PAL-210
U.S. Congress and Lawmaking

Spring Term, 2002 M/W 11:40-1:00 in Land Hall
Professor David C. King (Littauer 303, 495-1665)
Office Hours, Fridays 10:00 - 12:00

Course Assistant: Michelle G. Los Banos (384-1539)

Description. This course will help you become effective in dealing with Congress. You will come to understand how legislatures work (and why they sometimes do not work) from two perspectives: the "inside" as a legislator or a legislative staffer, and the "outside" as a lobbyist, reporter, or member of the executive branch.

Two assumptions underlie this course. First, legislatures in the United States are very much alike. The differences among them are points along a continuum and not differences in kind. Grasping their differences is easy; understanding what they have in common is more important. Second, legislative behavior and the legislative process are very different from their executive and judicial counterparts. What works in the executive branch will not necessarily work in the legislature, and vice versa.

This course is built around a simulation in which students take on the roles of legislators, lobbyists, and journalists. (Link to a copy of the simulation.) At every step in the simulation, students are introduced to relevant theories and insights both from the academic literature and from political practitioners.

My Teaching Style blends political science readings with a course-long legislative simulation. Roughly one-third of the classes will involve lectures, one-third case discussions, and one-third will be devoted to the simulation and will be run by students.

Grades will be based on group- and individually-written exercises associated with the simulation (30%), a personal "reflections" paper from the simulation (20%), participation in the simulation (20%), and in-class discussion of readings (30%). I employ the Kennedy School's recommended grading distribution, as outlined by the school's academic council. Grades distributions may range as follows: A (10-15%), A- (20-25%), B+ (30-40%), B (20-25%), B- or lower (5-10%).

Readings are available in course packets on sale at the CMO (on the first floor of the Belfer Building). There are three required books, available at the Harvard Coop. Furthermore, we expect you to read Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report and to pay close attention to Roll Call, Governing and State Legislatures, all of which are available in the KSG library.

Required books to purchase:

o Roger H. Davidson & Walter J. Oleszek. 2002. Congress and Its Members. 8^th Edition. CQ Press.

o Christopher Matthews. 1999. Hardball. 2^nd Edition. New York: Touchstone.

o David King. 1997. Turf Wars. University of Chicago Press.

Recommended, but not required to purchase:

o Walter Oleszek. 2001. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process. 5^th Edition. CQ Press.

On KSG Library Reserve for Supplemental Readings

o Joel D. Aberbach. 1990. Keeping a Watchful Eye. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. R. Douglas Arnold. 1990. The Logic of Congressional Action. New Haven: Yale University Press.

o Raymond A. Bauer, Ithiel de Sola Pool & Lewis Anthony Dexter. 1963. American Business and Public Policy. New York: Artherton.

o Frank R. Baumgartner & Beth L. Leech. 1998. Basic Interests: The Importance of Groups in Politics and in Political Science. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

o Timothy Cook. 1989. Making News: Media Strategies in the U.S. House of Representatives. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

o Timothy Cook. 1998. Governing with the News: The News Media as a Political Institution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

o Gary W. Cox & Mathew D. McCubbins. 1993. Legislative Leviathan: Party Government in the House. Berkeley: University of California Press.

o Morris P. Fiorina. 1989. Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment. New Haven: Yale University Press.

o Richard L. Hall. 1996. Participation in Congress. New Haven: Yale University Press.

o Gary Jacobson. 1997. The Politics of Congressional Elections. 4th Edition. New York: Longman.

o Kevin Hula. 1999. Lobbying Together. Georgetown University Press.

o John W. Kingdon. 1989. Congressmen’s Voting Decisions 3rd Edition. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

o Ken Kollman. 1998. Outside Lobbying. Princeton University Press

o Keith Krehbiel. 1992. Information & Legislative Organization. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

o Michael Malbin. 1979. Unelected Representatives: Congressional Staff and the Future of Representative Government. New York: Basic Books.

o David R. Mayhew. 1974. Congress: The Electoral Connection. New Haven: Yale University Press.

o Mark Peterson. 1990. Legislating Together. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

o Hanna F. Pitkin. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Berkeley: University of California Press.

o David W. Rohde. 1991. Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

o Kenneth A. Shepsle. 1987. The Giant Jigsaw Puzzle: Democratic Committee Assignments in the Modern House. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

o John R. Wright. 1996. Interest Groups & Congress. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

o "1996 House Staff Employment: Salary, Tenure, Demographics, and Benefits," and "Senate Staff Employment: 1995 Salaries, Tenure, Demographics, and Benefits," both guidebooks by the Congressional Management Foundation.

Useful Web Sites

Ethics
http://www.house.gov/ethics/Highlightshtmlversion.htm

Elections
http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government/Politics/Elections/
http://www.census.gov/datamap/www/index.html http://www.opensecrets.org/2000elect/index.htm http://www.klipsan.com/pxus_ndx.htm
http://www.campaignline.com/art2.cfm http://www.campaignline.com/art4.cfm http://www.fec.gov/

Staff
http://congress.org/staff.html

Media
http://www.house.gov/house/mediagallery.htm http://npc.press.org/ http://www.cnn.com
http://www.nyt.com http://www.wsj.com http://www.washingtonpost.com

Leadership
http://www.house.gov/house/orgs_pub_hse_ldr_www.html

Parties
http://www.politicaljunkie.com/candidates/party_info.cfm http://www.rnc.org http://www.democrats.org http://www.dsausa.org/index.html http://www.lp.org http://www.reformparty.org http://www.socialdemocrats.org http://www.greenpartyus.org.

Lobbying
http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/index.htm http://www.learn-to-lobby.com/

Overseeing Bureaucracy
http://www.house.gov/rules/comm_oversight.htm

Course Schedule

1. Wednesday, January 30 – What Motivates Legislators, I
Objectives. Puzzle about when legislators are 'responsive' to voters. If we wanted to make legislators more responsive, how could we do it? When, and why, might we want legislators to be less responsive?
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
David R. Mayhew. 1974. "The Electoral Connection and the Congress," selection from Congress: The Electoral Connection, reprinted in Mathew D. McCubbins & Terry Sullivan, Congress: Structure and Policy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. (in coursepack) Richard F. Fenno, Jr. 1973. Congressmen in Committees. Boston: Little Brown. Chapter 1. (in coursepack) Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal, Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting, pgs. 3-26. (in coursepack) Richard F. Fenno, Jr. 1978. Home Style: House Members in Their Districts. Boston: Little Brown. Chapter 1. (in coursepack) Davidson & Oleszek. 2002. (a course text) Chapter 1.	Morris P. Fiorina. 1989. Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment. New Haven: Yale University Press. David R. Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection. 1974. New Haven: Yale University Press. R. Douglas Arnold. 1990. The Logic of Congressional Action. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapters 1-6. Richard L. Hall & Robert Van Houweling. 1995. "Avarice and Ambition: Representatives’ Decisions to Run or Retire from the U.S. House." American Political Science Review 89(March 1995):121-36. Hanna F. Pitkin. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Berkeley: University of California Press. Chapter 10.

2. Monday, February 4 – What Motivates Legislators, II
Objectives. Understand the fundamental tradeoffs in representation. How do legislators view their responsibilities? Understand the multiple sources of pressure that legislators feel – through a specific case. Why do legislators vote the way they do?
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Christopher Matthews. 1999. Hardball, 2nd edition. New York: Touchstone. (Read the whole book. Students will be called on to summarize chapters in class.)	Lee Sigelman, Carol K. Sigelman & Barbara J. Walkosz. 1992. "The Public and the Paradox of Leadership: An Experimental Analysis." American Journal of Political Science. 36 (May 1992): 366-387. John E. Jackson & David C. King. 1989. "Public Goods, Private Interests and Representation." American Political Science Review. 83 (December 1989): 1143-64. Warren E. Miller & Donald E. Stokes. 1963. "Constituency Influence In Congress." American Political Science Review. 57 (March 1963): 45-56. Morris P. Fiorina. 1975. "Constituency Influence: A Generalized model and Its Implications for Statistical Studies of Roll-Call Behavior." Political Methodology. 2:249-66. John W. Kingdon. 1989. Congressmen’s Voting Decisions 3^rd Edition. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Chapter 10. (On Reserve) Richard L. Hall. 1996. Participation in Congress. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapters 1 – 4.

3. Wednesday, February 6 – How Legislatures are Organized
Objectives. Explore the actual organization of the U.S. Congress – including its leadership structure and party organizations. Then explore several contemporary political science theories about how legislatures (are, or should be) organized.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Davidson & Olsezek. 2002. (a course text). Chapters 2, 6, 8, 9. Tim Groseclose & David C. King. "Committee Theories Reconsidered" in Lawrence C. Dodd & Bruce I. Oppenheimer (eds.), Congress Reconsidered, 7th edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press. December 2000. (in coursepack)	Richard F. Fenno, Jr. 1962. "The House Appropriations Committee as a Political System." American Political Science Review. 56(June 1962):310-24. Barry R. Weingast, William J. Marshall. 1988. "The Industrial Organization of Congress." Journal of Political Economy. 96:132-163. Keith Krehbiel. 1992. Information & Legislative Organization. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Elizabeth Garrett. 2000. "The Congressional Budget Process: Strengthening the Party-in-Government." Columbia Law Review. 100:702-30.
Simulation Handed Out.

4. Monday, February 11 – Congress and Debt Relief

Objectives. Apply lessons from the first three classes to a case from last year’s Congress. Students should map out a strategy for passing the debt relief measure. Be sure to consider the institutional barriers that need to be crossed.

Required

Kennedy School Case # 1613. "Debt Relief for Poor Nations: The Battle in Congress" (2001),

5. Wednesday, February 13 – Congressional Elections
Objectives. Understand the fundamental differences between on-year and off-year elections. Confront questions of strategy and positioning in primaries and general elections. Begin a discussion of the impact of race on campaigns. Introduce the simulation. Students need to visualize themselves in the position of new Members of Congress.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Davidson & Oleszek. 2002. (a course text). Chapters 3 & 4. Alan S. Gerber & Donald P. Green. 2000. "The Effects of Canvassing, Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail on Voter Turnout: A Field Experiment." American Political Science Review 94:653-63. (in coursepack) "Jesse Helms v. Harvey Gantt: Race, Culture, and Campaign Strategy," Kennedy School Case # 1099. (in coursepack)	Stephen Ansolabehere & Alan Gerber. 1997. "Incumbency Advantage and the Persistence of Legislative Majorities." Legislative Studies Quarterly. 22 (May 1997): 161-178. Richard Lau, Lee Sigelman, Caroline Headman & Paul Babbitt. 1999. "The Effects of Negative Political Advertisements: A meta-Analytic Assessment." American Political Science Review. 93:851-76. Gary Jacobson. 1997. The Politics of Congressional Elections. 4^rd Edition. New York: Longman.
Simulation: Personal Biographies Due, Committee Preferences Due

6. Monday, February 18 – Holiday, Presidents’ Day

7. Wednesday, February 20 – Building Coalitions
Objectives. Whether working "inside" or "outside" Congress, coalition-formation is critical. Today’s readings and lectures cover the fundamentals of coalitions.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
"Politician as Outsider: Judy Nadler and the Santa Clara City Council." 1989. John F. Kennedy School of Government Case #915. (in coursepack) David C. King & Richard L. Zeckhauser. "Congressional Vote Options." October 25, 2001. (in coursepack) Come to class with a list of ways that you have seen successful coalitions formed, and be ready to share the list with the class. "Specializing in Congress: Finding your Niche." 1996. Chapter 3 in Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide. Washington: Congressional Management Foundation. (in coursepack)	Barry R. Weingast. 1979. "A Rational Choice Perspective on Congressional Norms." American Journal of Political Science. 23:245-62. Tim Groseclose & James Snyder. 1996. "Buying Supermajorities." American Political Science Review. 90:303-15. Kevin Hula. 1999. Lobbying Together. Georgetown University Press, Pgs. 122-133. Daniel Kessler & Keith Krehbiel. 1996. "Dynamics of Cosponshorship." American Political Science Review. 90: 555-566. Susan Webb Hammond. 1998. Congressional Caucuses in National Policy Making. Johns Hopkins Press. Pgs. 20-29. (in coursepack)
Simulation: Committee Assignments Made

8. Monday, February 25 – Committees
Objectives. Committees are central to legislatures. Our purpose today is to understand committee structures and procedures. Much of the discussion will focus on Turf Wars.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Davidson & Oleszek. 2002. (a course text). Chapter 7 David C. King. 1997. Turf Wars: How Congressional Committees Claim Jurisdiction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (a course text)	Kenneth A. Shepsle. 1979. "Institutional Arrangements and Equilibrium in Multidimensional Voting Models." American Journal of Political Science. 23:27-59. Kenneth A. Shepsle & Barry R. Weingast. 1987. "The Institutional Foundations of Committee Power." American Political Science Review 81(March 1987): 85-104. Richard L. Hall. 1996. Participation in Congress. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapters 5 & 6. Kenneth A. Shepsle. 1987. The Giant Jigsaw Puzzle: Democratic Committee Assignments in the Modern House. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Simulation: Committee Chairs Named

9. Wednesday, February 27 – Working with the Leadership
Objectives. Review the leadership structure in legislatures, and understand what powers leaders have to influence the agenda. Also, from the perspective of "outsiders," discuss strategies for influencing the leadership
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
"The Committee Chair, the Assistant Secretary, and the Bureau Chief." Electronic Hallway Network. (in coursepack) John Manley. 1969. "Wilbur D. Mills: A Study in Congressional Influence. American Political Science Review. 63 (June 1969): 442-464. (in coursepack) Prepare, and be ready to share, a one-page biography of any legislative leader of your choosing. Use outside sources liberally, and be ready to say how one “knows” that the leader is strong or weak, and under what circumstances the leader is successful.	Charles O. Jones. 1968. Joseph G. Cannon and Howard W. Smith: an Essay on the Limits of Leadership in the House of Representatives. Journal of Politics. 30, no. 3 (August 1968): 617-46. Joseph Cooper & David Brady. 1981. "Institutional Context and Leadership Style: The House from Cannon to Rayburn." American Political Science Review. 75 (June 1981): 411-425. Tip O’Neill. 1987. Man of the House. New York: Random House. Chapter. 12.
Simulation: Individual Bills Due

10. Monday, March 4 – Working with Staff
Objective. Understand the hiring and supervision of personal staff. What are the staff’s responsibilities? To what extent are they independent agents?
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
"Recruiting and Hiring Staff." 1996. Chapter 8 in Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide. Washington: Congressional Management Foundation. (in coursepack)	Susan Web Hammond. 1994. "Congressional Staffs." In Joel H. Silbey, ed. Encyclopedia of the American Legislative System. New York: Scribners. Michael Malbin. 1979. Unelected Representatives: Congressional Staff and the Future of Representative Government. New York: Basic Books. "1996 House Staff Employment: Salary, Tenure, Demographics, and Benefits," and "Senate Staff Employment: 1995 Salaries, Tenure, Demographics, and Benefits," both guidebooks by the Congressional Management Foundation.
Simulation Staffing Exercise Due Today Guest in Class: John Raidt

11. Wednesday, March 6 -- Working with the Media
Objectives. We want students to become more familiar with the "culture" of the media, and think about ways to get messages out (or keep the wrong messages from getting out).
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
"Taking Toshiba Public." 1988. John F. Kennedy School of Government Case # 858. (in coursepack)	Timothy Cook. 1989. Making News: Media Strategies in the U.S. House of Representatives. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. (on Reserve) Timothy Cook. 1998. Governing with the News: The News Media as a Political Institution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (on Reserve)
Simulation: Before the next class, committees should meet to complete the scheduling exercise. This can become time consuming, if you are not careful. Do not work on this assignment for more than one hour. Each committee should select one person to present the schedule in class.

12. Monday, March 11 – How to do (and use) Scheduling

Objectives. Understand the fundamentals of scheduling a legislator. And from the perspective of those trying to influence legislators, come to understand tactics for getting on one’s schedule.

Required

"Strategic Scheduling." 1996. Chapter 13 in Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide. Washington: Congressional Management Foundation. (in coursepack)

Simulation:
Scheduling Exercise Due

13. Wednesday, March 13 – Political Parties
Objectives. Review the history of parties in U.S. Legislatures, focusing (in lecture) on variation among the states. Confront data about partisanship in legislatures and in the U.S. public.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Joseph Cooper & Garry Young. 1997. "Partisanship, Bipartisanship, and Crosspartisanship in Congress Since the New Deal." In Lawrence Dodd & Bruce Oppenheimer, eds., Congress Reconsidered 6^th Edition. Washington: CQ Press. (in coursepack) David King & Richard Zeckhauser. 1999. "Legislators as Negotiators." In Robert H. Mnookin & Lawrence E. Susskind, eds., Negotiating on Behalf of Others. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (in coursepack)	David W. Rohde. 1991. Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Gary W. Cox & Mathew D. McCubbins. 1993. Legislative Leviathan: Party Government in the House. Berkeley: University of California Press. Chapter 10.
Simulation: By Monday, March 18 each committee chair must provide me with a schedule of hearings.

14. Monday, March 18– Presidential - Congressional Relations
Objectives. Apply lessons to the Interest Withholding Tax case -- from the perspective of how the executive branch could/should have handled the issue.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Terry M. Moe & William G. Howell. 1999. "The Presidential Power of Unilateral Action." Journal of Law, Economics & Organization. 15:132-79. "The Johnson Treatment". Miller Center Reports (University of Virginia), Spring 2000. Kennedy School Case #1605: "Congressional Oversight and Presidential Prerogative: The 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act" (2001)	George Edwards. 1985. "Measuring Presidential Success in Congress: Alternative Approaches." Journal of Politics. 47, no. 2 (May 1985): 667-685. Doug Rivers & Nancy Rose. 1985. "Passing the President’s Program: Public Opinion and Presidential Influence in Congress." American Journal of Political Science. 29, no. 2 (May 1985): 183-196. Mark Peterson. 1990. Legislating Together. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. (on reserve)

15. Wednesday, March 20 – Simulation: Committee Hearings

Objectives. I want to see how well the committee chairs moderate discussions among committee members and between witnesses and the committee. I expect every legislator to ask a couple questions -- aimed primarily at improving the legislation. Every second counts, and the hearings are brief, so I will be paying particular attention to how time is managed.

SPRING RECESS: March 23 – March 31

16. Monday, April 1 – Gender and Legislating
Objectives. Review obstacles and opportunities for women in legislatures. Does being a woman "make a difference?"
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Sue Thomas. 1994. How Women Legislate. New York: Oxford. Chapters 1 & 2. (in coursepack) Barbara C. Burrell. 1996. A Woman’s Place is in the House. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 1996. Chapter 8. (in coursepack) Richard E. Matland & David C. King. "Women as Candidates in Congressional Elections." in Cindy Simon Rosenthal, ed., Women Transforming Congress. University of Oklahoma Press, forthcoming. (in coursepack).	Leonie Huddy. 1994. "The Political Significance of Voters’ Gender Stereotypes." In Research in Micropolitics: New Directions in Political Psychology. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Shanto Iyengar, Nicholas A. Valentino, Stephen Ansolabehere & Adam F. Simon. 1996. "The Effects of Gender Stereotypes on Women's Campaigns?" In Pippa Norris (ed.), Women, Media and Politics. New York: Oxford University Press. Kim Kahn. 1996. The Political Consequences of Being a Woman: How Stereotypes Influence the Conduct and Consequences of Political Campaigns. New York: Columbia University Press.

17. Wednesday, April 3 – Lobbying Fundamentals
Objectives. Imagine yourself a lobbyist. Knowing what you do about legislatures, what are the most effective strategies? Do you lobby your friends more than your opponents? How do you even know who your real friends are?
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Davidson & Oleszek. 2002. (a course text). Chapter 12. Ernest & Elisabeth Wittenberg. 1994. How to Win in Washington. 2nd Edition. Cambridge: Blackwell. Chapters 1 & 2. (in coursepack). "The Regulation of Mud Flaps," Kennedy School Case Study. (in coursepack; Epilogue to be handed out in class). Classroom Guest: Marla Grossman: Verner, Liipfert, McPherson & Hand.	Richard L. Hall, Frank Wayman. "Buying Time: Moneyed Interests and the Mobilization of Bias in Congressional Committees." American Political Science Review. 1990, 84:797-820. John R. Wright. 1996. Interest Groups & Congress. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Chapter 3. Richard Smith. 1984. "Advocacy, Interpretation, and Influence in the U.S. Congress." American Political Science Review 78(March 1984):44-63. Raymond A. Bauer, Ithiel de Sola Pool & Lewis Anthony Dexter. 1963. American Business and Public Policy. New York: Artherton. Passim. (on Reserve).

Class Trip: Friday April 5 – Beacon Hill meetings with Speaker Thomas Finneran and Minority Leader Francis Marini. 8:30 – Noon.

18. Monday, April 8 – Lobbying from the Inside and Out
Objectives. Observe the multiple lobbying pressures coming to bear both on staff and on key members in the "Catastrophic Health Insurance" case.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
"Catastrophic Health Insurance for the Elderly," Kennedy School Case #1278. (in coursepack)	Frank R. Baumgartner & Beth L. Leech. 1998. Basic Interests: The Importance of Groups in Politics and in Political Science. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 7. Ken Kollman. 1998. Outside Lobbying. Princeton University Press. Chapters 1-5.

19. Wednesday, April 10 – Lobbying: Successful Techniques

Objective: Hear from a leading House staffer about lobbying and learn what works, and why.

Classroom Guest: Susan Hirschmann, Chief of Staff to Thomas Delay (R-TX)

20. Monday, April 15 – Simulation: Committee Markup Sessions

Objectives: Amend committee bills and produce a report. Pay particular attention to the partisan dynamics (or lack of them) as the markups are completed.

21. Wednesday, April 17 -- Overseeing Bureaucracies
Objectives. Understand the tools (and limitations) of legislative oversight. Consider how oversight be used strategically to advance policy goals.
Required	Optional (books on reserve)
Walter Oleszek. 2001. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process. 5th Edition. Washington: CQ Press. Chapter 9. (in coursepack) "Buying the Beretta." 1988. John F. Kennedy School of Government Case 848. Parts A&B (in coursepack)	R. Douglas Arnold. 1979. Congress and the Bureaucracy. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapter 9. Barry R. Weingast & Mark J. Moran. 1983. "Bureaucratic Discretion or Congressional Control: Regulatory Policymaking by the FTC." Journal of Political Economy 91:765-800. B. Dan Wood & Richard W. Waterman. 1991. "The Dynamics of Political Control of the Bureaucracy." American Political Science Review. 85:801-28. Joel D. Aberbach. 1990. Keeping a Watchful Eye. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. (on Reserve)

22. Monday April 22 – Simulation: Election of the Speaker

Objective. Elect a speaker who will preside over the Legislative Simulation

Committee Reports Due Today

The Speaker shall select a Rules Committee, with members from each party and each committee. The committee shall meet and distribute (through the course teaching fellow) a legislative schedule for the meeting on April 24.

23. Wednesday, April 24 – The Legislature is in Session – 6pm until done

Simulation:
We will not be meeting during the regular class time.
Party Caucuses should meet to plan session strategies.

24. Monday, April 29 – Debriefing of the Simulation

25. Wednesday, May 1 -- Ethics and Advocacy

Objectives. Explore ethical consequences of individual behaviors and institutional designs. Dennis Thompson's chapter frames this discussion. We fully expect examples from the simulation to come into the discussion.

Required

Dennis Thompson. 1995. Ethics in Congress. Washington, DC: Brookings. Chapter 1. (in coursepack)

Ken Nelson. "Some Ethical Tensions I have Experienced as a Minnesota State Legislator." (in coursepack)

Simulation:
Personal Reflections Paper Due