Created by Angela Zorn @kyteacher

INTEREST GROUPS

ESSENTIAL STANDARD

LEARNING TARGET

HS.C.PR.2 Analyze the role of elections, bureaucracy, political parties, interest groups and media in shaping public policy.

We will evaluate how citizen beliefs about government are shaped by the intersection of demographics, political culture, and dynamic social change.

LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS

INTEREST GROUP

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT INTEREST GROUPS FROM OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES?

FEDERALIST #10

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MODELS OF DEMOCRACY

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON STRATEGY USED BY INTEREST GROUPS IN ORDER TO INFLUENCE POLICY MAKING IN THE U.S.?

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United States Chamber of Commerce�AFL-CIO�National Rifle Association�American Civil Liberties Union�AARP�NAACP�National Education Association�Sierra Club�American Medical Association�American Farm Bureau Federation�National Association of Realtors�Planned Parenthood Action Fund

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THE CONSUMER MOVEMENT

• Throughout our history, consumers have worked to hold manufacturers accountable for making products that are safe for consumption & use.
• In 1962, President Kennedy gave a speech in which he listed what would become known as the Consumer Bill of Rights
• These included the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, & the right be heard
• Led to the formation of the Consumer Federation of America in 1968 & the establishment of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1972
• Ralph Nader has been the movement’s chief advocate since the 1960s

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Directions: Use the text box to answer the following question.

• What did President Kennedy introduce in a 1962 speech?
• What policy changes resulted from his suggestion?

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

• Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, criticizing the use of pesticides & insecticides.
• Sparked the modern environmental movement & the rise of organizations like the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, & the Audubon Society
• Led Congress to pass the Clean Air Act in 1963 & the Clean Water Act in 1964
• Congress also created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970
• The Superfund was created in 1980 to tax chemical & petroleum companies & put the revenue in a trust fund for cleaning up environmental disasters

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following questions:

• What book lead to the beginning of the modern environmental movement?
• What policy changes were enacted as a result?

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

The Superfund law, formally known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA),... was signed into law by President Carter on December 11, 1980. Among other provisions, the law:

• Required EPA to create a list of at least 400 ‘top priority’ hazardous waste sites for cleanup;
• Created a $1.6 billion fund for hazardous substance cleanup, of which 86% would come from taxes assessed on chemical companies producing one or more of 45 listed substances;
• Specified that the “Superfund” would pay for 90% of cleanup operation and maintenance costs at waste sites (the state paying the other 10%), loss of natural resources, and health studies for victims;
• Authorized the President to order emergency cleanups and removals of hazardous substances;
• Applied the law to a broad spectrum of toxic releases including “any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing” of a toxic substance into the environment;
• Required companies with hazardous waste disposal sites to disclose the location and any releases to the government or face penalties; and
• Imposed fines on facilities that failed to immediately notify federal agencies of hazardous substance releases or that falsified or destroyed required records.”

Read the information, and then DRAG & DROP the corresponding # to the answer in the text.

BENEFITS OF INTEREST GROUPS

COSTS OF INTEREST GROUPS

INTEREST GROUPS

DO YOU THINK INTEREST GROUPS DESERVE A PLACE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT?

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TEST YOURSELF

Which of the following scenarios is an example of how an interest group can act as a linkage institution?

1. The National Rifle Association sends out a list of candidates seeking to be elected to positions within the organization

• American Beverage Association hosts a wine tasting event for its new members

• The AARP sends out subscription renewal notices that include membership benefits

• March for Our Lives conducts a letter-writing campaign to key members of Congress to gain their support for gun control legislation

TEST YOURSELF

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a way in which an interest group can influence policymaking?

• The president’s reelection committee polls the American public to determine whether they have the support they need to win.

• League of Women Voters publishes a pamphlet that includes the policy positions of all candidates running for the presidency.

• The Department of Transportation issues a new rule about speed limits on national highways after the president signs a bill into law.

• The United Auto Workers encourage their members to reach out to their representatives to support a jobs bill.

TEST YOURSELF

• Not all interest groups have the same economic resources, giving some groups more access to decision makers.

• Despite not all interest groups having the same access, no interest group dominates political discussions.

The data in the table best illustrate which of the following common criticisms of the role of interest groups in politics?

• Interest groups have no accountability to the people, even though they have significant influence in politics.

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• Elite professionals who do not care about the needs of the common American staff interest groups.

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CAMPAIGN SPENDING

• In 1971, Congress passed the Federal Elections Campaign Act to regulate the raising & spending of money in federal elections.
• Led to the creation of the Federal Elections Commission in 1974
• Established limits on how much money a person can give to a political candidate
• Also set limits on how much money a candidate can spend on their own campaign
• SCOTUS ruled that this restriction violated the First Amendment in Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

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CAMPAIGN SPENDING

Learn more about the FEC.

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following questions:

• What limits did the Federal Elections Campaign Act set on electioneering in in 1971?
• What change did the Buckley v. Valeo decision require? Why?

CAMPAIGN SPENDING

POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES

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CAMPAIGN SPENDING

WHAT REFORMS DID THE BIPARTISAN CAMPAIGN REFORM ACT MAKE TO THIS SYSTEM IN 2002?

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WHAT IS HARD MONEY?

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WHAT IS SOFT MONEY?

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WHAT ADDITIONAL CHANGES WERE BROUGHT ABOUT IN 2010 AS A RESULT OF THE CITIZENS UNITED V. FEC DECISION?

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• Following the Citizens United Decision in 2010, additional funding sources began to emerge.
• Super PACs: Known as independent expenditure-only committees
• Can raise & spend unlimited sums of money to run ads or send mail advocating for the election or defeat of individual candidates
• Cannot give money directly to candidates or parties
• Cannot coordinate their efforts with a specific candidate or political party
• Dark Money Groups: Refers to money raised from undisclosed sources
• Politically active non-profit organizations such as 501(c) groups are not legally required to disclose their donors
• These groups have spent roughly $1 billion since 2010

CAMPAIGN SPENDING

Learn more about PACs.

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following questions:

• How does a Super PAC differ from a PAC?
• What is Dark Money?