Classroom guide: Citizen-led bills in NH
Description:
In this podcast episode Mike Dunbar and Anna Brown talk about five examples of New Hampshire bills put forward by regular citizens and eventually signed into law. They cover a bill to raise the marriage age, a bill to increase the penalty for repeat DUI offenders, a bill to require free period products in school bathrooms, a bill to name an official state animal, and a bill to ban trespassing chickens. Several of these bills were proposed by students.
Length:
Podcast includes 7 minutes about citizen-led bills, 3 additional minutes of "fun facts" about New Hampshire's eleven state songs.
Key concepts/standards
- How citizens can be involved in the legislative process
- SS:CV:8:2.4: Explain the legislative and political processes by which a bill becomes a law or government policy is established at the local, state, and federal levels, e.g., citizen petitions or conference committees. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, H: Individualism, Equality and Authority)
- SS:CV:8:4.1: Describe and analyze ways Americans can effectively participate in civic and political life at the local, state, and federal levels, e.g., problem solving, public engagement, or voting. (Themes: A: Conflict and Cooperation, B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, J: Human Expression and Communication)
- SS:CV:12:4.1: Demonstrate responsible practices within the political process, e.g., registering to vote or taking civic action. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement)
- SS:CV:12:4.2: Investigate how knowledgeable and engaged citizens have acted to preserve and extend their liberties, e.g., writing letters to the editor or participating in town meetings. (Themes: A: Conflict and Cooperation)
- How laws around child marriage and period products reflect changing views about women and family in society
- SS:HI:8:5.1: Analyze how societal changes have influenced the family, e.g., child labor or elderly care. (Themes: E: Cultural Development, Interaction, and Change, I: Patterns of Social and Political Interaction)
- SS:CV:12:1.3: Evaluate how the purposes of government have been interpreted , e.g., promoting the general welfare or protection of private property. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, D: Material Wants and Needs)
- SS:HI:12:5.2: Evaluate the changing roles of gender in society, e.g., the ideal of “Republican Motherhood” or Title IX. (Themes: E: Cultural Development, Interaction, and Change, H: Individualism, Equality and Authority, I: Patterns of Social and Political Interaction)
Discussion questions
- If you were to introduce a new bill into the NH Legislature, what would it be? Do you think it would pass? Why or why not?
- What did you think of the bills discussed in this episode? Would you have voted for them if you were an elected official?
- Why is it important for regular citizens to be involved in the legislative process if we already have democratically-elected leaders?
- What are some ways you could get involved in the legislative process?
- Describe the process through which a New Hampshire bill becomes law.
