Cecily Zamora
The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. In the United States, the creation and modification of laws is the primary function of Congress, the legislative branch of the government. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. 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, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions, and then both chambers vote on the same version. If it passes, it is presented to the president, who can approve and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Where does a bill start? | A bill can start in the House of Representatives or the Senate. |
| Who can introduce a bill? | Any member of Congress can introduce a bill. |
| What is the first step? | The bill is drafted. |
| What is the second step? | The bill is introduced. |
| What is the third step? | The bill goes to committee. |
| What is the fourth step? | The bill goes to subcommittee. |
| What is the fifth step? | The bill is reported. |
| What is the sixth step? | The bill is voted on. |
| What is the seventh step? | The bill is referred to the other chamber. |
| What is the eighth step? | The bill goes to the President. |
| What is the ninth step? | The bill is signed into law or vetoed. |
What You'll Learn
A bill is proposed
The legislative process begins with an idea. A bill can be proposed by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who petition their representative. Once a representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The representative discusses the bill with other representatives to gain their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and some support, it is ready to be introduced.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only representatives can introduce bills in the House. Once introduced, a bill is given a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and the name of its sponsor. It is then sent to the Government Printing Office, where copies are made. Members can cosponsor the bill.
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A bill is introduced
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. 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 the bill is drafted, it must be introduced.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the House. When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.
In the Senate, a bill must be introduced by a member who has gained recognition by the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction is postponed until the next day. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. S 1) and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), where copies are made.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.
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A bill goes to committee
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of representatives or senators who are experts on the topic of the bill. For example, a bill about agriculture will be assigned to a committee of representatives or senators who are knowledgeable about agriculture.
Committees carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress. They may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be put on record. Hearings can be used to gather expert opinions and information before the bill is sent back to the committee for approval.
If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead". If the committee approves a bill, it is sent to the House floor to be debated. Before reaching the House floor, most bills in the House of Representatives go to the Rules Committee, which governs the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule", for example, sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes.
The committee will also hold a "mark-up" session, where revisions and additions are made to the bill. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" that includes the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor, while the old bill is discarded.
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A bill is reported
Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. This is when the bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. During the debate, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. Once all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.
There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:
- Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no."
- Division: The Speaker of the House asks those Representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to stand up and be counted.
- Recorded: Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. Representatives can vote "yes", "no", or "present" (if they don't want to vote on the bill).
If a majority of the Representatives vote "yes", the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.
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A bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, and gather expert opinions. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".
Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent to the House floor to be debated. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.
There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:
- Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it say "no."
- Division: The Speaker of the House asks those Representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to stand up and be counted.
- Recorded: Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. Representatives can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on the bill).
If a majority of the Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.
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Frequently asked questions
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 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 through a similar process in the other body. 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 for approval. 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.
Any member of Congress – either from the Senate or the House of Representatives – who has an idea for a law can draft and introduce a bill. These ideas often come from the Congress members themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups.
The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors".
Once the bill is drafted, it must be introduced. If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on the official government website that tracks federal legislation.
As soon as a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with particular interests and expertise in different topics such as health or international affairs. When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined.
Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. Committees often refer bills to a subcommittee for study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.
