To learn how to be an effective legislator, you can go with your gut and see what happens, or you can see what experienced legislators have to offer in terms of advice for neophytes. This 'how to' book was written by a former US Senator. 

We will have writing assignments that ask you to make specific connections between the readings and your own activities in the simulation. The stronger these connections, the higher your grade!

Federalist #51
Why is lawmaking so difficult? James Madison says that we should want it to be difficult.

U.S. Constitution
What is Congress' role, compared to the executive and courts? What are the powers of Congress? What does the Constitution say about the structure of Congress or how it will make the law? Does the Constitution specifically limit Congress' authority?

Evolution of Congress
The Constitution left a lot of things to be decided, and offered room for interpretation. How has Congress developed since 1798, and what seems to account for these developments? What does this evolution say about the Congress of today?

Components of Representation
House Members in their Districts
Every legislator builds a portfolio of activities that say something about his/her qualities as a representative. What types of activities might this portfolio include? Will there be difficult choices, and if so, what are the options? Do legislators have leeway to pursue their own goals,  or must they simply toe the district line in order to get reelected?
Breakdown of the 111th Congress

Political Geography of Health care coverage
I thought this was interesting. Adults and children in 'McCain won' (Republican) states were less likely to have health care coverage. However, the uninsured tended to be located in the Democratic held congressional districts in those states. In the House we wouldn't expect much support from Republicans because their constituents would be the main beneficiaries. But what about senators? Would a Republican senator from such a state be more likely to support reform, or would s/he be primarily responsive to Republican voters (electoral constituency) rather than the state as a whole (geographic constituency)? 

Congressional Voters
Jacobson and Dimock
As an elected official, what do you need to know about your constituents? Whose support do you need to win reelection? Who votes? What considerations influence their voting decisions? How should this information affect your behavior and strategy in the coming term?

Party Leadership
What do congressional leaders do and how do they do it?

The Numbers Racket
Political arguments revolve around what people believe to be true. What people believe to be true often isn't. A journalist sheds light on the malleability of official statistics.    

A Sugar Tax?
We might debate this as our first issue, unless the class comes up with a better one?

The Statesman (Bono)
A really nice essay about lobbying.  What can you take away if you aren't Bono?

Coalition Strategies
This may overlap with the Graham book, but I like it for identifying three central strategies for how to build support for a legislative idea.

Voting Decisions
Votes are often easy to cast, but sometimes they raise conflicting considerations for a lawmaker. How do lawmakers decide how to vote,  including balancing competing  goals.  This study  is based on detailed interviews with lawmakers. It's dated, but is anything different today?