Splash Screen

Section 1 How a Bill Becomes a Law Section 2 Taxing and Spending Bills Chapter Focus Section 1 How a Bill Becomes a Law Section 2 Taxing and Spending Bills Section 3 Influencing Congress Chapter Assessment Contents

lobbyist – representatives of interest groups Chapter Objectives lobbying – effort to persuade officials to support their point of view Influencing Congress Identify factors that often influence members of Congress. Special Interest – a group with a shared interest Key Terms lobbyist, lobbying, Special Interest Group, lawmakers, Republicans, Democrats, PACs Republicans – tend to favor business Democrats– tend to favor social welfare programs Find Out • How closely should the votes of members of Congress reflect the opinions of their constituents? PACs – Political Action Committees, Political fund-raising organizations lawmakers – those that make the laws in congressional legislation • What factors must a member of Congress weigh when deciding whether to support the views of an interest group or of the president? Chapter Objectives

Lobbyists representing interest groups may have gotten their name from favor-seekers operating in the New York state legislature. As early as the 1820s, those favor-seekers sought out New York lawmakers in the “lobby”—the corridor or other parts of the state capital building at Albany—seeking to influence legislators’ votes. Since that time, lobbyists have become one of the most powerful influences on governments. Section 3-1

I. Influences on Lawmakers (page 194) Many factors influence lawmakers decisions. - Personality, voters back home, political parties, the president, special interest groups Why do members of Congress consider other factors and not just cast their votes according to their own views on proposed bills? Lawmakers want to serve their constituents, be reelected, and support their party or president. B. Lawmakers stay informed of voters’ attitudes and needs by making frequent trips back home, by reading messages from home, by questionnaires, and by reports from their staff in their home district. Section 3-2

II. The Influence of Parties (pages 196–197) A. Nearly all members of Congress belong to one of the two major political parties and generally support their own party’s stands on legislation. B. House members support their parties more strongly than do Senate members, but the issues themselves also determine whether members follow their party leaders’ agenda. C. Members of Congress usually support their party because party members usually share the same general political beliefs. Section 3-6

III. The Influence of Parties (pages 196–197) What might happen when lawmakers do not vote with their own political party on an important bill? Section 3-7

IV. Other Influences on Congress (pages 197–198) A. Presidents work hard to persuade lawmakers to support laws they want passed and give or withhold political favors to secure lawmakers’ support. B. Interest groups and their lobbyists represent various interests, including labor and business groups education and environmental and minority groups. C. Political action committees (PACs) are political fund- raising organizations that give their funds to support lawmakers who favor their position. Section 3-8

IV. Other Influences on Congress (pages 197–198) Do you think lobbyists are beneficial or detrimental to the lawmaking process in Congress? Explain. Answers will vary. See lobbyists’ influence on text page 198. Section 3-9

Checking for Understanding 1. Main Idea Using a graphic organizer like the one below, identify four ways lawmakers can keep in touch with voters’ opinions. Answers might include: 1. trips home; 2. screening mail; 3. questionnaires; 4. opinion surveys Section 3 Assessment-1

Checking for Understanding Fill in the blank with the correct term. 10. A(n) ________ is an interest group representative. 11. ________ is direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors. lobbyist Lobbying Section 3 Assessment-2

Reviewing Key Terms tax Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. tax closed rule rider authorization bills hearing entitlements pocket veto lobbyist tax 12. A(n) ___________________ is money that citizens and businesses pay to support the government. 13. A(n) ___________________ is an often controversial provision tacked on to a bill pertaining to a different subject. rider Chapter Assessment 2

Reviewing Key Terms Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. tax closed rule rider authorization bills hearing entitlements pocket veto casework lobbyist pork-barrel legislation 14. Interest on the national debt and Social Security payments are examples of ___________________. 15. A person who represents a special-interest group to Congress and other government officials is known as a(n) ___________________. 16. Witnesses usually offer testimony in a committee ___________________ regarding a specific bill. entitlements lobbyist hearing Chapter Assessment 3

Reviewing Key Terms Fill in the blank with the correct term or concept listed below. tax closed rule rider authorization bills hearing entitlements pocket veto casework lobbyist pork-barrel legislation 17. Under a(n) ___________________, House members were forbidden to offer amendments to tax bills from the floor. 18. The president gives a(n) ___________________ by not signing a bill during the last 10 days Congress is in session. closed rule pocket veto 19. ___________________ set up federal programs and specify how much money may be appropriated for those programs. Authorization bills Chapter Assessment 4

End of Section 3

Chapter Assessment 1

Interpreting Political Cartoons Activity 1. What is the “Political Inaction Committee” referred to in the cartoon? It is a PAC, or a political action committee. Chapter Assessment 13

Interpreting Political Cartoons Activity 2. How is the “Political Inaction Committee” different from other interest groups? It represents apathetic voters—those who do not care about issues being debated in the Capitol. Other PACs represent voters who are interested in influencing lawmakers. Chapter Assessment 14

Interpreting Political Cartoons Activity 3. Why is this situation unrealistic? Members of interest groups are not indifferent voters. They care enough about an issue to lobby lawmakers. Chapter Assessment 15