Assignment:
STATE OF TEXAS
Complete Policy Advocacy Challenge in Jansson. Read the background information then spend some time getting acquainted with THOMAS.
Select a topic of interest to you, and search for bills or laws on that topic (i.e., healthcare, welfare, children).
Next, using the search engines we discussed in Chapter One (LISTED BELOW), find your state's homepage, and then find your state legislature's website. If the website allows for searching introduced and passed legislation, repeat the search you did in THOMAS.
HINT: You are looking for a general topic first, then bills at each level. Do not try to look up a specific bill both places because that does not exist since you are comparing state and federal legislation. There may be similarities but they won't be identical. Make sure to pick one specific bill at each level and answer the questions below regarding each specific bill.
ASSIGNMENT: (SELECT A TOPIC UP ABOVE). ANSWER QUESITONS 1-3.
1. Compare the results of your searches-
A) How are the bills or laws similar?
B) Do they address the same or similar problems?
C )How is the state's approach different from the federal, and vice versa?
2. Who introduced or sponsored each piece of legislation?
Find their homepage and compare their legislative agendas.
3. From your perspective, is the solution to the problem addressed in the legislation a good solution or a poor solution?
Critique each piece of legislation as if you were a member of the state legislature faced with voting on that piece of legislation