The Branches · Beginner · 8 min
The Three Branches of Government
A plain-English course on the three branches of the U.S. government — legislative, executive, and judicial — how separation of powers works, and how checks and balances keep any one branch from dominating.
Congress · Beginner · 9 min
How a Bill Becomes a Law
A step-by-step course on how a bill becomes a federal law in the United States — introduction, committee, floor votes, reconciling House and Senate versions, and the President’s signature or veto — in plain English.
Congress · Intermediate · 8 min
Reading a Bill Without Losing Your Mind
A practical course on reading U.S. congressional bills: how to skip the boilerplate, find the operative sections, decode legal verbs like "shall" and "is amended," and spot the sunset clauses and effective dates that decide when a law actually bites.
The Constitution · Beginner · 8 min
A Tour of the Constitution
A plain-language course on the U.S. Constitution: what each of the seven articles does, how the Bill of Rights and later amendments expanded it, and why a 1787 document still decides modern legal fights.
Advocacy · Intermediate · 7 min
Writing Effective Outreach to Congress
A practical course on contacting your members of Congress so your message actually lands: how staffers triage constituent mail, what to say, which bill details to include, and the common mistakes that get a message logged and ignored.
Elections · Intermediate · 8 min
The Electoral College, Explained
A plain-English course on the Electoral College: how 538 electors choose the President, why states use winner-take-all, how a candidate can lose the popular vote and still win, and the reform proposals on the table.
Congress · Intermediate · 7 min
The Filibuster, Explained
A plain-English course on the U.S. Senate filibuster: what it is, how the 60-vote cloture rule works, the “nuclear option,” what budget reconciliation can bypass, and why the filibuster decides which bills can pass.
The Budget · Intermediate · 9 min
How the Federal Budget Works
A plain-English course on the U.S. federal budget: authorization vs. appropriations, the fiscal year and the twelve spending bills, continuing resolutions, government shutdowns, mandatory vs. discretionary spending, and the debt ceiling.
The Constitution · Beginner · 8 min
The First Amendment, Explained
A plain-English course on the First Amendment: the five freedoms it protects — religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition — what counts as protected speech, the limits the courts recognize, and the common myth about what “free speech” requires.
The Constitution · Beginner · 8 min
The Bill of Rights, Explained
A plain-English walkthrough of the Bill of Rights — the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution — what each one protects, why they were added, and how they came to apply to state governments too.
The Courts · Intermediate · 8 min
How the Supreme Court Works
A plain-English course on the U.S. Supreme Court: who the nine justices are and how they’re appointed, how cases reach the Court, what a writ of certiorari and the “rule of four” mean, and how majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions shape the law.
Federal vs. State · Intermediate · 7 min
Federalism, Explained
A plain-English course on federalism — how power is divided between the national government and the states, what enumerated, reserved, and concurrent powers are, how the supremacy clause settles conflicts, and why so many political fights are really about who decides.
Elections · Beginner · 6 min
How to Register to Vote
A plain-English guide to registering to vote in the United States: who is eligible, the three main ways to register, how registration deadlines and rules vary by state, how to check or update your registration, and what to bring.
Elections · Intermediate · 7 min
Gerrymandering, Explained
A plain-English course on gerrymandering: how district lines are redrawn after each census, the “packing” and “cracking” tactics that tilt maps, the difference between partisan and racial gerrymandering, and the reforms meant to stop it.
Why we built these
BillBoard turns dense congressional records into plain-English summaries so people can actually follow federal legislation. These courses are the on-ramp: learn how the system works, then watch it run on the real bills moving through Congress right now. Everything here is free to read and free to link — teachers and librarians are welcome to share these pages directly with students.