Gavin Howe
The United States Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and it is the only branch of the US government that can make new laws or change existing ones. A bill must pass both houses of Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. While the House and Senate are equal in their legislative roles, there are some procedural differences. For example, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation, and only the Senate confirms presidential nominations and approves treaties. The enactment of law requires both chambers to agree to the same bill before presenting it to the President. The President can then approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. Congress can, in most cases, override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who can propose a bill? | A sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or proposed during their election campaign. |
| Who else can propose a bill? | People or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. |
| What happens once a bill is introduced? | It is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. |
| What is the committee's makeup? | In almost all cases, the ratio of majority party to minority party members on a committee roughly reflects the overall partisan ratio in the congressional chamber. |
| What happens once the committee has finished its work? | The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. |
| What is required for a bill to pass? | The rules of the House require a three-fifths vote to pass a bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that contains a specified type of federal income tax rate increase. |
| What happens if a bill passes one body of Congress? | It goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, and voting. |
| What happens if a bill passes both bodies of Congress? | 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. |
| What can the president do? | The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve it (veto it). |
| What can Congress do if the president vetoes a bill? | In most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law. |
| What is a pocket veto? | If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. |
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What You'll Learn
The role of the US Congress
The United States Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. It is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.
The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. There are also 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the United States. To be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, a person must be at least 25 years old, a US citizen for seven years or more, and an inhabitant of the state they represent.
The U.S. Senate has a total of 100 members, with each state represented by two senators. Senators are elected for six-year terms, and every two years, one-third of the Senate is up for re-election. To be elected to the U.S. Senate, a person must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for nine years or more, and a resident of the state they represent.
The process of lawmaking in Congress begins with a bill, which 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 representing them. The right to petition is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committees are not set in stone, but they do change in number and form with each new Congress as required for the efficient consideration of legislation. Each committee oversees a specific policy area, and the subcommittees take on more specialized policy areas.
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, and vote. 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 can approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can usually vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be pocket-vetoed, and this cannot be overridden.
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The President's influence
The President has influence in the legislative process, which includes passing US laws. The President can recommend an annual budget for federal agencies and often suggests legislation. The President's power to veto legislation can also affect the content of bills passed by Congress.
Once a bill is passed by both chambers of Congress, it is presented to the President for consideration. The President can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, known as a pocket veto, which cannot be overridden by Congress.
The President also has the option to take no action on a bill for ten days. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within this period, the bill becomes law. On the other hand, if Congress adjourns before the ten days are up and the President takes no action, the bill dies, and Congress must start the legislative process anew if they still want to pass the legislation.
Additionally, the President has the authority to confirm appointments and ratify treaties. The Senate confirms presidential nominations and approves treaties, with the Senate ratifying treaties by a two-thirds supermajority vote and confirming appointments by a majority vote.
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The House and Senate's differing powers
The House of Representatives and the Senate form the legislative branch of the US government. They work together to implement checks and balances to prevent any single branch from abusing its power. The House and the Senate have differing powers, as laid out in the US Constitution, which ensure equal representation for residents of all states.
The House of Representatives, also known as the lower chamber, has more members than the Senate. It has the exclusive power to initiate bills for raising revenue, impeach officials, and elect the president if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College. The House also has the power to initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. The rules of the House require a three-fifths vote to pass a bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that contains a specified type of federal income tax rate increase.
The Senate, on the other hand, is the upper chamber and has longer terms of six years, with two senators representing each state. The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials and approve treaties made by the executive branch. It also has the power to confirm members of the Cabinet and review and approve or reject presidential appointees to executive and judicial branch posts. The Senate has a long history of using the filibuster to delay debate or block legislation. In the Senate, individual senators have more options to slow the progress of a bill by making procedural requests, such as keeping floor debate open.
While the House and the Senate have differing powers, they must work together to pass legislation. Once a bill is introduced in one chamber, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber for a vote. If the bill passes, it goes through a similar process in the other chamber. If it passes in both chambers, they must work out any differences and vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, it is presented to the president for approval or veto.
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The process of passing a bill
In the United States, Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can be proposed by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, during their election campaign, or by citizen groups and individuals who petition their representative in Congress.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. Committees are composed of groups of Congress members with particular interests in different topics. The committee may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications and hear from supporters and opponents of the bill. If the committee takes no action, the bill is considered "dead".
If the bill passes the committee, it is put before the chamber to be voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, and voting in the other body. Once a bill passes both bodies of Congress, they must work out any differences between the two versions. The bill may be referred to a conference committee to resolve these differences. If an agreement is reached, both chambers vote on the same version of the bill.
If the bill passes both chambers, it is sent to the President. The President can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the President takes no action for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto, and if both the Senate and the House pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, it becomes a law. However, if the President does not sign off on the bill and 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.
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The role of committees
Committees play a crucial role in the legislative process of the United States. They are responsible for considering, shaping, and passing laws that govern the nation. Each year, around 8,000 bills are referred to committees, with less than 10% making it out for consideration on the floor.
There are two main types of committees: standing committees and select committees. Standing committees are permanent fixtures that continue from one Congress to the next and consider the majority of proposed laws. They also conduct investigations on various issues. For example, the Senate Banking Committee investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater investments. Select committees, on the other hand, are temporarily formed for specific purposes, such as investigating the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or reconciling different versions of the same bill between the House and the Senate.
The Speaker of the House typically refers introduced bills to multiple committees, each considering provisions within their jurisdiction. The Speaker must designate a primary committee of jurisdiction and may place time limits on the committees' considerations. The committees then research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Once a bill is reported out of committee, it is assigned a calendar number and proceeds to the next stage of the legislative process.
Committee members play key roles in floor debates about the bills they foster. They also hold hearings from interest groups and agency bureaucrats at the committee and subcommittee levels. Committee membership is an important decision for a new member of Congress, as it allows them to serve their districts or states directly. Members may seek appointment to committees that align with their interests and goals, such as Foreign Relations or Judiciary, where they can gain exposure to current leaders and media attention.
In addition to their legislative duties, committees also provide oversight of policy implementation once a law is enacted. They have significant powers and latitude for oversight and investigations, ensuring that laws are effectively carried out and addressing any questions or issues that arise.
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Frequently asked questions
A bill must pass both houses of Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to research, discuss, and make changes. 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 can approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.
If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, then the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and if Congress still wants to pass the legislation, they must begin the entire process anew.
The United States Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. While both are equal in how they function, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation, and only the Senate confirms presidential nominations and approves treaties. The enactment of law always requires both chambers to separately agree to the same bill in the same form before presenting it to the President.
