Mock Senate Simulation:
How a Bill Becomes a Law
“In order to judge of the form to be given
to this institution [the Senate], it will be
proper to take a view of the ends to be
served by it.These were,—first, to protect
the people against their rulers, secondly,
to protect the people against the transient
impressions into which they themselves
might be led.”
James Madison, debates in the Constitutional Convention,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 26, 1787,
Mock Senate Simulation
The 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 final passage.
In this week-long simulation, you will play the role of a Senator representing the constituents of your state. As senators, you will:
Research an issue of your choice
Write the bill (a proposed law)
Participate in committee work
Discuss the various bills on the Senator Floor
Vote 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 established 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 office; 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 committees 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 or
Senator, from any ofthe executive departments of the Government, from private
organized 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 Bill
Students 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, the
elderly, 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 or
five 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 discuss their legislation
Each subcommittee should elect a chair—one student who will guide the proceedings of
the 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 under
their review, if the bills appear to compliment each other or if the committee feels
that combining the two will strengthen the bills’ chances of passing the Senate. In
that case, the two or more students become “Co-sponsors” of the bill and will
defend 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 Senate. 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 on
the floor of the senate. Subcommittee chairs provide the teacher with a list of bills their
committee 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 supports Senator A’s position on another Bill.
Students will use a graphic organizer as they research the issues surrounding the proposed legislation. Students will have the chance to investigate the consequences and repercussions of enacting law from each of the bills. Again, encourage students to research 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 there
are 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 stamped
MONDAYDATE:
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c. You may want to give examples of Senate bills currently on the calendar to help your
students understand the format and language of bills. Information about active legislation
(updated weekly) can be found at the official Senate Web site. Have students select
a piece of Senate legislation (designated by the prefix “S.”), and click on the “Text of
Legislation.” 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 investigate
the 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 Member
of Congress and will be asked to vote on a proposed Constitutional amendment to ban flag
desecration. The simulation has them hearing from party leaders, special interest groups,
and members of their constituency who are interested in swaying their vote. Found at
http://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-SPAN
to view with the class. These will act as models for students as they role-play the Mock
Senate simulation. You can find a schedule of hearings at the C-SPAN Web site, found at
http://www.c-span.org
Instruct students on the rules of conduct governing Senate debates, specifically obtaining
permission to speak, using courtesy titles, and other parliamentary debate protocols (see
Web sites and Extension Activities, number 3, in this document). The following document
is part of Riddick’s Senate Procedure—101st Congress, 2d Session, found at
http://www.gpo.gov/congress/senate/riddick/1091-1105.pdf
Mock Senate 7
Extending the Learning Experience
Web Sites and Extension Activities
Teachers, please note that some Web sites may contain material or links to material that is inappropriate
for your students. Please preview the following sites before sharing them with your students.
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 University
This Mock Senate simulation works well in conjunction with the e-learning module from
The Center on Congress: How a Member Decides to Vote, located at
http://congress.indiana.edu/learn_about/Feature/e-learning_modules.php#decides
2. 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 by
subject and may take you to PDF documents, useful sources on the Web, or other Senate
Web pages.” Found at
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/b_three_sections_with_teasers/virtual.htm
10 Teaching about Congress: Best Practices
3. 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 that
demonstrates deep understanding of the mock legislation?
a. Were comments and questions during debate and discussion clear and valid to the
issues?
b. Did the student inject insightful or thought-provoking comments or questions into the
discussion?
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 the
factors that affect a Senator’s vote on legislation?
Post-Simulation Discussion
Conduct an open discussion with the class on what they learned from this simulation. Possible
topics for discussion may include:
1. How well prepared were the bill sponsors for the debate? Were they able to hold their own
against 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 legislation
that you hadn’t considered before?
6. Did peer pressure affect your vote in any way? How is this similar to the pressures put on
real 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 9
You might also wish to include a vocabulary quiz for another assessment, using some of the
terminology 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 Process
The 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 a
two-to-five page written report on the Mock Senate experience. (Students may find the Web
sites located below and Bibliography located on page 11 useful in preparing their papers.) In
their reports, students may address any or all of the following points, using examples to support
their answers:
1. In this simulation of the Senate legislative procedure, we didn’t explore the influences political
parties have on the passing of law. How does party affiliation influence the process in
reality?
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 Representatives and
Senators work together to propose legislation? How is the procedure different than the one
in the Mock Senate simulation?
4. How do Members of Congress interact with the President of the United States in getting
legislation that has passed Congress signed into law? How often does a bill make it through
both Houses only to be stopped at the President’s desk? What recourse does Congress have
when this is the case?