Understanding Lawmaking Through Creative Parodies

The process of how a bill becomes a law has been parodied in popular culture, including in the long-running educational TV series Schoolhouse Rock!, which featured a song about the topic in 1976. The segment, titled I'm Just a Bill, has been referenced and parodied in TV shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, Johnny Bravo, and Saturday Night Live, as well as in other media.

I'm Just a Bill

"I'm Just a Bill" is a 1976 Schoolhouse Rock! segment featuring a song of the same title written by Dave Frishberg. The song is about how a bill becomes a law, and it is represented in popular culture more than most parts of the educational series.

The song follows the journey of a bill that proposes school buses must stop at railroad crossings. In the song, the bill goes through Congress and is eventually passed, but in reality, such a bill has never been approved by the US Congress.

The song was sung by Jack Sheldon, with dialogue by Sheldon's son, John, as the boy learning about the process. It has been referenced and parodied numerous times in popular culture, including:

• In an episode of The Simpsons, "The Day the Violence Died", Krusty the Clown presents "I'm an Amendment to Be", depicting a Constitutional amendment's attempt to ban flag burning.
• In an episode of Family Guy, "Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington", an anthropomorphic legal bill sings on the steps of the US Capitol Building until he is stabbed and stuffed into a garbage bag.
• In an episode of Johnny Bravo, "Red Faced in the White House", Johnny sees Bill sitting on the steps of the Capitol, but the bill is rejected and destroyed by a man with a flamethrower.
• In an episode of Saturday Night Live, the sketch "How a Bill Does Not Become a Law" parodies the song, with Barack Obama pushing the bill down the Capitol steps, critiquing his frequent use of executive orders.
• In an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, an animated parody titled "I'm Just a Lie" satirizes the Trump administration's use of "alternative facts".
• In an episode of Black-ish, an animated parody titled "I'm Just a Slave" includes music performed by Aloe Blacc.
• In an editorial cartoon by syndicated cartoonist Greg Kearney, the character Bill is used to address the issue of the Kansas state legislature's anonymous introduction of legislation.
• In an episode of Animaniacs, Dot Warner throws the Bill into a printing press while singing about First Ladies.

The song has also been covered and referenced in other media, including a commercial for the now-defunct retail store Mervyn's and the film Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde.

The Simpsons parody

The Simpsons parodied the process of a bill becoming a law in the episode "The Day the Violence Died", which first aired in 1996. In the episode, Krusty the Clown presents "I'm an Amendment to Be", a parody of the 1970s Schoolhouse Rock! educational song "I'm Just a Bill". The parody depicts a constitutional amendment's attempt to ban flag burning.

The episode also features a cartoon called "Amendment To Be", which opens with a similar shot from "I'm Just a Bill", but this time it is a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw flag burning sitting on the steps of the Capitol. A child asks why a law can't be made against flag burning, to which the amendment responds:

> "Because that law would be unconstitutional. But if we changed the Constitution..."

The child then counters:

> "Then we could make all sorts of crazy laws."

The amendment goes on to say that if people are opposed to its insertion, it will crush all opposition, including Ted Kennedy, and expose that he's gay if he tries to fight back. Luckily, the amendment is ratified by a congressman.

In another episode, "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington", Krusty is elected to Congress and eventually has a bill passed to change a flight path over the Simpsons' home. With the help of Walter Mondale, a janitor in Congress, Bart blackmails a key congressman, and Homer gets another congressman drunk. During a session in Congress, Mondale and Lisa, with a drunken diversion from Homer, fix the Air Traffic Bill with a paperclip to another bill giving orphans American flags. When the bill comes up for a vote, both the blackmailed congressman and the drunk one consent, and it is passed.

Family Guy parody

The "I'm Just a Bill" sketch from Schoolhouse Rock! has been parodied in several TV shows, including Family Guy. In the episode "Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington", the anthropomorphic Bill sings "They Call Me Bill" on the steps of the US Capitol Building until he is stabbed and stuffed into a garbage bag by a street sweeper. Jack Sheldon, who voiced the original Bill, reprised his role for the Family Guy parody.

In the original "I'm Just a Bill" sketch, a boy learns about how a bill becomes a law from a bill itself, which is sung by Jack Sheldon. The bill explains that it must go through Congress and can be vetoed. In the Family Guy parody, the Bill sings:

> Yes, they call me Bill

>

> And I'm standing here on Capital...ooohhhh

Before being picked up by the street sweeper, the Bill screams as it is stabbed with a sharp, pointed stick.

In another episode of Family Guy, "Shanksgiving", Peter tries to join a skinhead gang for his safety and psyches himself up to shiv Cleveland by blaming him for the Bill becoming a law.

Johnny Bravo parody

In the animated comedy series Johnny Bravo, the episode "Red Faced in the White House" (1997) parodies the process of how a bill becomes a law.

In the episode, Johnny walks past the United States Capitol and sees Bill sitting on the steps, just like in the Schoolhouse Rock segment "I'm Just a Bill". However, instead of becoming a law, the bill is rejected, and a man comes out and destroys it with a flamethrower. This parodies the reality of the law-making process, where not all bills are accepted and turned into laws.

In the world of Johnny Bravo, the bill's journey could have begun with an idea from a representative or citizen, or even during an election campaign. The bill would then need a sponsor and the support of other representatives before being introduced and assigned a number. It would go through committees for review, research, and revisions before being voted on. If it passed the House, it would then go through a similar process in the Senate. If both chambers voted to accept the bill, they would need to work out any differences and vote on the same version. Finally, the bill would be presented to the President for approval.

However, in the episode, the bill never makes it past the first step of being introduced and voted on, highlighting the challenges and potential setbacks a bill can face on its journey to becoming a law.

Saturday Night Live parody

In the November 22, 2014 episode of Saturday Night Live, the show parodied the Schoolhouse Rock! segment "I'm Just a Bill" in its cold open sketch titled "How a Bill Does Not Become a Law". Kenan Thompson played the role of an immigration bill, singing a slightly altered version of the song to Kyle Mooney's character, a young boy. However, President Barack Obama, played by Jay Pharoah, pushes the bill down the Capitol Hill steps several times, explaining to the boy that it is much easier to use an executive order, played by Bobby Moynihan. The sketch was a critique of Obama's frequent use of executive orders during his term.

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