US bill (The Student Disciplinary act of 2015)
Running head: SHORTENED VERSION OF YOUR TITLE (No more than 50 characters) 1
Original Title of Paper (Include Bill #)
Your Name
San Francisco State University
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Same Title as First Page
In this section of your paper, you will introduce the bill. Start off by stating the name and
number of the bill. Is this a California bill? If so, was it introduced in the California Senate or
the Assembly? Who sponsored the bill (i.e., who introduced the bill to the Senate or
Assembly?); you do not need to list all of the co-sponsors. Or is this a federal bill? If so, was it
introduced in the Senate or the House of Representatives? Who sponsored the bill (i.e., who
introduced the bill to the Senate or Assembly?); you do not need to list all of the co-sponsors.
What is/are the goal(s) of the bill? In other words, what does the bill hope to accomplish?
Remember that a goal is a desired result (e.g., reduce crime rates; increase graduation rates).
Your answer to this question should be something that could be measurable in the future. Next,
briefly describe how the bill plans to accomplish its goal(s). What proposed policy changes does
the bill describe?
End this section by describing the bill’s status in the legislative process (I suggest
reviewing the lecture notes for the “Policy Making Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law”). For
California Bills, look at the “History” tab on the website. For federal bills, look at the “Action”
tab on the website. Did the bill become a law? If so, when was the final step for approval taken?
If not, what was the last action taken? Is there any chance for the bill to become a law in the
future? Look up the name of the bill (not the number) in the search bar of the website to see
whether it has been re-introduced in more recent years. If so, what is the most recent status?
Throughout this section, do not use direct quotes from the bill. I am assessing YOUR
understanding of the bill, so you should use your own words throughout. However, you should
cite the bill using the following format: Senate Bill XXX (2015) or (S. XXX, 2015); House of
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Representatives Bill XXX (2015) or (H.R. XXX, 2015); California Senate Bill XXX (2015) or
(CA S. XXX, 2015); California Assembly Bill XXX (2015) or (CA AB XXX, 2015). Example:
“Senate Bill 1033 (2015) would change the way welfare is calculated” or "Opponents of the bill
(S. 1033, 2015) include homeowners' associations, and labor unions.
Bill Analysis
*Make sure to cite Kraft and Furlong (2018) in this section!
Effectiveness
In this section, you will evaluate whether you think the bill appears to be effective.
Remember effectiveness asks whether the policy is likely to work (i.e., if it became a law, would
it meet its goals?). Restate the goal(s) of the bill. List reasons the goal is likely to be
accomplished through this bill. Why do you think the bill would be successful? List reasons the
goal is unlikely to be accomplished through this bill. What are some barriers to the bill being
successful?
Efficiency
In this section, you will evaluate whether you think the bill appears to be efficient.
Remember efficiency asks whether the policy is worth the effort (i.e., if it became a law, would
the benefits that result from it be worth the cost?). What are the benefits of this bill? Who
receives these benefits? Make sure to think of as many parties as possible who will be positively
affected.
What are the costs of this bill? Who pays these costs? Make sure to think of as many
parties as possible who will have to pay a cost. The word “cost” is flexible here: it can refer to
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monetary costs or costs in time, effort, and other disadvantages. I do not expect you to know
exactly how much money a policy change would cost.
Equity
In this section, you will evaluate whether you think the bill appears to be equitable.
Remember equity asks whether the policy is fair and just (i.e., if it became a law, would it benefit
everybody equally? Would it benefit those who need more help?). Remember there are two
views of how to define equity or fairness: Process equity and end-result equity. Process equity
asks whether everyone will have equal access to the benefits of this policy. End-result equity
asks whether this policy helps to ensure that resources will be more fairly distributed in the end.
Conclusion
In this section, you will come to a final conclusion regarding your analysis of your
chosen bill along the three evaluative criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, and equity. Go through
each criterion and state your final conclusion. Do you think your bill is effective? Why or why
not? Do you think your bill is efficient? Why or why not? Do you think your bill is equitable?
Why or why not?
(References page go at the top of the following page, even if you have empty space here)
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References
In this section, you will need to list two sources: Kraft and Furlong (2018), which is a book, and
your chosen bill. Below are examples of how to format a reference for a book, and a federal bill.
Belcher, W., & Sanchez, R. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to
academic publishing success (2nd edition). University of Chicago Press. [Note – all the
information you need is found on the first page of any of the Kraft and Furlong PDFs.]
H.R. 3507--113th Congress: 21st Century Care for Military and Veterans Act. (2013). In
www.GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 18, 2019, from
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/ [Note - this is an example so you will need
to replace the bill number, name, date and website with information from your bill.]