The Pennsylvania legislative process is lengthy, and passing any particular idea for a law is difficult. As a part of your work in the lobbying firm, provide your clients with a memo describing how your group will affect the future of the proposed bill as it makes its way through Pennsylvania General Assembly. If your group is in favor of lowering the drinking age, you’ll look for ways to help the bill along at each stage. If your group is against lowering the drinking age, you will look for ways and places to kill the bill. In your memo, describe specific steps you would take, and demonstrate an understanding of how a law gets passed. Your memo should trace the steps a proposed bill will take as it moves through the committees and chambers of the house and senate.
When finished, type your memo in word and post it as a file in your wiki page. You will also need to print a hard copy to be turned in to Mr. Brinling.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
How are laws made? Lowering the Drinking Age, a collaborative project
How are laws made?
There are two general areas of law: civil and criminal. Most of the laws that affect your life and mine are made at the state level. In this project, we will look at the process in Pennsylvania; and examine a potential change in state law.
Collaborative Project: Lowering the Drinking Age.
You and the members of your group are part of a lobbying firm who has been hired to express their views on a potential piece of legislation.
Some state senators are considering lowering the state drinking age to 18. Backed by Restaurant Groups and some University Presidents, they argue lowering the drinking would decriminalize behavior that is detrimental to students and generate lost revenue for restaurants and bars due to the smoking ban.
Opponents like M.A.D.D argue this would result in more traffic deaths due to alcohol impaired driving, and some University Presidents counter decriminalization would lead to even more reckless behavior.
The job of your group will be to research for information supporting its claims. You will post this information on a wiki page at www.currentevents001.wikispaces.com (002 for second period). Your material must be representative of the facts and point of view of your client. The material should be well organized, with transitions so outsiders can read the research. Your group will then compose a letter addressed to our State Representative John Evans expressing and detailing your client’s position. Finally, your group will present its views to the class, in a presentation.
We will use the 60 Minutes investigation “The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age - CBS News” as a beginning for the discussion.
There are two general areas of law: civil and criminal. Most of the laws that affect your life and mine are made at the state level. In this project, we will look at the process in Pennsylvania; and examine a potential change in state law.
Collaborative Project: Lowering the Drinking Age.
You and the members of your group are part of a lobbying firm who has been hired to express their views on a potential piece of legislation.
Some state senators are considering lowering the state drinking age to 18. Backed by Restaurant Groups and some University Presidents, they argue lowering the drinking would decriminalize behavior that is detrimental to students and generate lost revenue for restaurants and bars due to the smoking ban.
Opponents like M.A.D.D argue this would result in more traffic deaths due to alcohol impaired driving, and some University Presidents counter decriminalization would lead to even more reckless behavior.
The job of your group will be to research for information supporting its claims. You will post this information on a wiki page at www.currentevents001.wikispaces.com (002 for second period). Your material must be representative of the facts and point of view of your client. The material should be well organized, with transitions so outsiders can read the research. Your group will then compose a letter addressed to our State Representative John Evans expressing and detailing your client’s position. Finally, your group will present its views to the class, in a presentation.
We will use the 60 Minutes investigation “The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age - CBS News” as a beginning for the discussion.
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