Understanding The Lawmaking Process: Steps To Enact Legislation

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, but it can be broken down into three fundamental steps. Firstly, a bill must be drafted and introduced by a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate, who becomes the bill's sponsor. Secondly, the bill is sent to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Finally, the bill is put to a vote, first in the body it was introduced to, and then, if successful, in the other body. If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for approval.

A bill is drafted, sponsored and introduced

The first step in the legislative process is the drafting of a bill. Any member of Congress, including Senators and Representatives, can draft a bill. These ideas for bills can also come from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. Citizens with ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will then talk to other Representatives about the bill, hoping to get their support. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". 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. 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 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 members who are particularly interested in and knowledgeable about specific topics, such as health, agriculture, education, or international relations and affairs. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate decides which committee will review the bill, although the actual referral decision is often made by the House or Senate parliamentarian.

The committee will carefully examine the bill, researching and discussing it, and determining its chances of passage by the entire Congress. They may request reports from government agencies and hold hearings to gather expert opinions and the views of interested parties, including the public, supporters, and opponents of the bill. Hearings allow these views to be put on the record. The committee may also choose to "mark up" the bill, making revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" which will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded.

The committee can also refer the bill to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may also make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. The subcommittee report, including any findings and recommendations, is then sent back to the committee for approval.

Finally, the full committee votes on whether to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead". If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

The bill is debated and amended

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of members of the House of Representatives or the Senate who are experts on a particular topic, such as health or international affairs. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor.

If the committee requires more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval. The committee will then meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. If substantial amendments are made, a new "clean bill" including the proposed amendments will be introduced, and the old bill will be discarded.

The bill is then returned to the full House or Senate for further debate and approval. At this point, members may propose amendments to the bill, add additional text, or make other alterations. The bill is debated, and representatives discuss it, explaining why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and 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 House of Representatives: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. In the viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks supporters of the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no." In the division vote, supporters of the bill are asked to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose it do the same. In a recorded vote, representatives record their vote using an 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 vote yes, the bill passes in the House of Representatives.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced and assigned a number, it is ready to be voted on. In the US House of Representatives, there are three methods of voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded. In viva voce, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to say "aye" if they support the bill and "no" if they do not. In division, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In recorded, Representatives use an electronic voting system to record their vote. They can vote yes, no, or present if they do not want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House and is then sent to the US Senate.

In the Senate, voting is done by voice. Senators who support the bill say "yea," and those who oppose it say "nay." If a majority of Senators say "yea," the bill passes in the Senate. If the bill is rejected by the Senate, it is sent back to the House, where it can be introduced again or amended and then reintroduced. If the Senate approves the bill, it is sent to the President.

The President has three options: they can sign and pass the bill, in which case it becomes a law; they can veto the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their reasons for the veto; or they can do nothing, in which case, if Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after ten days, but if Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law.

If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may attempt to override the veto by holding another vote. If two-thirds of Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been approved by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has three options: they can sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it, and it will become a law. If the President opposes the bill, they can veto it, sending it back to Congress with a note outlining their reasons for the veto. Congress can then attempt to override the veto by holding another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of both the House and the Senate support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

If the President takes no action on the bill within 10 days and Congress is still in session, the bill will automatically become law. However, if Congress adjourns before the 10-day period is up and the President has not signed the bill, it will be vetoed by default, known as a "pocket veto". This type of veto cannot be overridden by Congress.

The President's role in the lawmaking process is crucial, as they have the power to approve or reject bills passed by Congress. Their decision can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate, demonstrating the system of checks and balances in the US legislative process.

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