203: I’m Just A Bill… (Civics 101)

Dear White Women

I’m just a bill, on Capitol Hill… do you remember that song, from Schoolhouse Rock? If that jogs your memory, this is the episode for you. If you’re too young to remember that song, this episode is for you. If you hate that song, this episode is for you.

Why? Because this episode is about civics - in other words, how our government functions. We’re at a pretty critical time in our country’s history. With all of what’s been in the news, through the disastrous Speaker of the House election in the House of Representatives, and in the discussions we’ve had, and will have, about Supreme Court decisions, and how where we are right now in 2023 is basically setting the stage for the crucial Presidential election of 2024 - this is a topic that we probably all should know a lot more about. Because right now, we don’t.

What to listen for:

• The current state of civic education in the US
• What the three branches of government are, and how each of them work
• A perspective on the recent Speaker of the House (of Representatives) election - one which went 15 rounds, for the first time in one hundred years
• Details like the difference between judges and justices, how long Senators and Representatives are in office for, and how a bill becomes a law
• What YOU can do to be an engaged citizen

Resources to read for more information:

Find your senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Find your representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

More specifics on the data we quoted in the episode:

https://kids-clerk.house.gov/grade-school/lesson.html

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-speaker-of-the-house-and-the-constitution

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-the-speaker-of-the-house-gets-picked

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/questions-and-answers/100q.pdf

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5288/text

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/879/text