The Second Step: Bill's Journey To Becoming A Law

The second step in the process of a bill becoming a law is the introduction of the bill. Once a 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. 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 assigned a number and read to all the Representatives before being sent to a committee.

The bill is introduced

The second step in the process of a bill becoming a law is its introduction. This is the point at which a bill, having been drafted, is formally 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. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation. 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. A bill clerk then 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. The Speaker of the House asks those Representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose it to do the same.

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, allowing the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be put on record.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have committees made up of groups of Congress members with a particular interest or expertise in a given topic, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs and relations. The committee carefully examines the bill, researching, discussing, and making changes to it. They also determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress.

Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and to put the views of experts, public officials, and supporters and opponents of the bill on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead". If the committee wants more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. In a subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

Once hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make any final changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If they vote in favour, the bill is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

Committee members review, research, and revise

Once a bill has been introduced, it is referred to a committee. Committees are composed of groups of Congress members with a particular interest or expertise in a specific topic, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs and relations.

The committee's review process is crucial as it helps identify any potential issues, gather expert opinions, and make necessary revisions to improve the bill's chances of success. It ensures that the bill is thoroughly vetted and considered before progressing further in the legislative process.

If the committee decides not to act on a bill, it is considered "dead" and does not advance any further. However, if the committee approves the bill, it moves to the next step, which involves additional review, debate, and potential amendments before a full committee vote.

The bill is reported to the House floor

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, health, education, or international relations. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it to the House floor. If the committee would like more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further examination and to gather expert opinions.

If the committee approves a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. 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. 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), division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say “aye” and those that oppose it to say “no.” In a division, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, selecting 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.

If the committee does not act on a bill, or votes against sending it to the House floor, the bill is considered to be "dead".

The bill is debated and voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee requires more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee to be examined further and to gather expert opinions. If the committee votes against the bill, it is considered "dead". If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor, and the full chamber can vote on it.

When a 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' votes. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives: viva voce, division, and recorded. In viva voce, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to say "aye" and those against it to say "no". In division, supporters are asked to stand up and be counted, and then the same is done for opponents of the bill. In recorded votes, representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, selecting "yes", "no", or "present" if they do not wish to vote. If a majority of the representatives vote "yes", the bill passes in the House and is then sent to the Senate.

In the Senate, 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 say "yea", the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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