Mock Senate Simulation:

How a Bill Becomes a

Law

“In order to judge of the form to be givento this institution [the Senate], it will beproper to take a view of the ends to be

served by it.These were,—first, to protectthe people against their rulers, secondly,to protect the people against the transientimpressions into which they themselves

might be led.”James Madison, debates in the Constitutional Convention,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 26, 1787,

Mock Senate SimulationThe Mock Senate debate is a simulation game based on the legislative process of the United States Senate. It follows the progress of bills from committee hearings through fi-nal passage.

In this week-long simulation, you will play the role of a Senator representing the con-stituents of your state. As senators, you will:

Research an issue of your choiceWrite the bill (a proposed law)Participate in committee workDiscuss the various bills on the Senator FloorVote for the Bill

This simulation meets the California Government Standards

12.4 Students analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government as estab-lished by the U.S. Constitution.

Discuss Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch,including eligibility for office and lengths of terms of representatives and senators; election to of-fice; the roles of the House and Senate in impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated legislative powers; and the process by which a bill becomes a law.

Pre-Simulation:

Students will understand the legislative process of law making and the role that the com-mittees play in this process. You will represent your state, your constituents and your own political ideas.

Ideas for a Bill

The ideas for legislative proposals may come from an individual Representative orSenator, from any ofthe executive departments of the Government, from privateorganized groups or associations, or from any individual citizen.

Students will begin brainstorming ideas for potential bills or public policy that they would like to make or change. Each student should then select an idea that he or she would like to write into a bill

Students will write a brief feasibility statement that explains the topic for their proposed bill. The statement should include a brief description of the propoed legislation and the student’s opinion of the issues surrounding the legislation.

Research Your BillStudents will then begin researching the topic for their proposed bill. Students will take notes on index cards. You should research:

1. Are there laws I effect now that need to be changed or is this an issues that hasn’t been addressed before? 2. Research the history, facts, and controversy behind the issue they have chosen,as well as the population that will be most affected by the law (e.g., children, theelderly, taxpayers, criminals, etc.). 3. Students should fill out note cards on the research they complete.

Please be very thorough in your research. Other students will be trying to challenge their bills during the Mock Senate debate, so you need to be ready to respond to any questions that might arise.

Writing a Bill When research is completed, students will write a bill, in correct bill format, with four orfive sections, no longer than two pages. For a blank bill worksheet, see Appendix B of this guide.

After the bill has been passed and graded, students will take their proposed bills to their assigned committee.

Subcommittee Work

Based on the bills handed in, students will be assigned to a subcommittee that will dis-cuss their legislation

Each subcommittee should elect a chair—one student who will guide the proceedings ofthe committee and keep the discussions focused on the agenda.

Each bill will be discussed separately. Members can voice their opinions on the policy, ask for clarification, suggest revisions, and so on, before an informal vote is taken on what to do with the bill. At this point, the subcommittee can take several actions:

a. “pigeonhole” (or table) the bill – your committee decides not to act on the bill and “tables” the bill indefinitely

b. Mark it up or amend it – You can change it partially or entirely or add or delete sections

c. Report it out to the entire Senate with a favorable recommendation.

The committee members might also choose to combine two or more bills undertheir review, if the bills appear to compliment each other or if the committee feelsthat combining the two will strengthen the bills’ chances of passing the Senate. Inthat case, the two or more students become “Co-sponsors” of the bill and willdefend it together in the Mock Senate debate.

The chairperson leads committee discussion. Decisions are made by simple majority vote. When reporting out, the chairperson reveals the vote to show the strength of the

support. The chairperson reads the exact language of the marked-up bill to the entire Sen-ate. The bill then receives a number (S-1, S-2, etc.)

When a bill makes it out of committee, it is placed on the calendar to be debated onthe floor of the senate. Subcommittee chairs provide the teacher with a list of bills theircommittee has approved, and the teacher adds them to the calendar.

Preparing for the Debate

After all committees meet, students will received a list of the bills that have been placed on the calendar and allow the class to engage in a “logrolling” or “lobbying” session. Students can now mill around and speak to one another about how they plan to vote on the bill. This is the time for senators to try to persuade others to change their minds. Senator A might agree to support Senator B’s position on another bill if Senators B sup-ports Senator A’s position on another Bill.

Students will use a graphic organizer as they research the issues surrounding the pro-posed legislation. Students will have the chance to investigate the consequences and repercussions of enacting law from each of the bills. Again, encourage students to re-search the issues surrounding each bill carefully, looking for weaknesses or questions that can be asked.

Student should consider how the legislation might affect “their” states. For example, a Senator representing a state with a large agricultural constituency may have issues with bills that would increase property taxes or appropriate land for a national wildlife refuge.

The Mock Senate Debate Simulation

The teacher will serve as President of the Senate (Students should refer to the teacher as Madame President, and each other as Mister or Ms.)

The Senate will be called to order and each bill be announced by numerical order, that will brought forward for debate — and name the “Senator” who sponsored the bill — like this:

“The first order of business is Senate bill number S.__, sponsored by Senator _______ from _______.”

The sponsor of the first bill comes to the front of the room and reads the entire bill aloud. Any student wishing to ask a question pertaining to the bill should raise his or her hand and wait to be recognized by the President. (“The chair recognizes Senator _______ from ________.”) Speakers should stand and address the sponsoring Senator by title before asking their questions.

The sponsoring Senator responds to each question, and the debate continues until thereare no more questions.

When the debate has ended, the President of the Senate calls for a vote by standing (“Those in favor of Bill S.__ please signify by standing.”) The bill is marked as passed or failed, and the next bill is brought to debate.

Assessment

This is a large assignment and you will assessed both individually and collectively (in committee group)

• Senator Name Tag or Name Plate (with picture) 5 points• Feasibility Statement 15 points• Note cards or research report 20 points• Written Bill using the Bill Template 20 points• Committee Work group grade 15 points• Daily work sheets (must be stamped) 10 points• Senate Debate Notes 10 points• Self-Assessment form 15 points

Daily Work Sheets – Must be stampedMONDAY

DATE:

TUESDAYDATE:

WEDNESDAYDATE:

THURSDAYDATE:

FRIDAYDATE:

MONDAY

DATE:

TUESDAYDATE:

c. You may want to give examples of Senate bills currently on the calendar to help yourstudents understand the format and language of bills. Information about active legislation(updated weekly) can be found at the official Senate Web site. Have students selecta piece of Senate legislation (designated by the prefix “S.”), and click on the “Text ofLegislation.” Found at: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/b_three_sections_with_teasers/active_leg_page.htm.10. During this research and review time, you may find it helpful for your students to in-vestigatethe various influences that affect how a Member of Congress decides to vote on a bill.In one e-Learning Module at the Center on Congress Web site, students become a Mem-berof Congress and will be asked to vote on a proposed Constitutional amendment to ban flagdesecration. The simulation has them hearing from party leaders, special interest groups,and members of their constituency who are interested in swaying their vote. Found athttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_about/Feature/e-learning_modules.php#decides.11. You might also tape one or two Senate committee meetings or floor debates from C-SPANto view with the class. These will act as models for students as they role-play the MockSenate simulation. You can find a schedule of hearings at the C-SPAN Web site, found athttp://www.c-span.org

Instruct students on the rules of conduct governing Senate debates, specifically obtainingpermission to speak, using courtesy titles, and other parliamentary debate protocols (seeWeb sites and Extension Activities, number 3, in this document). The following docu-mentis part of Riddick’s Senate Procedure—101st Congress, 2d Session, found athttp://www.gpo.gov/congress/senate/riddick/1091-1105.pdfMock Senate 7

Extending the Learning ExperienceWeb Sites and Extension ActivitiesTeachers, please note that some Web sites may contain material or links to material that is inappropriatefor your students. Please preview the following sites before sharing them with your stu-dents.At the time of publication, all URLs were valid.We apologize for any inconvenience,should this no longer be the case.1. The Center on Congress at Indiana UniversityThis Mock Senate simulation works well in conjunction with the e-learning module from

The Center on Congress: How a Member Decides to Vote, located athttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_about/Feature/e-learning_modules.php#decides2. The Senate’s Virtual Reference Desk“If you are seeking general information on the Senate, the legislative branch and process,or on the federal government, this is a good place to begin. Links are arranged broadly bysubject and may take you to PDF documents, useful sources on the Web, or other SenateWeb pages.” Found athttp://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/b_three_sections_with_teasers/virtual.htm10 Teaching about Congress: Best Practices3. National Council of State Legislatures

Self-Assessment Form:points to each activity. Some questions to include on such a checklist might be:1. Did the student complete all introductory assignments/readings before the simulation?2. Did he or she turn in a 100- or 200-word feasibility study on a bill proposal?3. Did he or she turn in a research report or note cards on the proposed bill?4. Did he or she turn in a bill with four or five sections, no more than two pages long?5. Did he or she participate in the subcommittee and Mock Senate activities in a manner thatdemonstrates deep understanding of the mock legislation?a. Were comments and questions during debate and discussion clear and valid to theissues?b. Did the student inject insightful or thought-provoking comments or questions into thediscussion?c. Did he or she remain within the role assigned to him or her?6. Did the student participate in the wrap-up discussion, exhibiting understanding of thefactors that affect a Senator’s vote on legislation?

Post-Simulation DiscussionConduct an open discussion with the class on what they learned from this simulation. Possibletopics for discussion may include:1. How well prepared were the bill sponsors for the debate? Were they able to hold their ownagainst the questions asked by the Senate?2. How well prepared were you to challenge or question other sponsors?3. Had you already decided on your vote for most of the bills before the debate began?4. Did any of your votes change after the debate? Which ones?5. What affected your opinion or your vote?a. Which arguments, in your opinion, affected the success or failure of any of the bills?b. Did any arguments during the debate make you think about an aspect of the legislationthat you hadn’t considered before?6. Did peer pressure affect your vote in any way? How is this similar to the pressures put onreal Senators?7. This simulation of the Mock Senate follows what is called the “textbook” legislative process.In reality, how does the legislative process work differently?8. Do you feel the American legislative process is a good one? What are some pros and cons?Mock Senate 9You might also wish to include a vocabulary quiz for another assessment, using some of theterminology that was covered in students’ studies of the Senate legislative process (e.g., filibuster,cloture, standing committee, amendment, judiciary, hopper, parliamentary rules, etc.).

Written Report on the Senate Legislative ProcessThe most complex of the evaluations, a written report allows your students to analyze, synthesize,and evaluate what they learned about the committee procedure. Have students prepare atwo-to-five page written report on the Mock Senate experience. (Students may find the Websites located below and Bibliography located on page 11 useful in preparing their papers.) Intheir reports, students may address any or all of the following points, using examples to supporttheir answers:1. In this simulation of the Senate legislative procedure, we didn’t explore the influences politicalparties have on the passing of law. How does party affiliation influence the process inreality?2. What influence do special interest groups and lobbyists have on the legislative process?How do they sway Members’ votes?3. Investigate joint committee work. How do Members from the House of Representa-tives andSenators work together to propose legislation? How is the procedure different than the onein the Mock Senate simulation?4. How do Members of Congress interact with the President of the United States in get-tinglegislation that has passed Congress signed into law? How often does a bill make it throughboth Houses only to be stopped at the President’s desk? What recourse does Congress havewhen this is the case?