 Astonishing fast fact:
Only one in three Americans can name their members of Congress.
—from “Understanding Congress” |
Nuts and bolts
The Center on Congress is housed on the third floor of the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs on the Bloomington campus. Address: Center on Congress, SPEA 320, Bloomington, IN 47405; Phone: 812-856-4706; E-mail: congress@indiana.edu;
Web site:
http://congress.indiana.edu
The problem
Surveys show that many Americans believe the work of Congress has no relevance to their lives, that many top high school students cannot list basic functions of government and that people have become so disillusioned with the political system that they have simply given up on it.
The mission
When U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) retired from Congress in January 1999, he accepted the directorship of the newly created non-partisan Center on Congress at Indiana University. An IU School of Law-Bloomington alumnus, Hamilton was determined to help improve public understanding of Congress and to promote greater civic engagement, especially among young people, as a way to strengthen basic institutions of government. Hamilton was the leadoff speaker at the second annual Congressional Conference on Civic Education in Washington, D.C. in December. More than 350 delegates participated in the three-day conference, which brought together key education policy activists from all 50 states, members of the judiciary and state legislators, and representatives of professional and civic organizations to share strategies for strengthening civic education at the state and local levels. A transcript of his remarks are online at the “Director’s Corner” link.
Resources
The Web site provides students, teachers and citizens with numerous opportunities to learn about Congress, including interactive activities, videos, articles and commentary, Q&As and links to other sources. Two-minute radio spots, called “Congressional Moments,” cover such topics as disaster relief, child labor, immigration reform, Title IX and environmental protection.
The latest
Understanding Congress: A Citizen’s Guide is a new booklet produced under the auspices of the Alliance for Representative Democracy: The Center on Congress, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Civic Education. According to Ted Carmines, research director at the Center on Congress, copies of the informational booklet are now available through the center. (See contact information at left.)
Fast fact: Spending
The four biggest areas of congressional spending (as percentage of total spending):
• Social security: 21 percent
• National defense: 18 percent
• Medicare: 12 percent
• Interest payments on the national debt: 9 percent—from Understanding Congress
Web sites to check:
U.S. Senate:
http://www.senate.gov
U.S. House of Representatives:
http://www.house.gov
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