Legislative Process

What actually goes on in the House of Representatives?

We watched an exciting segment of  the House floor session  to find out!

How does a bill become a law?

                                                     Watch our skit!

Homework:

1.   Create your bill! You can propose legislation for MSA, the nation, our state or county. See sample format below.

2.  Opinion Paper:  Power to declare war.  According to the Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war but for the last 60 years the President has declared war.  Which branch in you opinion should have the power- Legislative or Executive?

3. Due to the number of students absent Thursday our colloquium on Fifty-Five Fathers will be this week 2/28.


Presentation :  Kaylee

Devotional:  George

Sample Bill Format

Italics = Directions (type Your Information or Delete)

109^th Congress

1st Session

Senate Bill # ____________

A Bill For An Act Entitled: Title of bill

or

An Amendment to the Constitution Entitled: Title of amendment

In the Senate

Write the date

Write: Senators Your names introduced the following resolution which was referred to the Committee on fill in this blank when you know the committee name.

Senate Proposal

Resolved by the U.S. Senate of the United States of America, that the following article is proposed as federal law under the jurisdiction of the Untied States of America, enforceable by Executive action.

For a bill: "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that:"

For an Amendment: "Be it amended by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that:"

Section 1: Explanation of terminology- Which terms need to be defined in order to understand the bill?

Section 2: What is the act going to do? Who is going to be involved / impacted /

affected by the act

Section 3: Where? All of U.S. or a certain area / place in the U.S.?

Section 4: How is the act going to be funded? Who is going to enforce / administer

this act?(Which government agency will oversee the bill and its duties?)

Section 5: Penalties (if any) for non-compliance (not following the rules) of the act

Section 6: Enactment Date: When will the law go into effect?

END

In the Senate

109^th Congress

2nd Session

Senate Bill # ____________

A Bill For An Act Entitled:

In the Senate

Date:______________

Senators writing the bill: __________________________________________________________________ introduced the following resolution which was referred to the Committee on _________________.

Senate Proposal

Resolved by the U.S. Senate of the United States of America, that the following article is proposed as federal law under the jurisdiction of the United States of America, enforceable by Executive action.

1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, that

2. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Section 1: Explanation of Terminology

6. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

7.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ ______________________________________________________________________________________________

8. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

9. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Section 2 : Explanation of what the bill will provide for. . .

11. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________________________________________________________________________________

12. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

13. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

14. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

15. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

16. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

17. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

18. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

19. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

20. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
21. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

22. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

23. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

24. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

25. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

26. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

27. Section 3: Where would this bill take effect:

28. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
29. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

30. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

31. Section 4: Governing body that will oversee the bill and its duties and how funded

32. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

33. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

34. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

35. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

36. Section 5. Penalty for non-compliance with the legislation:

37. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

38. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

39. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

40. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

41. Section 6: Enactment Date:

42. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

43. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________ President’s signature

Congress

Why is the legislative body divided into two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate?



  "..the House of Representatives will be elected immediately by the people, and represent them and their personal rights individually; the Senate will be elected by the state legislatures, and represent the states in their political capacity; and thus each branch will form a proper and independent check on the other, and the legislative powers will be advantageously balanced."
                                                                                   C.C Pinckney

How has the 17th Amendment changed senators incentive to watch over their state?


Play the game How a bill becomes a law to prepare for our future study of how legislation is passed.






Homework:
  No paper due this week! We need to catch up on our Constitution studies.

1. Rewrite Article 1 Section 4 and 5 in your own words. 
2. Finish reading Fifty-five Fathers- Colloquium NEXT WEEK 2/21!
3. Continue memorizing Declaration of Independence if you have not already done so.

Presentation: Lilly -Roger Sherman

Devotional:  Tyler

"A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government.  In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing ...than...communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?"
                                                                                                          -George Washington

Constitution Studies
We were patient with ourselves as we practiced rewriting Article 1 Sections 1 and 2 in our own words. After our discussion we tested our knowledge in a short Constitution Bowl.  Take the  U.S.I.Q quiz to test your knowledge of the legislative branch.



Homework:

1. Opinion paper: Does Congress have too much power or not enough?
2. Read Fifty-Fathers by Selma R. Williams.To order Click Here.
3. Read Article 1 section 3. An online version with definitions is available at nccs.net

Presentation:  2/14 Tyler -Alexander Hamiliton   Gigi- Governor Morris

Devotional:  2/14 Kaylee Chapman

The Freedom Factor

Our book colloquium on Freedom Factor led us into a discussion about the following:

What is public and private virtue?  Can one possess one without the other?

Why does the pendulum swing from tyranny to anarchy and anarchy to tyranny on the founders political spectrum?

Where does a pure democracy fit on the spectrum? What are the dangers of a pure democracy on a national level?  

  Our special guest speaker Travis Chapman helped us understand  Constitutional wars as well as our current monetary system and how it differs from what is permitted in the Constitution.His knowledge of the principles of freedom and his ability to apply them to current events is truly inspiring. He knows his stuff! 

Congratulations to all of our Key of Liberty students for memorizing the Preamble to the United States Constitution! 

Homework:

1. Read Article 1 of the Constitution.  It may be helpful to read it online with definitions at nccs.net.
2. Begin reading Fifty-Five Fathers. To order Click Here
3. Bonus: Begin writing Article 1 section 1-2 of the Constitution in your own words.

Presentations:  Brayden & Gigi

Devotional: Gigi

Nature of Government

    The Founders believed that all forms of government have the tendency to become tyrannical. Why? 

At the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin stated:

 "Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men.  These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money.  Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects.  Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall be at the same time a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it."

The genius of the Constitution is that it distributes power vertically and horizontally to prevent a tyrannical centralized power. The Founders did not ignore human nature. See D&C 121:39.

Which branch in our government has the most power?

Homework:

1. Finish reading Freedom Factor by Gerald Lund. Our Colloquium is this Thursday no exceptions!
2. Write Opinion paper:  What powers do you have in making new laws?
3. Memorize Preamble

Presentation: Gigi

Devotional: Gigi

A Republic, if you can keep it...

    At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787,  Franklin was asked by a Mrs. Powell  “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"  Franklin replied, 

“A Republic , if you can keep it."

 

What are the advantages of a Republic?

"Refine and enlarge the public views by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations." James Madison

Test your knowledge of the U.S Constitution by playing the online U.S IQ game!

Constitution Studies

• We started class by playing  "Take a Liberty" card game. 
•  Each group did a great job presenting their assigned type of government.  We discussed Monarchy, Despotic, Aristocracy and Republic. 
• The boys and girls team were able to match the Constitution topics with the correct Article in under 5 seconds! The final scores:  girls 4.3 seconds, boys 4.7 seconds.  Next week we will add the sections to Article 1: 

Article 1       Legislative Branch

                         Section 1:   Lawmaking powers in Congress

                         Section 2:   House of Representatives

                         Section 3:   Senate

                         Section 4:   Elections and meetings

                         Section 5:   Organization of Congress

                         Section 6:   Compensation and Privileges

                         Section 7:   Legislative Process

                         Section 8:   Powers granted to Congress

                         Section 9:    Powers forbidden to Congress

                         Section 10:   Powers forbidden to States

  

Homework:   

1. Opinion Paper:  Is it better to have a man of faith in office with a minimal education or a man of knowledge with minimal faith and questionable character?
2. Memorize Preamble. Learning it in sign language helps.
3. Prepare for our matching competition: Boys against girls!
4. Finish reading Freedom Factor, by Gerald Lund by 1/31

Presentation:

Jeremy 

Devotional:

Lilly

Presentation Topics and Schedule:

1/24 Jeremy -    James Wilson

1/31 Gigi-         Governor Morris

2/7   Lilly-         Roger Sherman

2/14 Tyler-       Alexander Hamilton

2/21 Brayden-   John Dickenson

2/28 Kaylee-     Edmund Randolph

3/7  George-     William Patterson

Writing Assignments- Due on the date listed below

1/24  Is it better to have a man of faith in office with a minimal education or a man of knowledge with a minimal faith and questionable character?

1/31  What powers do you have in making new laws?

2/7   Does Congress have too much power or not enough?

2/21 According to the Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war but for the last 60 years the President has declared war.  Which branch in your opinion should have the power-Legislative or Executive?

2/28  Have the Supreme Court rulings helped or hindered our nation

3/14  If you were to make an amendment to The Constitution, what would it be?

3/21 What would life be like without the Constitution?

3/28 According to the 1st Amendment does a person have the right to go to a public park and swear around children?

4/4 If a person is suspected of doing evil, should the government be allowed to search his house with out him knowing it?

4/11 Should a criminal die the way he killed a person?

4/18  Is it an unalienable right to intoxicate oneself?  Does the government have the power to take away our unalienable rights? Explain.

4/25 Now that you know and understand our Constitution, what do you plan to do in your life to see that it is not trampled down by power-seeking men?

We the People...

    "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.  This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power."  Thomas Jefferson

Current Healthcare bill

 U.S Citizens "owners manual" for our republic

            The Constitution belongs to each citizen not a group of scholars, lawyers or politicians. Yes! It is a law written for us and it is written simply enough that we can understand it!  


"Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction"( Source: The Words of Joseph Smith 416. Joseph Smith Collection, LDS Church Historical Department. Joseph Smith on July 19, 1840)



"We must have a generation of Americans who believe in the Founders original success formula and who have the ingenuity and grit to restore it as the founders initially planned it." W.Cleon Skousen, The Making of America


Constitution Study:

• Be prepared to give a 5 min. presentation with your partner on your assigned type of government.  

• Finish rewriting the Preamble in your own words.

We discussed each phrase of  the Preamble to the Constitution and worked on rewriting it in our own words.  We also practiced signing it!  To learn it in sign language click here!

This weeks assignments:


Brayden & Jeremy: Monarchy
George & Tyler: Aristocracy
Gigi & Lilly: Despotic
Kaylee: Republic