Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Legislative Process Helpful Links

Below you will find a list of links that should help you both in your research about the legislative process and in the creation of your short story or comic strip.


Researching the Legislative Process:
Legislative Process Step-by-step from Congress.gov
Legislative Glossary from Congress.gov

General News Websites:
Congress.gov - great for looking up bills
GovTrack - Great for looking up and tracking bills
New York Times
Politico
The Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
CNN
Fox News


Friday, February 23, 2018

The Federal Budget Process Resources

Use the following links to complete the Federal Budget WebQuest.

National Priorities: Federal Budget 101

  • Answer the questions for each section of the "federal budget 101" guide.
Trump’s 2019 budget: what he cuts, how much he cuts, and why it matters

  • Use the article to answer the questions about Trump's budget proposal and it's likelihood of passage.

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Image result for trump gif

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DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN OUR POLL!

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Congressional Madness Research

Use the following sites to research your member of Congress and to complete the scorecard as well.

Search for Your Member of Congress:
GovTrack.us - Member Search
Congress.gov - Member Search
Wikipedia - Members Page

Good Links for Committee Descriptions:
House Committee Descriptions
Senate Committee Descriptions

Campaign Finances:
OpenSecrets.com - Member Search

Election Results:
For the best results do a google search for the following:
your member of congress + election results (the Wikipedia results are a good place to look)

Congressional Action:
GovTrack.us - Member Search
search for your member of congress, click on their name, and then click on 2017 report card

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Friday, February 2, 2018

Gerrymandering Fishbowl Discussion Prep Assignment

Part I: CGP Grey Explains Gerrymandering
Our favorite videographer is back! This time Mr. Grey is here to educate us on gerrymandering, as well as some possible solutions to this unpopular electoral reality.



In this video Mr. Grey poses 4 possible reform proposals to solve our gerrymandering problem:

  • A Bi-Partisan Redistricting Committee
  • An Independent Redistricting Commission
  • The Shortest Split-Line Method of Redistricting
    (Be sure to watch the bonus video on this topic! Fascinating stuff!)
  • Proportional Gerrymandering
For each reform proposal
  • Describe the gerrymandering reforms proposed
  • Explain the benefits and drawbacks of each.


Part II: Reform in Action
Many proponents of reform point to one state as an example of reform that works: Iowa. 
Use the website Ballot-o-pedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics to research Iowa’s redistricting process and its results.

Image result for iowa redistricting map