Mock Congress 2014-2015

Instruction Sheet
Each Student will:
Choose one Senator/Congressman to research
1.5 page report about the Senator
Research 5 of the 8 bills
research supporting and opposing viewpoints for selected 3 bills
prepare a brief persuasive speech for 1 other bill
participate in a committee hearing on 1 other bill
Participate in parliamentary debate concerning the bills
Bills Topics for Mock Congress
Bill
Bill # 1

Bill # 2

Bill # 3

Bill #

Bill Topic

H.R. 393
Universal National
Service Act of 2007

To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to
perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in
civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland
security

S99
Ethical Stem Cell
Research Tax Credit
Act of 2009

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a Federal income

tax credit for certain stem cell research expenditures.

HR 17
To protect the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms in
Citizens Self Defense defense of self, family, or home, and to provide for the enforcement of such
Act of 2009
right.

Bill # 4

S 248
Limitations on
To prohibit the use of certain interrogation techniques and for other
Interrogation
purposes.
Techniques Act of 2009

Bill # 5

S 1938
Distracted Driving
To award grants to states who pass laws eliminating the use of handheld
Prevention Act of 2009 devices while driving.

Bill # 6

HR 2533
Sanctity of Life Act
2009

To provide that human life shall be deemed to exist from conception, and for
other purposes.

Bill # 7

HJR 5
Repeal the 22nd
Amendment

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal

the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on
the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

Bill # 8

To require the approval of the relevant State governor and legislature and the
HR 2294
President's notification and certification before the transfer or release of an
Keep Terrorists Out of
individual currently detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a location in the
America Act
United States, and for other purposes.

Website for bill research:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/all
Website for bill research:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billsearch.xpd
Website for United States Code:
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/

Written Tasks:
1) Senator/Congressman Biography
Research your Senator. Write a 1.5 page biography on that Senator. Make sure that you include the following
information:
Personal background (age, education, vocations (prior to Senatorship), family) Is this Senator the typical
senator?
Political career (political party, years of service, offices held)
A quotation from or about the senator representing their general ideology
Issues (stand on at least two major issues that the Senator has championed)
2) Position Papers (3 of Bills 1-5)
research supporting and opposing viewpoints for each bill
include interest group, committee in Congress, Bureaucratic agency
Each Bill position should be at least 1 full paragraph.
3) Persuasive Speeches (1 of Bills 1-5)
research supporting and opposing viewpoints for each bill
use speech format to write a persuasive speech
14 Font, 1.5 Spacing, Plus 1 Reference Page
4) Committee Hearings (1 of Bills 1-5)
as a member of a group (committee), your group will stage a 15 minute hearing on an
assigned bill
the hearing will involve 1) a panel of Senators, making brief opening statements about the
bill, 2) 2 representatives of interest groups answering questions from Senators and 2) 2
representatives from a bureaucratic agency answering questions and expressing concerns
about implementing the resulting policy
4) Mock Congress Notebook
Each student will perform a task for 5 of the 8 bills, (3- position papers, 1- speech, 1- committee participation) and two
printed articles that assisted with the research for each bill. For the last 2 bills, please print, a paraphrased version of, the
bill off and include it in your notebook.
All information should be neatly place in a 1 inch three ring binder in the following order:
Mock Congress Instruction Sheets
Parliamentary Procedure Sheets
Senator Biography
Persuasive Speech
Position Papers for the three Bills of your choice. (From the front of this paper)
Printed Copy synopsis of all the Bills
At least one news article that supports or opposes the Bills.