The Government's Law-Making Power: Understanding Sovereignty

The process of lawmaking varies across different governments and their legislative systems. In the United States, Congress is the lawmaking branch of the federal government. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions.

Bills: A proposal for a new law or change to an existing one

In the United States, Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Anyone can propose a bill, including sitting members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, candidates during election campaigns, or citizens and citizen groups who can petition members of Congress to recommend a new or amended law. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to the bill. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to undergo a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have some procedural differences. While both are equal in how they function, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation, and only the Senate can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. The House processes legislation through a majority vote, while the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting.

Once a bill passes both bodies of Congress, they must work out any differences between the two versions. If the bill is vetoed by the President, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, known as a "pocket veto," which cannot be overridden by Congress.

Committees: A bill is assigned to a committee for research, discussion and changes

In the United States, Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are an important part of the legislative process, allowing for ample opportunity for all sides to be heard and make their views known. Each committee hearing, except for the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, is required to be open to the public unless the committee determines that disclosure of information discussed in the hearing would endanger national security, compromise sensitive law enforcement information, or violate a law or rule. Personal notice of the hearing, usually in the form of a letter, is sometimes sent to relevant individuals, organizations, and government departments and agencies.

After the committee has completed its work, the bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. While both the Senate and the House are equal in how they function, there are some procedural differences. For example, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation, and only the Senate can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. The House processes legislation through a majority vote, while the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting.

Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, which is called a "pocket veto" and cannot be overridden by Congress.

Voting: A bill must pass a vote in both bodies of Congress to become a law

In the United States, Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on.

Voting on a bill occurs in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which are the two bodies of Congress. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. The House of Representatives processes legislation through a majority vote, while the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting. Each Senator has one vote.

Once both bodies of Congress vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. This is an important virtue of the bicameral legislative system, as it allows ample opportunity for all sides to be heard and make their views known. Members seeking to speak for or against the bill may arrange in advance to be allowed a certain amount of time in the debate.

After a bill passes both bodies of Congress, it can still be vetoed by the President. However, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.

Veto: The president can veto a bill, but Congress can override this

In the United States, the president can use the veto power to prevent a bill passed by Congress from becoming a law. This power was conferred upon the President of the United States with the enactment of the United States Constitution, which took effect on March 4, 1789. The veto power is not absolute, as Congress can override a veto by a two-thirds vote of both chambers. This process is known as "override".

The procedure for a presidential veto is as follows: the president has ten days (excluding Sundays) to either sign a bill into law or return it to the house of the United States Congress in which it originated, while Congress is in session. If the president chooses to veto a bill, they must state their objections to the bill in writing, and Congress is required to consider them.

If Congress votes to override the veto by a two-thirds majority in both houses, the bill becomes law without the president's signature. This has happened on several occasions, including in 1868, when Congress overrode President Andrew Johnson's vetoes of bills to admit Arkansas and several other states to representation in Congress. More recently, in 1843–1845, the House joined the Senate to pass Congress's first presidential veto override, over lame-duck President John Tyler's veto of an appropriation bill.

However, if Congress fails to override the veto, the bill and veto become legally irrelevant. Additionally, if the president does nothing with the bill (neither signing it nor returning it to Congress with objections) and Congress adjourns before the ten-day period has passed, then the bill expires and does not become law. This is called a "pocket veto", and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

House and Senate: The House and Senate have different procedures for passing legislation

In the United States, Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. It consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which together have the sole authority to enact legislation. While the two chambers are equal in their legislative roles and functions, there are some procedural differences in how they process legislation.

In the House of Representatives, the debate process is highly structured. Each member who wishes to speak has only a few minutes, and the number and type of amendments are usually limited. Bills are assigned to committees, which research, discuss, and make changes to them. The committees are chaired by a member of the majority party and include members from both parties. The House rules and practices allow a numerical majority to process legislation relatively quickly.

In the Senate, on the other hand, the debate on most bills is unlimited. Senators may speak to issues other than the bill under consideration, and any amendment can be introduced. This can be used to filibuster a bill, delaying a vote and, by extension, its passage. Senate rules and procedures favour deliberation over quick action, providing significant procedural leverage to individual senators. Bills are introduced by a senator presenting them to one of the clerks at the Presiding Officer's desk, without commenting on them from the floor of the Senate. Senators may also use a more formal procedure by rising and introducing the bill from the floor, usually accompanied by a statement.

Once a bill has passed one body of Congress, it goes through the other body, following a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. If the bill passes both houses, they must work out any differences between the two versions and present the same version to the President for consideration. The President can then approve the bill and sign it into law or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers, and the bill will become a law.

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