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I'm Just a Bill (Schoolhouse Rock!)

Name: I'm Just a Bill (Schoolhouse Rock!)
Description: The Schoolhouse Rock! cartoon song 'I'm Just a Bill', in which a bill explains how it travels through Congress to become law.

TheGreatWorker

Music

YouTube

1 HN user recommended this music video1 month2013–2024 score 1.5

Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

Cited as a classic, catchy explainer of the US legislative process, and half-jokingly as many people's whole civics education.

The Schoolhouse Rock! cartoon song 'I'm Just a Bill', in which a bill explains how it travels through Congress to become law.

“One of the best School House Rocks videos ever is "I'm Just a Bill.” (HN, 2013)

1 strong recommendations · 1 citations · 1 jokes · Music

US politics & elections Education & learning Music Politics, History & Society

3 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@adestefan Jul 2013 Strongly recommends

on HN thread White House Seems Afraid NSA Defunding Law Could Actually Pass Today

One of the best School House Rocks videos ever is "I'm Just a Bill." [this video] There are two things missing: 1. Congress can override a Presidential veto with a vote a two-thirds majority in the both chambers. 2. The President can also let a Bill sit for 11 or 12 days (it's really 10, but Sundays don't count.) At that point it becomes law without the President's signature.

Classic explainer of how a bill becomes law

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Citations, criticism and jokes

@ooterness May 2024 Cites it

on HN thread The government is making it more difficult to track private aircraft travel

A "law" has been finalized, passed by both halves of Congress, and ratified. A "bill" is an incomplete proposal at any stage of this process. There is a catchy song [1] to help everyone remember this. A bill is the same as a pull request that has not yet been merged. So the statement, "The U.S. [has] yet to pass even a basic internet-era privacy law..." is correct. In other words: The American Privacy Rights Act is just a bill, yes it's only a bill, and it's sitting there on Capitol Hill... [1] [this video]

Catchy song distinguishing a bill from a law

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@doug1001 Feb 2013 Makes a joke

on HN thread You cannot have a digital copy of the DC Code

disclaimer: my understanding of the legislative process is based entirely on Schoolhouse Rock's "I'm Just a Bill" ( [this video] ). so a citizen's access to a particular DC statute is impossible without that citizen infringing a copyright? I wonder if circumstances such as these would constitute "fair use" (which as i understand it is a valid defense to copyright infringement). also, i'm aware that doing things that would otherwise constitute intellectual property infringement, can be justified by the "Essential Facilities" doctrine--originally an Anti-Trust safe harbor, though it's also been applied to IP. This seems to apply here.

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