How Congress Can Modify Existing Laws

Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It has the sole authority to enact legislation and change existing laws. 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 during their election campaign. Bills can also 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 that researches, discusses, and makes 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.

Bills are proposals for new laws or changes to existing laws

Congress is the law-making branch of the US federal government. It is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing laws. Bills are proposals for new laws or changes to existing laws. They can be introduced by a sitting member of the US Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also 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. The committee staff then writes a committee report describing the purpose, scope, and reasons for the bill. All changes in existing law must be indicated in the report, and the text of laws being repealed must be set out. This is known as the 'Ramseyer' rule. A similar rule in the Senate is called the 'Cordon' rule.

After the committee stage, the bill is put before the 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 (the House of Representatives and the Senate) vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. If the bill passes both bodies in the same form, it is presented to the President for signature into law.

The President has several options when receiving a bill from Congress. They may sign it into law, or veto it and send it back to Congress. Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, at which point the bill becomes law. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within 10 days, the bill becomes law. However, if Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto.

Bills can be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups

Congress is the law-making branch of the US 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 US Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups.

There are a few ways that citizens or citizen groups can petition for a bill. One way is to contact their representative in Congress and present their proposal. The representative can then choose to introduce the bill in their respective House. Another way is to work with a member of Congress to draft the bill and then have it introduced in one of the Houses. Citizens or citizen groups can also build support for their proposed bill by gathering signatures or organizing a campaign. This can help to demonstrate public support for the bill and increase its chances of being passed.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee staff writes a committee report that describes the purpose, scope, and reasons for the bill's recommended approval. All changes to existing laws must be indicated in the report, and the text of any laws being repealed must be included. This is known as the "Ramseyer" rule in the House and the "Cordon" rule in the Senate. 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 go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

It is important to note that while citizens or citizen groups can petition for a bill, the introduction and passage of the bill ultimately lie with the members of Congress. Citizens or citizen groups can play a crucial role in advocating for the issues that matter to them, but the power to make laws remains with the elected officials.

The bill is assigned to a committee for research and discussion

Congress is the lawmaking branch of the federal government. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may be a standing committee with jurisdiction over the subject matter of the bill, or a special committee formed for the purpose. The committee will hear from relevant government departments and agencies, and may draft the bill after studies and hearings covering a long period of time.

The committee will discuss and debate the bill, and its members will vote on any amendments. If the committee votes to report the bill to the House, the committee staff writes a committee report. The report describes the purpose and scope of the bill and the reasons for its recommended approval. A section-by-section analysis sets forth what each section is intended to accomplish, and all changes in existing law must be indicated. This requirement is known as the ‘‘Ramseyer’’ rule. A similar rule in the Senate is known as the ‘‘Cordon’’ rule.

The committee may also make recommendations for specific changes to laws or bills that must be made to achieve the constraints established in a concurrent resolution on the budget. The committee can then report the bill back to the full Senate. The committee makes its final decisions about the bill at a "mark up" session, usually held just before this.

The bill must pass both bodies of Congress

Congress is the law-making branch of the US federal government. It is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing laws. 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 US Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by 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 committee staff then writes a committee report describing the purpose and scope of the bill, and the reasons for its approval. All changes to existing laws must be indicated in the report, and the text of any laws being repealed must be included. This is known as the "Ramseyer" rule in the House and the "Cordon" rule in the Senate.

After the committee stage, the bill is put before the 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. The House of Representatives processes legislation through a majority vote, while the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting. The Senate is composed of 100 members, two from each state, elected by the people. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population, plus six non-voting members representing Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and four other US territories.

Once a bill has passed both bodies of Congress in identical form, it is presented to the President for approval. The President has several options. If the President agrees with the bill, they may sign it into law. If the President disagrees, they may veto it and send it back to Congress. Congress may then override the veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, at which point the bill becomes law. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within 10 days, the bill becomes law. However, if Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a "pocket veto".

The President can veto a bill, but Congress can override this

Congress is the lawmaking branch of the US 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 US 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, which researches, discusses, and makes 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. If the bill is passed by both houses of Congress, it is presented to the President. The President can use the veto power to prevent a bill from becoming law. However, Congress can override this veto by a two-thirds vote of both chambers, and the bill becomes a law without the President's signature. This has happened about 7% of the time throughout history.

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. This action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress. The President is not required to sign a bill within ten days (excluding Sundays) for it to become law if Congress is no longer in session.

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