Worksheet

A Bill's Journey from the Park Bulletin

Grade 4 civics practice tracing a proposed bill from introduction and committee review through congressional votes and presidential action.

Grade 4Social StudiesInteractive · Printable

Aligned toCIV.4.3

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1 C3 Framework standard
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14 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Social Studies
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students explain the main steps of how a bill becomes a law.
Students use evidence to sequence congressional review, votes, and presidential action.

How to use

Read the park bulletin letter together, then have students use its details to sequence, classify, and explain the steps in the lawmaking process.

Curriculum

C3 Framework standard covered

CIV.4.3

Explain the main steps of how a bill becomes a law.

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Name Date

A Bill's Journey from the Park Bulletin

Follow a proposed law through Congress and presidential action.

Read the park bulletin

Read Rina's letter about a fictional bill. Then answer the questions.

A Note for the Park Bulletin

Dear neighbors, Last Saturday, I helped set up a display at Maple Lantern Park's Civic Day. The display followed a fictional Community Green Space Support Bill. The bill would help communities improve public parks. I learned that a bill is a proposed law, not a law yet. An idea for a bill may come from people who share a concern with a member of Congress. The member writes the idea as a bill and introduces it in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

After introduction, the bill goes to a committee. A committee is a smaller group of members of one chamber of Congress. Committee members study the bill's details. They may hold a hearing, ask questions, and listen to information from people with different experiences. The committee may suggest changes. If it sends the bill forward, the full chamber debates it and votes. If more members vote yes than no, that chamber has passed its version.

The bill then goes to the other chamber. Its committee may study the bill, and the full chamber debates and votes on it. The second chamber may make changes. If the House and Senate pass different wording, lawmakers from both chambers work out one version. Both chambers must approve the same wording before the bill can go to the president.

The president can sign the bill, and then it becomes a law. The president can also veto it. A veto means the president rejects the bill. A vetoed bill can still become law if two-thirds of the members voting in both the House and the Senate vote to override the veto. The display helped me see that a bill must move through several steps instead of becoming a law after one vote. Sincerely, Rina Patel

Which event formally puts a proposed bill before Congress?

A. A committee holds its first hearing.
B. A member introduces the bill in the House or Senate.
C. The president signs the bill.
D. The two chambers compare their versions.

Why does a bill go to a committee before the full chamber debates it?

A. The committee chooses which president will sign it.
B. The committee decides which park should be built.
C. Members can examine details and hear information before deciding.
D. Members can skip the vote in the other chamber.

Word bank: vote · sign · veto · override

After a committee sends a bill forward, the full chamber may debate and on it.

Underline the two sentences that support the claim that both chambers must agree before the president acts.

A citizen can share an idea with a member of Congress.If the two chambers make different versions, lawmakers compare them and work out one version.A committee can ask questions at a hearing.Both chambers must approve the same wording before the bill goes to the president.

Follow the steps

Use the letter to put events in order and think about what happens next.

Put these early steps in order. Sort each step into the correct place.

The other chamber studies, debates, and votes on the bill.A member of Congress introduces the proposed bill.A committee studies the bill and may hold a hearing.The first chamber debates and votes on the bill.

1. First	2. Next	3. Then	4. After that

The House and Senate have passed different wording for the same bill. What should happen next?

A. The president chooses which wording to use.
B. The first committee sends its wording straight to the president.
C. One chamber votes again, and the other chamber is left out.
D. Lawmakers work out one version, and both chambers vote on that text.

Why can the president not act on a bill after only one chamber has passed it?

A. The president receives it only after both chambers approve identical wording.
B. The president is a member of the committee that studies every bill.
C. A committee makes the final decision for both chambers.
D. A bill can skip the other chamber when its topic concerns parks.

Word bank: introduce · debate · override · sign

If the president vetoes a bill, two-thirds of both chambers may the veto.

Sort each action by the group that does it in the letter.

A member introduces a bill.A committee holds a hearing.The House and Senate approve the same wording.The bill is signed or vetoed.

Congress	President

Apply what you learned

Use the process in the letter to reason about new situations.

10.

A committee decides not to send a bill forward. Based on the letter, what happens at that point?

A. The president vetoes it automatically.
B. The bill pauses before full-chamber debate and a vote.
C. The Senate rewrites it into a law.
D. Citizens vote on it at the park.

11.

Underline the two paths that can make the bill a law according to Rina's letter.

The president signs a bill after both chambers approve the same wording.The president vetoes it, and one chamber votes to override the veto.Both chambers vote by two-thirds to override a presidential veto.The committee approves it and sends it directly to the president.

12.

Which sentence best states the main idea of Rina's letter?