General Education Submission FormElectronic submissions are preferred.

A. GE component for which course is being proposed: Research

B. Submitted by Tom Knecht C. Ideally, submissions should be discussed by the entire department prior to submittal.

x Chair has reviewed and approved the course.

D. Course being proposed (please attach syllabus): POL 108: U.S. Congress

E. This course Has not been modified, but is being submitted to check its suitability Has had its syllabus rewritten to communicate the course’s contribution to GE

x Has had its contents modified to address the relevant GE issuesIs a new course designed to fulfill the GE requirement

F. This course is being submitted asA Template. Applicable to courses with multiple sections which require only general training in the discipline. The submission should come from the department chair and should clearly identify what course content and what elements of the syllabus the department has agreed will common to all sections. Upon approval by the GE Committee, any course whose syllabus is determined by the department to meet the specifications of the template is approved to satisfy this area requirement. A copy of each syllabus should be forwarded to the G.E. committee for record keeping purposes.

x An Individual Course. Applicable to courses requiring specialized training in the discipline or are typically offered by a particular instructor. The course should be resubmitted and reassessed in the event of a change in staffing or syllabus.

G. Statement of rationale:(Include a list of the area objectives. After each objective, list several course activities (lectures, readings, assignments, etc.) that address it. If it is not completely obvious, explain how the activities relate to the objective. Please attach a copy of the syllabus which has been annotated to identify the corresponding activities. Electronic annotations are preferred. Please use the comment feature in Word to annotate electronic copies. )

I could not find learning objectives under the GE “Research” heading, so I wrote my own. Please let me know if this is in error.

Research policy issues and present work in the form of written bills and oral arguments in committee and floor sessions.

o Activity: Simulation o The central feature of U.S. Congress is a simulation of the House of

Representatives in which students pursue the goals relating to their

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position. For example, members of Congress write bills, participate in committee markup, and debate on the floor of the House. The research GE requirement will largely be met through the writing of five bills, one of which will be a student’s “pet project.” Like real members of Congress, students will select one public policy issue to research in-depth (a “pet project”). Students will then write a 25-page bill and defend their proposal in committee and floor sessions. Students will write an additional four bills that require outside research, although less extensive than the pet project. I have found that student work tends to be of higher quality in the simulation because (1) they enjoy the game and are therefore willing to invest more time in their work, and (2) the prospect of having their bills torn apart in committee or on the floor spurs them to better work.

Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical principles in the field.o Activities: Simulation, quizzes, exams, discussiono The goal of the simulation is to place theories on congress into context.

For most students, learning about the U.S. Congress is normally as exciting as watching paint dry. However, the simulation provides needed context for students. After all, learning about the power of the Rules Committee is not that interesting until your bill that fails to make it onto the agenda. The simulation drives home lessons for students and reinforces their learning.

Review and critically analyze the literature on Congress.o Activities: Simulation, quizzes, exams, discussion

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[GE Draft] POL 108: U.S. CongressProf. Tom Knecht

Department of Political ScienceWestmont College

tknecht@westmont.edu805-565-6227

Introduction: This course will examine the theoretical and empirical literature on the United States Congress. Among the topics we will cover are the creation and evolution of Congress, elections, the role of committees and political parties, the relationship between Congress and other branches of government, the influence of interest groups, and congressional policy-making. A central feature of the course will be a simulation of the U.S. House of Representatives. The simulation will allow you to place abstract theories into better context.

Required Texts:

Davidson, Roger H., Walter J. Oleszek, and Frances E. Lee. 2008. Congress and Its Members, 12th ed. Washington D.C.: CQ Press.

Dodd, Lawrence C. and Bruce I. Oppenheimer. 2009. Congress Reconsidered, 9th ed. Washington D.C.: CQ Press.

Clickers available at the bookstore

General Education: This course fulfills the general education requirement under Competent and Compassionate Action called Research. The Westmont College catalog offers this definition of Research:

Students may complete a substantial research project to satisfy this requirement. The associated activities should include identification of a problem, question or issue; formulation of a question or hypothesis; development of an appropriate methodology; review of the relevant literature; experimentation, evidence-gathering, or argument construction and evaluation; and report of the findings in an appropriate form. (Source: http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/registrar/documents/Catalog.pdf).

Learning Outcomes: U.S. Congress gives students the opportunity to:

Research policy issues and present work in the form of written bills and oral arguments in committee and floor sessions.

Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical principles in the field. Review and critically analyze the literature on Congress.

Requirements: Grades are based on the following:

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1. Quizzes and Homework. Students should expect quizzes for most class sessions. These quizzes will test your comprehension of the readings and lectures. Most will be taken via the clickers. You are allowed to use any notes that you have taken on the readings, but cannot use the books, articles, or photocopies of the readings. The structure of the quizzes encourages copious note taking as opposed to the faster, but less useful, “highlighter” method. Students can skip two quizzes; if no quizzes are skipped then the lowest quiz score is dropped. There will also be several short homework assignments. No make-up quizzes will be given except in documented emergencies.

2. Participation. This class will rely heavily on student participation. There are two components to the participation grade. First, you are expected to attend all lectures and show up to class on time. Second, you are expected to actively participate in class discussions. This means that you must complete all the readings before class and be prepared to discuss the course material.

3. SIMCONG. SIMCONG will teach you about how Congress works by allowing you to act as a miniature House of Representatives. You will select a member of Congress to play and are expected to seek the goals related to the position. Each member will write five bills (one of which, your “pet project,” involves substantial research culminating in a 25-page bill) (40%), write a short political autobiography and post it to Eureka (20%), and participate in party caucus, committee and floor sessions (40%). Additional details will be handed out in class.

4. Exams. There will be three exams. The exams will consist of multiple choice, true and false, and short-answer questions. No make-up exams will be given except in documented emergencies.

Course Grades:

Quizzes and homework 15%Participation 10%SIMCONG 25%Exam #1 15%Exam #2 15%Final Exam 20%

Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. It should be noted that I am vigilant about checking the authenticity of students’ work and have no qualms about prosecuting violators. If you have any questions of what constitutes academic dishonesty, please ask me or refer to Westmont’s plagiarism policy at: http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/provost/plagiarism/plagiarism_policy.html.

Students with Special Needs : Students who have been diagnosed with a disability (learning, physical or psychological) are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability

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Services office as early as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations for this course. Formal accommodations will only be granted for students whose disabilities have been verified by the Disability Services office. These accommodations may be necessary to ensure your full participation and the successful completion of this course.

Eureka: A number of assignments and resources will be posted on the Eureka

Schedule: Note: Readings with an asterisk (*) are available on Eureka. This schedule is subject to change with prior notification.

Aug 31. Introduction

Sept 2. Researching CongressNo readings

Sept 7. The Two CongressesCongress & Its Members, ch. 1Congress Reconsidered, ch. 3. IDEAlog Quiz Due

Sept 9. The Creation and Evolution of CongressCongress & Its Members, ch. 2

Sept 14. Primary Elections, Districts, and Recruitment, Congress & Its Members, ch. 3

Sept 16. ElectionsCongress & Its Members, ch. 4Congress Reconsidered, ch. 4.

Sept 21. Elections IICongress Reconsidered, ch. 5 & 18

Sept 23. The Senate and HouseCongress Reconsidered, ch. 1

Sept 28. RepresentationCongress & Its Members, ch. 5 Congress Reconsidered, ch. 6SIMCONG: Caucus

Sept 30. Structure of Lawmaking ISIMCONG Manual [Eureka]SIMCONG: Webpage Due

Oct 5. The Structure of Lawmaking II

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Congress & Its Members, ch. 8Congress Reconsidered, ch. 2SIMCONG: Mock Committee; First Bill Due

Oct 7. The Structure of Lawmaking IIICongress & Its Members, ch. 9Congress Reconsidered, ch. 15SIMCONG: Committee

Oct 12. Fall Holiday – No Class

Oct 14. Congress and Political PartiesCongress & Its Members, ch. 6Congress Reconsidered, ch. 7SIMCONG: Committee

Oct 19. Exam #1

Oct 21. Congress and Political Parties IICongress Reconsidered, chs. 8 & 17SIMCONG: Committee

Oct 26. Congressional CommitteesCongress & Its Members, ch. 7Congress Reconsidered, ch. 9SIMCONG: Committee

Oct 28. Congressional Committees IICongress Reconsidered, ch. 10White, Joseph. 2005. “Making Connections to the Appropriations Process.” In

The Interest Group Connection, eds. Herrnson, Shaiko, and Wilcox.Washington DC: CQ Press [Eureka]

SIMCONG: Committee

Nov 2. Congress and the PresidentCongress & Its Members, ch. 10Congress Reconsidered, ch. 16SIMCONG: Committee

Nov 4. Congress and the President IICongress Reconsidered, ch. 12SIMCONG: Committee

Nov 9. Congress and the BureaucracyCongress & Its Members, ch. 11SIMCONG: Rules Committee

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Nov 11. Congress and the CourtsCongress & Its Members, ch. 12Congress Reconsidered, ch. 11SIMCONG: Floor

Nov 16. Exam #2

Nov 18. Congress and Interest GroupsCongress & Its Members, ch. 13Wright, John R. (1998) “Tobacco Industry PACs and the Nation’s Health: A

Second Opinion,” in Paul Herrnson et. al., The Interest Group Connection, Chatham, N.J.: Chatham House Publishers, Inc. [Eureka]

SIMCONG: Floor

Nov 23. Domestic Policy MakingCongress & Its Members, ch. 14 SIMCONG: Committee; Last Day to Submit Bills.

Nov 25. Thanksgiving!

Nov 30. Foreign Policy MakingCongress & Its Members, ch. 15Congress Reconsidered, ch. 14SIMCONG: Rules Committee

Dec 2. Congress TodayReadings TBASIMCONG: Floor

Dec 7-9. Floor Sessions

Dec 14. 8:00a – 10:00a. Exam

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SIMCONGSpring 2010

Professor KnechtU.S. Congress

Introduction

Welcome to SIMCONG 2010. We will be simulating policy-making in the U.S. House of Representatives. This simulation will teach you about how Congress works by allowing you to act as a miniature legislature. As in the real world, the participants in the simulation are expected to seek goals related to their positions. To do well in SIMCONG, participants must formulate policy proposals, actively participate in committee and floor debates, and take steps to ensure their reelection. Much like real freshman members of Congress, it takes a while to understand the process and procedure of the U.S. House. Don’t be too concerned about being overwhelmed at first, you will eventually catch on.

Table of Contents

I. Grades for the SimulationII. Schedule of EventsII. Players and Their RolesVI. Process and ProcedureV. SIMCONG CommitteesVI. Parliamentary ProceduresVII. Sample Bill

Roger H. DavidsonDean E. Mann

Eric R. A. N. SmithRevised 1980John J. Ulrich

Second Revision 1984Dario Caloss, Jr.

Third Revision 1988Richard Herrera

Eric R.A.N. SmithRichard Clucas

Fourth Revision 1990Fifth Revision 2001Eric R. A. N. SmithSixth Revision 2007

Tom Knecht

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I. Grades for the Simulation

1. Webpage Assignment (20%).

Overview: You will create a webpage for constituents and other members of Congress to read. The webpage will provide key information about your political district, personal ideology, and positions on issues (note: there may be things that you choose not to divulge in the webpage). The webpage will be graded on its creativity and completeness.

What to include in your Webpage: Picture Key issues and positions

Be sure to identify your most important issue, and your stance your stance on other key issues your ADA rating partisan identification

District information Map Key industries Demographics (e.g., urban or rural?)

Election history Committee assignments and leadership positions

Steps to Creating a webpage:1. Go to Google Sites via MyWestmont Google Apps2. Go to Sites in upper-right side of docs3. Create a new site4. Add pages to the webpage by clicking create pages

a. Committee assignments and leadership positionsb. Election historyc. Issuesd. Congressional district

5. Edit pages as needed

Due Date: Sept 30

2. Write Five Bills (40%).

Overview: You will write five original bills. At least one of these bills will be submitted by the mock committee session on Oct 5. One bill should pertain to your “pet project,” a 25-page bill on an issue that is of great concern to you and your constituents. You “pet project” bill should include at least 10 sources (footnoted) and closely approximate in scope and authorization real legislation in the House. The remaining four bills could include substantive legislation on a

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contemporary event, ceremonial or pork bills. Your bills must be formatted correctly and submitted according to the requirements listed in this manual. All bills must be submitted by Nov 23.

Due Date: Oct 5 (First Bill); Nov 23 (Last Bill)

What to include in your bills

For an example of a bill, see p. 18 of this manual.For a discussion of how to post your bill, see p. 8 of the manual.

3. Participation (50%). You are expected to be an active member of this simulation. This means you must attend and participate in party caucuses, committee meetings and floor sessions. You must also periodically evaluate other members of the simulation. A portion of your grade will be based on peer evaluations, the rest by Prof. Knecht.

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II. Schedule of Events

Sept 28. Caucus

The Democratic Caucus and the Republican Conference will meet separately to select leaders and make committee assignments. The caucuses should accomplish the following tasks:

1) Get to know members of your party with an informal meet-and-greet. You should try to figure out which of your colleagues are ideological

moderates and which are extremists.2) Nomination and election of leadership positions.

The majority party will select the Speaker of the House, the majority leader, and a majority whip. The minority party will select a minority leader and whip. (See Section II for descriptions the leadership assignments).

Each candidate should be allowed a couple of minutes to make a case for their candidacy.

Voting is by secret ballot. If more than two candidates are nominated for any position,

and no candidate receives a majority on the first ballot, balloting continues with all candidates remaining eligible until one candidate receives a majority.

3) Assignments to Committees. Like the real Congress, a majority of work in SIMCONG is

accomplished in committees. The majority party will have a majority and chair all committees. (The three SIMCONG committees and their jurisdictions are found in Section IV). During the caucus, each party should finalize committee assignments.

Members of the party are encouraged to seek appointment on a committee that might increase their prestige, power, or would help them bring pork projects to the district. Members are also encouraged to sit on committees that fit their interests.

While rank-and-file members can request an assignment, the party leadership (the Speaker of the House and the minority leader) play the dominant role in committee selection.

Oct 5. Mock Committee Meeting and First Bill Due.

On this date, we will conduct several mock committee meetings and your first bill is due (see formatting bills). This session will provide an overview of parliamentary procedure in committees. Please come to class prepared with the following:

1) Read the bills found in the Domestic Policy Committee on Google Docs. 2) Think about possible amendments to these bills and be prepared to make these

amendments in committee

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Oct 7. Committees

This will be the first meeting in your respective committees. Your first duty is to select a chair from the majority party. The chair will then decide the agenda for the day and begin testimony of mark-up of the bills.

Oct 7 – Nov 4. Committees.

Nov 7. Rules Committee

This will be the first Rules Committee session.

May 6. Floor

This is our first floor meeting. Prior to the meeting, the Speaker of the House will post the agenda on Blackboard. The floor mangers will then present the bill and the Speaker will preside over the debate.

May 11-21. Floor Sessions

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III. Players and Their Roles

Leadership Positions

The Role of Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House is the most important position in SIMCONG. The role of Speaker is a difficult and whoever plays it must be aware of the responsibilities it entails. Along with this responsibility comes power. The following are a list of duties of the Speaker:

1) Refer bills to standing committee of jurisdiction. Students will place unnumbered bills in the “hopper” in the Google Docs page. The Speaker will then provide a number to the bill and refer it to the committee of jurisdiction.

2) The Speaker plays the leading role in assigning members to committees. Modern Speakers of the House have increasingly relied on party loyalty as the main appointment criteria.

3) The Speaker, in conjunction with the Rules Committee, has considerable influence over the legislative calendar.

4) The Speaker presides over the floor sessions, which gives him or an important role in influencing floor debate and strategy.

Majority and Minority Leader. The majority leader is second in command to the Speaker of the House. The minority leader is the top leadership position of the minority party. Both leaders are in charge of managing the affairs and interest of their party. They help plan, coordinate, and execute party programs and strategies.

Majority and Minority Whips. The whips in both parties are responsible for helping the floor leaders achieve their party’s legislative program. They perform two primary functions. First, they keep the leadership apprised of how members of the party stand on particular issues (i.e., they count votes). Second, the help instruct party members how to vote on particular bills through the distribution of whip notices.

Committee Chairs. The majority party controls the chairs of the two standing committees plus the Rules Committee. Committee chairs have discretion over how they run their committees. Some control their committees with an iron grip, while others prefer a more collegial atmosphere. Committee chairs have considerable power in deciding when bills will be heard.

Floor Managers. If a bill is passed out of committee, floor managers are assigned to guide the bill through the Rules Committee and floor debate. The majority floor manager is usually the principal author of the bill; the minority floor manager is usually the ranking minority member or the most senior member in opposition to the bill. Every representative has to be a floor manager at least twice during the session.

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The Rules Committee allots time to debate the bill. The floor managers will then line up members to speak for or against the bill on the floor of the House. Floor managers are also responsible for developing strategies for debating and amending bills on the floor. That is, they should discuss the bill with committee members, decide what arguments to make, decide what amendments to offer (and prepare them in writing), and assign debating points to members who will speak.

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IV. Process and Procedure

To submit a bill

For all members of Congress wishing to submit a bill:

1) Write a bill on whatever issue you are interested in. a. Make sure your bill is formatted correctly and includes an enactment

and authorization clause (see Formatting a Bill). b. Do not include a bill number, but include HR c. Your bill should be typewritten and saved in Microsoft Word. Be sure

to save your file as Name of Bill_Your Last Name… for example: ANWR_Knecht

d. To get your bill referred to a committee, it has to be posted to Google Docs by 6:00 PM the night before the committee is to meet.

2) Go to the Google Docs.3) Go to “Upload”4) Go to “Select Files to Upload” and select your bill5) Choose “Hopper” under “Destination Folder”

For the Speaker of the House only. After a bill is submitted:

1) By 7:00 PM the night before committees are to meet, you are to refer all bills to committee. To refer the bills, take the following steps:

2) Go to the “Hopper” on Google Docs3) Number the bills in sequential order and place them in the appropriate

committeea. For example, the first bill in the Hopper—ANWR_Knecht—would be

numbered HR 1; second bill in the Hopper would be numbered HR 2; and so on.

b. Referring the bill to the appropriate committee can be done by selecting the box next to the bill and then selecting “Move To” and the appropriate folder.

Committees

For Committee Chairs only. After a bill is referred to your committee:

By 8:00 PM the night before the committee meetings, you need to look over the bills referred to your committee and give your members an agenda for the meeting. The power to set the agenda and determine which bills will get a hearing is an important power of committee chairs. Here is the process:

To find out which bills have been submitted to your committee, go to the appropriate committee folder in Google Docs

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To make the “agenda for the day”:1) Read all the bills and determine which ones you want to address

You will have limited time in committee, so be careful when setting your agenda

Figure out which bills you want to put on the agenda. You may want to only look at bills that fit with the party’s platform. Or you may want to expedite pork barrel bills. It is up to you.

2) Post your agenda for the day in a new document and upload it to the committee folder in Google Docs.

Tell them the number of the bills you will take up in order (i.e., HR 5; HR 2; HR 3 etc…)

Name your file Agenda for [Date] for [Committee]. For example Agenda for 10-2 Domestic Policy Committee.

3) Print the bills that are on your agenda for the day or bring laptop.

For Committee members. Before the committee meetings, you need to look over the agenda for the day, read the bills that are on the agenda, and formulate possible amendments (note: your committee chair should post the agenda by 8 pm the night before). Here is the process:

To find out which bills are on the agenda:1) Go to the committee page on Google Docs2) Read the list of the bills the chair has put on the agenda3) Make note of possible amendments to the bills you would like to offer4) Print out bills on the agenda for the committee meeting or bring

laptop.5) Also, read some of bills that didn’t make it on the agenda

If there is a bill you want to address, pressure the chair to put it on the agenda.

After a Bill Passes Committee

To floor managers: If a bill passes committee, you need to retype whatever amendments were accepted to mark-up and post the bill to the Rules Committee by 6:00 PM before the Rules Committee meets. Here is the process:

1) Make sure you have the amended document.2) Retype any changes to the bill.3) Save the amended bill and post it to the Rules Committee folder

Rules Committee

For Rules Committee Chair. By 8:00 PM the night before the committee meetings, you need to look over the bills referred to your committee and give your members an agenda for the meeting. The power to set the agenda and determine which bills will get a hearing is an important power of committee chairs. Here is the process:

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To find out which bills have been submitted to your committee:To make the “agenda for the day”:

1. Read all the bills and determine which ones you want to address You will have limited time in committee, so only put 4-6 bills

on the agenda Figure out which bills you want to put on the agenda. You

may want to only look at bills that fit with the party’s platform. Or you may want to expedite pork barrel bills. It is up to you.

2. Post your agenda for the day in the Rules Committee folder in Google Docs

Tell them the number of the bills you will take up in order (i.e., HR 5; HR 2; HR 3 etc…)

3. Print the bills that are on your agenda for the day4. The Rules Committee Chair or designate should type up the rules and,

along with the main bill, post to the Floor folder in Google Docs. The Rule should read HRes # for HR #. For example: HRes 1 for HR 2.

Floor Sessions

For the Speaker of the House. Most of the bills that pass the Rules Committee will come with the provision that the Speaker of the House can call up the bills at his or her discretion. This means that you have to read the bills that pass Rules and formulate an agenda to share with the entire membership of SIMCONG. This agenda must be posted by 6:00 pm before the night before the floor session. Here is the process:

To read formulate an “agenda for the day”:1) Go to the “Floor” folder in Google Docs2) Read all the bills and determine which ones you want to address

Figure out which bills you want to put on the agenda. You may want to only look at bills that fit with the party’s platform. Or you may want to expedite pork barrel bills. It is up to you.

3) Post your agenda for the day in the “group discussion board” Tell them the number of the bills you will take up in order (i.e.,

HR 5; HR 2; HR 3 etc…)4) Print the bills that are on your agenda for the day

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V. SIMCONG COMMITTEES AND THEIR CORRESPONDING HOUSE COMMITTEES

There are three standing committees in SIMCONG. They are designed to approximate the jurisdictions of their counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives. When the Speaker of the House refers bills to committees, he/she should make the attempt to take into account actual jurisdictions (for more information about actual jurisdictions, go to committee webpages at www.house.gov). Should the Speaker make an incorrect referral, you can appeal to the parliamentarian (Prof. Knecht).

SIMCONG: Money Committee

Committee on Ways and MeansCommittee on AppropriationsCommittee on the BudgetCommittee on Financial ServicesCommittee on Small Business

SIMCONG: Foreign Relations Committee

Committee on Armed Services Committee on Homeland Security Committee on Veterans Affairs

SIMCONG: Domestic Policy Committee

Committee on Agriculture Committee on Education and LaborCommittee on Energy and CommerceCommittee on Natural ResourcesCommittee on Science and TechnologyCommittee on Transportation and InfrastructureCommittee on House AdministrationCommittee on Standards of Official Conduct

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VI. Parliamentary Procedure* Types of Motions May (Numbers refer Needs Can Be Interrupt to priority) Second Amendable Debatable Vote Reconsidered Speaker Privileged Motions

(2) Adjourn2 Y N N M NN

(3) Recess3 Y Y N M NN

Parliamentary Points

Privileged Points

(7) Point of Privilege N N N -- NY

Incidental Motions

(9) Call for a Roll Call Y N N -- NY

(9) Call for Quorum N N N -- NY

(9) Point of Order N N N -- NY

(9) Point of Parliamentary Inquiry N N N -- N

Y(9) Point of Information N N N -- N

N(9) Query of Previous Speaker N N N -- N

N(9) Unanimous Consent Request N N N U N

N

Incidental Motions

(9) Suspend Rules Y N N 2/3 NN

(17) Division of the Question Y Y N M YN

Subsidiary Motions

(6) Lay on the Table Y N N M NN

(14) Reconsider Y Y Y10 M NY

(15) Commit, Refer Y Y Y M NN

(16) Amend Y Y Y M YN

(18) Postpone Indefinitely Y N Y M YN

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(18) Take from the Table Y N N M NN

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MOTION WHAT YOU SAY

May you interrupt speaker?

Needs second? Debatable? Amend-

able?Vote

needed?

Can it be recon-

sidered?Adjourn the meeting

"I move that we adjourn." no yes no no majority no

Call an intermission

"I move that we recess for..." no yes no yes majority no

Complain about heat, noise, etc.

"I rise to a question of privilege."

yes no no no no vote no, usually

Suspend consideration of something

"I move to table the motion" no yes no no majority no

Postpone discussion for a certain time

"I move to postpone discussion until..."

no yes yes yes majority yes

Refer matter to committee for study

"I move to refer the matter to committee"

no yes yes yes majority yes

Amend a motion "I move to amend the motion by..." no yes yes yes majority yes

Introduce business "I move that..." no yes yes yes majority yes

THE ABOVE MOTIONS ARE TAKEN IN ORDER. BELOW, THERE IS NO ORDER

Protest breach of rules or conduct

"I rise to a point of order" yes no no no no vote no

Vote on a ruling from the chair

"I appeal the chair's decision" yes yes yes no majority yes

Suspend the rules temporarily

"I move to suspend the rules so that..."

no yes no no 2/3 no

Avoid consideration of an improper matter

"I object to consideration of this motion"

yes no no no majority -

Verify a voice vote by a rising vote

"I call for roll call vote" yes no no no no vote no

Request information

"Point of information" yes no no no no vote no

Take up a matter previously tabled

"I move to take from the table..." no yes no no majority no

Reconsider a hasty action

"I move to reconsider the vote on..."

yes yes - no majority No

SIMGOV Procedure

How a Bill Becomes a Law

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1) Member of Congress writes a billi. The bill must include:

1. enactment clause2. authorization 3. Executive agency (if appropriate)

ii. You can base your bill on a real bill, but you are responsible for knowing all aspects of the bill. That means you must be able to explain the bill in detail.

iii. Include HR, but don’t number the bill (see sample)2) Member of Congress submits the bill to the Hopper3) Speaker of the House refers the bill to committee4) Committee Chair sets the agenda5) Members of the committee read the bills on the agenda6) Committee meeting

i. Chair calls the committee to orderii. Chair asks for approval of the agenda

1. agenda can be amended iii. Once agenda is approved, move to mark-up

1. members of committee offer amendments to the bill2. if an amendment is agreed to, write the amended language

into the bill3. no second-order amendments

a. cannot amend and amendment to an amendment 4. after amendments are exhausted, the question occurs on the

bill as amended. 5. If bill fails to pass, it dies6. If a bill passes, then

a. Appoint majority and minority floor leadersi. These are the people who will control debate

on the bill in the floor and before the Rules Committee

ii. Floor leaders re-write the bill with amendments and post it to the Rules Committee website

7) Rules Committeei. Rules Committee

1. calls floor managers to testify on bill2. majority floor manager proposes a rule3. the rule includes

a. time for debateb. nature and number of amendments allowedc. how the bill is called up

i. calendarii. Speaker’s discretion

8) Floor

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i. Speaker calls the floor to orderii. One-minute speeches

iii. Approve agendaiv. Speaker controls floor session

1. minority floor manager goes first2. majority floor manager goes second

v. floor managers1. have x amount of time to speak on a bill, whatever Rules

Committee gives you. 2. can yield time to a colleague to speak on behalf of bill3. If the Rules Committee gives you amendments, you have to

offer all amendments during time have for debate. 4. if yield time back to the Speaker, then cannot speak on the

bill again. 9) Authorizations vs. Appropriations

i. The substantive committees – Domestic and Foreign Policy – can authorize money to be spent on a program. However, the Appropriations Committee (Money Committee) actually decides how much can be spent. The Money committee can fund the full amount or fund a lesser amount (including $0).

ii. The Money committee should pass a bill authorizing money to be spent on bills passed by committees.

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VII. SAMPLE BILL

109th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 1450

To require additional tariffs be imposed on products of any nonmarket economy country until the President certifies to the Congress that that country is a market economy country, and to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit the amounts generated from those tariffs into the Social Security trust funds.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 17, 2005

Mr. TANCREDO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To require additional tariffs be imposed on products of any nonmarket economy country until the President certifies to the Congress that that country is a market economy country, and to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit the amounts generated from those tariffs into the Social Security trust funds.

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

SECTION 1. ADDITIONAL TARIFFS ON PRODUCTS OF NONMARKET ECONOMY COUNTRIES.

(a) In General- Notwithstanding the provisions of title I of Public Law 106-286 (19 U.S.C. 2431 note), title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.), or any other provision of law, and subject to subsection (b), there shall be imposed on any article that is the growth, product, or manufacture of a nonmarket economy country and is imported directly or indirectly into the United States, in addition to any other duty that would otherwise apply to such article--

(1) a rate of duty of 5 percent ad valorem during the 1-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act; and(2) an additional duty of 1 percent ad valorem in each succeeding 1-year period.

(b) Certification- Subsection (a) shall cease to apply to a country at such time as the President certifies to the Congress that the country is a market economy country.(c) Definitions- In this section:

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(1) NONMARKET ECONOMY COUNTRY- The term `nonmarket economy country' means the following:

(A) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Moldova, the People's Republic of China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.(B) Cuba and North Korea, to the extent that any products of those countries enter the customs territory of the United States.(C) Any other country that the President determines is a nonmarket economy country as defined in section 771 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1677).

(2) MARKET ECONOMY COUNTRY- The term `market economy country' means a country that operates on market principles of cost and pricing structures so that sales of merchandise in such country reflect the fair value of the merchandise.

SEC. 2. DEPOSITS OF TARIFFS IN SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUNDS.

The Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit into the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund created by section 201(a) of the Social Security Act, and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund created by section 201(b) of that Act, in such proportions as the Secretary may determine, amounts equal to the duties collected under section 1(a), less such amounts that the Secretary determines are necessary to administer the collection of such duties.

SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION.For purposes of this Act, the People's Republic of China shall not be construed to include Taiwan or any island over which Taiwan exercises jurisdiction.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.This Act shall take effect on the 15th day after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Source: www.thomas.gov. HR 571, 18 January 2007.

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