The Law-Making Process: A Guide For Fourth Graders

Laws are a set of rules that we all have to follow. In the United States, laws are created by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. But how does an idea become a law? Well, it starts as a bill. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Anyone can have an idea for a bill, even you! But it needs to be sponsored by a Representative and then it goes on quite a journey before it can become a law.

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law

Once a bill has been drafted, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor will talk to other representatives about the bill to get their support. When a bill has a sponsor and the support of other representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

A bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk in the House of Representatives. A bill clerk assigns it a number, and a reading clerk reads the bill to all the representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to a standing committee.

The committee reviews, researches, and revises the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for closer examination and to gather expert opinions.

Once the bill has been approved by the committee, it is sent back to the House floor to be debated and voted on. If it passes in the House, the bill goes through a similar process in the Senate.

If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, the two chambers work together to create one version of the bill. This final bill is then sent to the President, who can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto and the bill can still become a law.

A bill is drafted by a member of Congress, either from the Senate or the House of Representatives

So, you want to know how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a new law or a change to an existing law—even you! If you have an idea, you can share it with your Representative. This is called "petitioning". Representatives are members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is part of Congress. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Let's imagine that you've shared your idea with a Representative, and they like it. The next step is for the Representative to write, or "draft", the bill. This is the first official step in turning an idea into a law. A bill is like a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. It's a formal document that needs to be written in a specific way.

Now, let's take a closer look at who can draft a bill. Any member of Congress can do this, which means it could be a Representative from the House or a Senator from the Senate. The person who comes up with the idea and writes the bill is called the "sponsor". Other members of Congress who support the bill are called "co-sponsors".

Once the bill is drafted, it needs to be introduced. If the sponsor is a Representative, the bill is introduced in the House. If the sponsor is a Senator, the bill is introduced in the Senate. This is done by placing the bill in a special box called the "hopper", which is on the side of the clerk's desk.

So, there you have it! That's how a bill is drafted and by whom. It's the first step in a longer process, but it's an important one because it's where the idea for a new law or change is formally introduced and sponsored by a member of Congress.

The bill is introduced and assigned to a committee for research, discussion, and changes

So, a bill has been proposed and introduced. Now what? Well, the next step is for the bill to be assigned to a committee. But what does that mean?

Committees are groups of people who are experts on a particular topic, like health or education. These groups are made up of members of the House of Representatives and they carefully review, or examine, the bill. They might hold hearings, which is when they listen to the opinions of other experts and members of the public who support or oppose the bill. This is an important part of the process because it helps the committee members to understand the possible effects of the bill. They also discuss the bill and make changes to it.

Sometimes, a committee will send a bill to a subcommittee. A subcommittee is a smaller group of people with a very specific focus within the topic. They study the bill and make changes before sending it back to the committee. Once the committee has finished reviewing and making changes to the bill, they vote on whether or not to send it back to the House of Representatives. If they vote yes, the bill goes back to the House of Representatives and is now ready to be debated.

The bill is voted on and, if passed, goes to the other body of Congress for a similar process

So, the bill has been debated, and now it's time to vote! The Representatives will discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, a reading clerk will read the bill section by section, and the Representatives can recommend changes. Once all the changes have been made, the Representatives vote on the bill.

There are three ways to vote on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The first is called Viva Voce, where the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it say "no". The second is called Division, where the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill do the same. The third is a recorded vote, where Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. They can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote.

If most Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then sent to the U.S. Senate, which is the other body of Congress. The U.S. Senate will now do many of the same things the House of Representatives did. They will discuss the bill in a Senate committee and then report it to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they don't. If most Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate.

If both bodies of Congress approve the bill, they present it to the President to be signed into law or vetoed

So, both the House of Representatives and the Senate have agreed on the bill – what now? Well, now it's time to send the bill to the President. But what does the President do with the bill?

The President has three choices. They can choose to sign the bill and pass it, which means it becomes a law. Or, they can refuse to sign the bill, which is called a veto. If the President vetoes the bill, it will be sent back to the House of Representatives and the Senate, along with the reasons for the veto. But, if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators still support the bill, the President's veto can be overridden, and the bill becomes a law anyway! The third choice is for the President to do nothing. This is called a 'pocket veto'. If the President doesn't sign the bill and Congress isn't in session, the bill won't become a law. But, if Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become a law after 10 days.

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