Subscribe

9th grade · Social Studies · Unit 9 of 10

How Laws Are Made

Bills, vetoes and kinds of laws

What your child practices

Practices how a bill becomes a law in Congress and in the Minnesota Legislature, committees, vetoes and overrides, regulations, the kinds of laws, and how citizens influence lawmaking.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 9.1.4.6; 9.1.4.2 · how laws are made, and the kinds of laws

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. After a bill is introduced it goes to a committee; the chair decides which bills it considers.
  2. Lawmakers represent constituents, who can testify with facts and experience. Minnesota has no citizen ballot initiative.
  3. If people disagree about what a law means, the courts interpret it.

Example: After a bill is introduced, where does it usually go first? Lawmakers can’t study every bill together. Small groups study bills first. Answer: a committee

How Laws Are Made in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 9 of 10 in 9th grade Social Studies, after Elections & Voting and before Supply & Demand.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Unlike some states, Minnesota does not let citizens pass laws directly by…

    • ballot initiative
    • testifying at hearings
    • voting for legislators
    • writing to the governor

  2. Question 2

    What is lobbying?

    • Counting votes
    • Running a court
    • Printing money
    • Trying to influence lawmakers' decisions

  3. Question 3

    Who interprets a law if people disagree about what it means?

    • The courts
    • Lobbyists
    • Newspapers
    • The voters

  4. Question 4

    How many votes does a bill need to pass the US Senate, usually?

    • All 100
    • A simple majority (51 of 100)
    • Two-thirds
    • 10

  5. Question 5

    What is a sponsor of a bill?

    • The lawmaker who introduces it
    • The judge who rules on it
    • A voter
    • A company that pays for it

  6. Question 6

    Why do lawmakers compromise?

    • Compromise is illegal
    • It's never needed
    • Bills need majorities, so they must win support from people with different views
    • One person passes all laws

More 9th grade