Presentation designed to aid in mid and post Congress assessment.

1. Mock Congress
8th Grade Simulation

2. Congressional Titles
 Speaker of the House- runs the
US House of Representatives
 President Pro-Tempore - runs
the US Senate chamber in
absence of the Senate
President
 Floor Whip- Distributes bills to
floor members
 Head Clerk- gives each bill an
official number and title
 Doorkeeper- Controls
Admittance
 Sergeant at Arms- Maintains
order

3. Fast Facts for Bills
 Thousands of bills are introduced each year in Congress
 Not all bills are discussed on the floor of Congress
 Most bills die in committee
 Less than 1/2 of all bills become law
 A bills number and title may change as it is passed between
houses
 All bills must pass both houses to go to the President
 The majority, more than half, of Congress must approve a bill for
it to be passed

4. Congressional Procedure
 Clerks, Doorkeepers, and  For a President to
the Sergeant’s -at-arms pocket-veto a bill he must
are not actually members
hold it for 10 days
of Congress
 During a roll-call vote
 The Constitution explains
Congress has the option how the President can
to say Pass-Yes-Abstain- respond to bills that
No reach his/her desk
 When Congress “tables” a
bill they set it aside until
later

5. Standing Committees
 Standing Committees are
expected to follow
Parliamentary Procedure
 Standing Committee
Chairpersons are always
from the majority party
 Standing Committees can
defeat bills
 Not all member of the
Standing Committee need
to be present when
discussing a bill

6. Mock-Congress Vocabulary
 Quorum- number of members who must be
present for the group to do business
 Census- the official count of people living in a
state
 Hopper- the box where bills are placed when they
are first introduced
 Caucus Meetings- used to elect leaders
 Line item veto- allows the President to change or
alter a bill after it has reached his/her desk

7. How A Bill Becomes A Law
1. Representative introduces a bill
2. The bill is placed in a hopper
3. The clerk gives the bill a title and a number
4. The speaker of the house assigns the bill to the
proper committee
5. Committees amend or defeat the bill
6. Committee votes to approve or defeat bill

8. How A Bill Becomes A Law Cont.
7. If the full committee votes to approve the bill it is sent to
the House to be placed on the House calendar for
debate
8. The bill is debated on the floor of the House
9. The full House votes for the passage of the bill
10. If the bill passes the full house vote it is sent to the
Senate
11. Upon arrival in the Senate, the bill is introduced and
begins the entire “Bill to Law” process all over again