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

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.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN OUR POLL!

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

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.

Trump's State of the Union

Below is a list of links - some will give you excerpts of tonight's speech and others include information about recent events that Trump is likely to touch on.

State of the Union: Trump Declares ‘New American Moment’ While Democrats See ‘Chaos’
Trump's State of the Union address: Live updates
President Donald Trump Will Deliver His First State of the Union. Read Excerpts Now.

Interest Group Research Sources

General Research:
The sites below are excellent resources for general research about interest groups:

Open Secrets
Project Vote Smart
Wikipedia

Going Further:
The best way to get more specific research about an interest group or a piece of specific information about a group (like membership of the National Beer Wholesalers Association) is to do a google search with the following terms:

• interest group name + question/topic
• For example, a google search with for "who are the members of the National Beer Wholesalers Association" will send you to a great resource here: National Beer Wholesalers Association Membership

   

   

  

  

 

#McConnelling