Trace a real bill from beginning to end. Who sponsored the bill? Did it originate in the House or the Senate (sometimes that’s hard to tell, so it’s not critical that you get this part answered)? Which committees and sub-committees had jurisdiction…what happened in the rules committee…see if you can find any earmarks that were added…which interest groups or government agencies were called to testify during committee hearings? Any additional insights are welcome.
These links might be useful:
This one allows you to search various Congresses, past and present, for bills:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/LegislativeData.php?n=Browse
this one is pretty good too:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billsearch.xpd?
