual interest. For example, a user could access the relevant portions of the Constitution by entering a phrase such as "bill making procedure" or "determining representation." Find information about this project and others at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm#2001.

Do you have a project? Submit a proposal! For more information about how to submit a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants proposal, please visit: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm.

On December 25, 1934, Everett McKinley Dirksen, Louella Carver Dirksen, and their daughter, introduced a bill entitled In the House of Joy and Happiness. This bill was referred to the "Committee on Peace and Good Will" and was ordered to be printed. For many years, Everett Dirksen composed and drew his own Christmas cards. This bill the Dirksen family introduced is an example drawn from Dirksen's collection of papers at The Dirksen Congressional Center. Find this bill at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/xmas_cards/bill.jpg.

Awards for Excellence in Teaching (TEA)

High school teachers of social studies, humanities, and language arts from the United States are invited to take part in the U.S.- NIS Awards for Excellence in Teaching (TEA). This fully-funded exchange program offers two unique opportunities. First, U.S. teachers will participate in a dynamic three-day conference with outstanding teachers from the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. (Participating countries include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.) Second, U.S. teachers will travel to one of the participating NIS countries for a two-week visit to the school of their counterpart teacher during fall 2002. During the exchange, U.S. teachers have the opportunity to experience the rich culture and history of their host country, as well as learn about the challenges facing educators in these rapidly changing societies.

This program is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and administered by the American Councils for International Education:ACTR/ACCELS.

Complete information about participant eligibility is available on the TEA web site -- (www.actr.org/programs/mini-sites/teatimes/index1.htm). To request materials or for more information, contact TEA@actr.org or call the TEA program office in Washington, DC at 202-833-7522. Include your name, telephone number, and mailing address in all correspondence.

American Councils for International Education:

ACTR/ACCELS
US-NIS Awards for Excellence in Teaching Program
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
202-833-7522

That's all for 2001! Look for more information and resources in 2002. From all of us at The Dirksen Congressional Center, to all of you, Season's Greetings! - (http://www.webcommunicator.org/seasonsgreetings.htm)

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel at ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org. Your feedback makes a difference! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator.