Gavin Howe
In the United States, the government has laws that outline the rights and responsibilities of parents and children. These laws can vary across states, counties, and cities. State governments are responsible for creating and enforcing laws that pertain to children within their jurisdiction. For example, state laws dictate the age at which children are required to start school and the minimum age for marriage with parental consent. Additionally, state laws address child abuse and neglect, with mandatory reporting requirements for certain individuals, such as social workers, teachers, and healthcare providers. These laws aim to protect children's well-being and ensure their safety. While the federal government also plays a role in creating laws that impact children, such as the Major Federal Legislation concerned with Child Protection, the state governments have the authority to implement and enforce laws that specifically cater to the needs and circumstances of their local communities.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who can propose a bill | Anyone, including regular citizens, the President, members of Congress, and special interest groups |
| Who writes the bill | A member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
| Who introduces the bill to the House of Representatives | A sponsor, who can be a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives |
| Who debates the bill in the House of Representatives | The Representatives |
| Who votes on the bill in the House of Representatives | The Representatives |
| Who debates the bill in the Senate | The Senators |
| Who votes on the bill in the Senate | The Senators |
| Who decides whether to sign the bill into law | The President |
| Who can override a presidential veto | Congress, with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House |
| Who can reject a bill without a veto | Congress, by not acting on it |
| Who can prevent a vote on a bill | A Senator, by giving a long speech (a filibuster) |
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What You'll Learn
Laws for kids start as bills
Laws are a set of rules that everyone must follow. Just like how your parents or school might give you rules to follow, governments create laws to protect people and their property. In the United States, the people elect representatives to make these laws for them. These elected representatives are called members of Congress, and they are limited by state and federal constitutions, which outline what they can and cannot do.
A law starts as an idea, which can come from many places, including special interest groups, the President, members of Congress, or regular citizens. This idea is then written down and explained, and this first draft is called a bill. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The bill then needs a member of Congress to sponsor it, which means that a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives believes strongly in the bill and wants to see it turned into a law.
The sponsor then introduces the bill to either the House or the Senate. The bill is then assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. If the committee agrees to pass the bill, it will move on to the main chamber of the House or Senate for approval. The representatives will discuss and debate the bill, and then vote on it. If the bill passes, it will be sent to the other chamber for further discussion, debate, and voting. If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, it will be sent to the President for approval.
The President can choose to veto (reject) a bill, and if they do so, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill can still become a law. If the President does not veto the bill, they must sign it within 10 days. If they do not sign it within this time frame and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be considered vetoed by default, which is called a pocket veto. However, if Congress is still in session, the bill will become a law even without the President's signature. Once the bill has been approved by both chambers of Congress and the President, it officially becomes a law that all Americans must follow.
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Bills are ideas that can come from anyone
In the United States, laws are made by the federal government and state governments. Each state has its own government, and these state governments can make laws that only apply in that particular state. The process of making laws is similar at the federal and state level.
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from anyone—including you! That's right, you don't have to be a politician or a lawyer to come up with an idea for a new law. Anyone can have an idea and send it to Congress, where a member of the U.S. House of Representatives will research the idea and write a bill. This process of turning an idea into a written bill is the first step in making a new law.
So, where do these ideas come from? Well, they can come from all sorts of places and people! Regular citizens like you, special interest groups, the President, members of Congress, and even local newspapers can be sources of inspiration for new bills. For example, you might read an opinion piece in a newspaper that says, "There ought to be a law for..." and that could spark an idea for a new bill! Letters that people write to the editor are also great places to find ideas.
Once the bill is written, it is introduced to the rest of the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Members debate the bill, discussing the pros and cons, and then they vote on whether it should become a law or not. If the bill passes in the House, it moves on to the U.S. Senate, where it goes through a similar process of debate and voting. If it passes in the Senate, it is sent to the President of the United States for approval. This whole journey, from an idea to a law, involves many steps and people working together to create the best laws for the country.
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Bills are written by a member of the House of Representatives
In the United States, laws are made by the government, and this process involves many steps and people. The US Congress is made up of two parts, or 'houses': the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill is the first step towards creating a new law. Anyone can have an idea for a bill, including regular citizens, and these ideas are sent to Congress. A bill is then written by a member of the House of Representatives, who is known as the 'sponsor' of the bill. The sponsor is someone who believes in the bill and wants to see it become a law.
Once the bill is written, it is introduced to the other members of the House of Representatives, who debate and discuss it before voting on whether it should become a law. If the bill passes in the House, it is then sent to the Senate, where the members of the Senate will also debate, discuss, and vote on the bill. If the bill passes in the Senate, it is then sent to the President of the United States for approval. The President has the power to veto (reject) a bill, but if they sign it, the bill officially becomes a law.
The House of Representatives has certain unique responsibilities in the law-making process. For example, only the House of Representatives can initiate bills related to revenue, and it also traditionally originates appropriation bills. The House of Representatives also has the power to choose the President if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in a presidential election.
The process of turning an idea into a law is not easy, and most bills do not make it through the entire process. In fact, around 90% of bills are rejected by Congressional committees, and only about 5% of bills introduced in Congress become laws.
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Bills are debated and voted on by the House of Representatives
In the United States, laws are made by the government to keep order and protect the people of the country. These laws are created by the legislative branch of the United States Government, which includes the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives plays a crucial role in this process by debating and voting on bills, which are proposals for new laws.
A bill's journey from an idea to a law involves many steps and people. Anyone can have an idea for a new law, including regular citizens, special interest groups, the President, members of Congress, or members of the House of Representatives. Once an idea is sent to Congress, a member of the House of Representatives will research the idea and write a bill. This bill is then introduced to the rest of the members of the House.
The members of the House of Representatives will then debate the bill, discussing its merits and potential impact. During this stage, amendments can be proposed and added to the bill. After the debate, the members will vote on whether the bill should become a law. This voting process can include tactics such as filibustering, where a senator extends the debate by giving a long speech to prevent a vote, or cloture, which is required to move past a filibuster and takes a 3/5ths vote.
If the bill passes the House of Representatives, it will then be sent to the Senate, where it will go through a similar process of debate and voting. If the bill passes the Senate, it will be sent to the President for final approval. The President can either sign the bill into law or choose not to sign it. If Congress is in session and the President does not sign within 10 days, the bill will become a law. However, if Congress is not in session, it will be considered vetoed, known as a pocket veto.
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The President signs the bill into law
The process of making a law starts with an idea. Ideas can come from anyone, including special interest groups, the President, members of Congress, and regular citizens. Once an idea has been established, it must be written down and explained in the form of a bill. The bill then needs a member of Congress to sponsor it—someone who believes in the bill and wants to see it turned into a law. The sponsor can be a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives. The sponsor then introduces the bill either to the House or the Senate.
The bill is then assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. If the committee agrees to pass the bill, it will move on to the main chamber of the House or Senate for approval. The representatives will discuss and debate the bill and then take a vote. If the bill passes in the House, it is sent to the Senate, where it will 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. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the President.
The President then has ten days, excluding Sundays, to sign or veto the bill. If the President approves the bill and signs it within this ten-day period, it becomes law. 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. However, if the President declines to sign or veto the bill within the ten-day period, it can still become law without their signature (except when Congress has adjourned under certain circumstances).
If the President vetoes the bill, it is returned to the congressional chamber in which it originated. This chamber may attempt to override the President's veto, but this requires the support of two-thirds of those voting. If this vote is successful, the other chamber then decides whether to attempt its own override vote, which also requires two-thirds of the voting members. If the President's veto is successfully overridden, the bill becomes a law.
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Frequently asked questions
The process of making a law starts with an idea, which can come from citizens, special interest groups, the President, or members of Congress. This idea is then written down and explained in a document called a bill. The bill then needs a member of Congress to sponsor it, which can either be a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives. The bill is then introduced to either the House or the Senate, where it is assigned to a committee. The committee will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill before passing it on to the main chamber for approval. The bill will then be discussed, debated, and voted on. If it passes, it will be sent to the other chamber to repeat the process. If it passes in both chambers, it will be sent to the President for approval. Once the President signs the bill, it becomes a law.
State laws regarding children can vary, but some examples include mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect, laws around bullying and discrimination in schools, and the age at which children are required to start school and when they can legally drop out.
Parents and caregivers are legally responsible for providing for their children until they reach adulthood, which is typically 18 years old in most states. This includes attending to their child's basic needs, such as food, shelter, and education. Parents are also required to ensure their children attend school regularly and follow school rules.
Yes, parents have the right to make certain decisions regarding their child's education. They can ask for changes to their child's school classes and activities based on their needs and can opt their children out of certain classes or standardized testing.
In the United States, parents cannot force their children to marry against their will. However, in some states, parents may allow their children to marry at the age of 16 or 17 with parental permission if the child is under 18.
