The Complex Journey: Bill To Law In 4 Steps

The process of a bill becoming a law is known as the legislative process. In the US, this process involves the following steps:

1. A bill is proposed. 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, or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups.

2. The bill is introduced. In the US 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. In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour.

3. The bill undergoes committee action. The bill is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and can be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The committee system acts as a funnel and a sieve to filter out undesirable or unworkable ideas.

4. The bill is reported. When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated.

5. The bill is voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the House: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. In the Senate, debate is unlimited unless cloture is invoked, and Senators can use a filibuster to defeat a measure by talking it to death.

6. The bill is passed to the other chamber. If the bill passes in one chamber, it is sent to the other chamber to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

7. The bill is sent to the President. The President then has three choices: sign and pass the bill, refuse to sign or veto the bill, or do nothing (pocket veto).

8. The bill becomes law. If a bill has passed in both chambers and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government.

How a bill is introduced

The process of introducing a bill is the second step in the journey of a bill becoming a law. The first step involves the bill being drafted, and the third step involves the bill being sent to committee.

The 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. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned 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.

The bill is then proposed by a Representative. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in 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. 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 New York State Senate, the first step in the committee process is to introduce a bill into a committee. Bills are generally only introduced by legislators or by standing committees of the Senate and Assembly. The only exception is the Executive Budget, which is submitted directly by the Governor. On introduction in the Senate, a bill goes to the Introduction and Revision Office, given a number, and sent to the appropriate standing committee.

How a bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics such as health or international affairs. The committee to which a bill is assigned depends on the subject matter of the bill. For example, a bill about health would be assigned to the health committee.

How a bill is voted on

The process of voting on a bill differs slightly between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

In the House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill:

• Viva Voce: 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).

In the Senate, Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say "yea," and those who oppose it say "nay."

If a majority of the Representatives or Senators approve the bill, it is sent to the other chamber to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

How a bill is sent to the other chamber

Once a bill has been voted on and passed in one chamber, it is sent to the other chamber, where it will go through a similar process of research, discussion, and voting. The bill will be sent to the relevant committee, which will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it to the chamber floor. The committee may also hold public hearings on the bill to gather a wider range of opinions.

Citizens can share their opinions on a proposed bill with their representative, who can then relay this information to the committee members. The committee system acts as a funnel through which all bills must pass before they can be considered, and it also sifts out undesirable or unworkable ideas. After consideration, the committee may report the bill to the full chamber for a vote, amend the bill, or reject it.

If the bill is approved in the second chamber without amendment, it will be sent to the President. However, if it is changed, it is returned to the first chamber for concurrence in the amendments. The reverse procedure is followed if the second chamber first passes a bill identical to the first chamber's version or if the second chamber amends a bill from the first chamber.

How a bill is sent to the President

After a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee, where it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered to be "dead".

If the bill passes the committee stage, it is then sent to the House floor for a full chamber vote. Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' voting.

When the House or Senate passes a bill, it is referred to the other chamber, where it usually follows the same route through committees and, finally, to the floor. This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it, or change it. Congress may form a conference committee to resolve or reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill dies. If an agreement is reached, the committee members prepare a conference report with recommendations for the final bill. Both the House and Senate must vote to approve the conference report.

After both the House and Senate have approved a bill in identical form, the bill is sent to the President.

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