House and Senate chamber tours
Consider starting with video tours of the House and Senate chambers.
Students choose and describe a legislative district for their Member Profiles. These resources offer information about House districts.
Almanac of American Politics
Organized by state and district, this reference book offers detailed information about the demographic,
geographic and political characteristics of districts. Found in the Reference section of many schools and public
libraries. NationalJournal.com offers it on-line for subscribers. You might want to ask for a free trial!
Politics in America
Similar to the Almanac, also found in reference sections and at CQ.com for subscribers.
Representatives' Websites
Each Representative's website usually includes a description of the district s/he represents.
This information is easy to access but may not provide insight into the political history of the district.
National Atlas
On-line Maps of all U. S. House districts.
US Census
Can search for demographic information by congressional district.
These resources allow students to explore activity in the real Congress, as well as providing easy access to detailed information about selected issues.
Resume of Congressional Activity
Provides summary information about the legislative activities of each Congress going back to 1947. Very
interesting because it illustrates the different things Congress is responsible for besides enacting public laws. In addition,
trends over time can be an interesting subject of discussion.
Members' bill sponsorship and cosponsorship activity
Clickable information about each Members' legislative activity. Illustrates the diversity of sponsorship and cosponsorship activity.
Library of Congress THOMAS Website
Thomas is not very user friendly It allows you to research bill histories if you know the bill. If you don't a search by subject is likely to reveal dozens if not
hundreds of bills. The legislative history of any bill introduced from 1973 to the present can be found here. Thomas also includes links to House and
Senate member websites, etc.
The advanced search option on Thomas is more useful for searching for bills in a subject area. The subject terms are listed here. Browse the very long list, or use the edit/find option at the top of your browser to check whether a specific subject of interest (e.g. human rights) is on the list. Return to the advanced search page and enter that term. The result are the bills that a researcher has deemed are most relevant to the subject.
LEGSIM ISSUE BRIEFS
We will be compiling and archiving issue primers by topic area here.
LegSim Stem Cell Research Primer
OTHER SOURCES FOR BACKGROUND ON ISSUES
Congressional Quarterly Almanac
Available in the reference section of most libraries, offers journalistic summaries of issues considered in Congress.
The Green Book
Publication of the House Ways and Means Committee that members use to get up to speed on some of the most important social
programs. Searchable by topic.
Advocacy and Public Policymaking Project
Provides detailed case histories of a randomly selected set of public policy issues. It provides a brief background summary of each issue (e.g. the estate tax), and then links to related documentation (e.g. congressional hearings, new stories, statements by associations).
INFORMATION ABOUT SPENDING
Federal Budget of the United States
This is the home page for access to spending information by program.
Policy Agendas Project
A quick and easy way to trace broader national policy trends, including spending by policy area over the past 50 years.
National Budget Simulation
Breaks the federal budget down into major and minor categories. It can serve as the basis of an informative exercise about the U.S. Budget (see Lesson Plans).
The Rules of Procedure for your LegSimlature are posted under the 'LegSim' link on your website. The resources below may be helpful for resolving outstanding questions. Directing students to them is a good way to encourage them to resolve the issue themselves (and learn something in the process).
U.S. Constitution
Excellent
web resource from the National Archives. What are the powers of Congress under the Constitution? Who decides how
much legislators get paid? What does the Constitution require in terms of eligibility for office and electoral participation?
Lawmaking Process from Introduction to Enactment.
House of Representative Committees and their Jurisdictions House of Representatives Parliamentary Procedures House of Representatives Floor Procedures About Dear Colleague Letters The Powers of the Speaker by Oleszek and Sachs
Which committee has jurisdiction over a bill? One method for resolving such disputes is to review the jurisdictions of congressional committees.
The real ones!
Additional resources for information about House Floor Procedures, including Special Rules
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) background report on the history and use of Dear Colleague Letters. The LegSim website provides a real example under the 'Learn' icon on the 'Send Communication' page.
Nice background research on the ebb and flow of the Speaker's power in the House. It also discusses several classic parliamentary maneuvers that may help to inspire students to think creatively about the rules.
Gavel for the Speaker
Your local hardware store should have a wooden mallet for about $5. If not, you can order one here.
A 44" x 33" Wall Map of the 109th Congressional Districts
Order from GPO for $9.00 plus shipping (product 003-024-09059-7)
Download a PDF version from US Census
Biographical Directory of Members of Congress
Type in a name or state to find out more about individual members since 1789.
Power Rankings of House and Senate Members
Congressional Staff Salaries (note that salaries may be based on 6 month periods)
Virtual Washington D.C.
A graphical representation of Washington D.C. where clicking on a building takes you to the website for that department, legislature, museum etc.
Lobbying in the Washington State House
Written by a former student who now works as a lobbyist, describes what it is that lobbyists do in Washington State. It's a marvelous piece in out opinion.