The Law-Making Process: Steps To Turn A Bill Into Law

The process by which a bill becomes a law is a complex one, and it varies slightly depending on the country and the specific legislative body in question. In the United States, for example, a bill must go through several steps before it can become a law. These steps include being introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, being assigned to a committee for review and revision, and then being voted on by the respective chamber. If a bill passes in one chamber, it then goes to the other chamber and goes through a similar process. Once both chambers have passed a bill, they must work together to reconcile any differences between their two versions. The bill then goes to the president for approval, who can sign it into law or veto it. Even if the president vetoes a bill, it can still become a law if Congress votes to override the veto.

A bill is proposed by a representative or citizen

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 who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills. When a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, 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 U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number that begins with H.R. It is then read by a reading clerk to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The bill is introduced

Once introduced, the bill is assigned a number that begins with H.R. in the House of Representatives or S. in the Senate. For example, a bill number could be HR 1 or S 1. The bill is then labelled with the name of its sponsor, or sponsors in the case of Senate bills, which can be jointly sponsored.

The bill is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) where copies are made. Members can also cosponsor the bill.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are groups of representatives who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor.

The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. In some cases, the actual referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to multiple committees and split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may also set time limits on committees.

The bill is placed on the calendar of the committee to which it has been assigned. If the committee fails to act on a bill, it is considered "killed". In the House, bills can only be released from committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by the majority of the House membership.

The committee may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be recorded. The committee may also request comments about the bill's merit from government agencies.

The committee can also assign the bill to a subcommittee, which has further specialization on a certain topic. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the main committee. The subcommittee must vote to refer the bill back to the full committee.

After the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. They will then vote on whether to recommend the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill is rejected. However, if they vote in favour, it is reported to the floor.

The 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, explaining 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. The first is Viva Voce, where the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no". The second is Division, where the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. The third is Recorded, where Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, and can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives support the bill, it 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.

When a bill reaches the Senate, it goes through many of the same steps as in the House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators support the bill, it passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported, it is ready to be voted on. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill:

• 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 Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate. In the Senate, senators vote by voice, saying “yea” if they support the bill and “nay” if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators say “yea”, the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to go to the President.

If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the two versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. The Government Publishing Office prints the revised bill in a process called enrolling. The President then has the choice to sign and pass the bill, veto it, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President chooses to veto the bill, it will be sent back to Congress for one final vote. If two-thirds of Congress supports the bill, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.

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