Students Enact Law: A Bill's Journey

Teaching students about how a bill becomes a law is a crucial component of civics and government education. While it may seem like a dry topic, there are many ways to make it engaging for students. Teachers can begin by giving students a lecture, assigning a textbook reading, or showing a video. However, to enhance student understanding and make the topic more interesting, teachers can incorporate collaborative activities, visual aids, and games. For example, students can be asked to create a flow chart or comic strip depicting the legislative process, or they can participate in a sorting card activity where they organize steps into the correct order. Teachers can also bring in current events by discussing or analyzing news articles about legislation that Congress is currently working on. These activities not only make the topic more interactive but also provide students with a deeper understanding of the legislative process and its real-world context.

How a bill is proposed and introduced

The Idea

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with an idea. This idea 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 their representative.

The Proposal

Once a representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The representative discusses the bill with other representatives to gain their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The Introduction

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 House of Representatives. A bill clerk then assigns the bill a number that begins with H.R., and a reading clerk reads the bill to all the representatives. Finally, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The role of committees

Committees play a crucial role in the legislative process, serving as the first step in turning a bill into a law. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which is a group of representatives with expertise in relevant areas. These committees review, research, and revise the bill before deciding whether to send it back to the House floor for a vote. This process allows for a detailed examination of the bill and any necessary amendments.

The committees in the House of Representatives are known as House standing committees. They consist of groups of representatives with knowledge in specific areas, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committees' role is to thoroughly assess the bill, ensuring it is well-researched and refined before progressing further.

If the committee members require additional information or expertise, the bill may be sent to a subcommittee. Here, the bill undergoes further scrutiny, and expert opinions are gathered. The subcommittee's task is to provide a more specialised assessment of the bill before returning it to the committee for final approval.

Once the committee has approved the bill, it is sent back to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated and voted on by the representatives. This process ensures that the bill has been thoroughly vetted and improved before progressing to the next stage of becoming a law.

How a bill is reported and voted on

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. 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:

• 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 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.

The bill is referred to the Senate

Once a bill has been voted on and passed by a simple majority in the House of Representatives, it is then referred to the Senate. Here, the bill goes through many of the same steps as it did in the House. It is first discussed in a Senate committee, which closely examines, debates, and refines the bill. The committee is a group of Senators who are experts on the topic of the bill. If the committee wishes to gather more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee to be closely examined and expert opinions sought.

The bill is then reported to the Senate floor and is ready 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 sent to the President.

The Senate and the House have equal standing in the legislative process, but there are some differences in their lawmaking procedures. While both chambers must approve a bill, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. Conversely, only the Senate can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. While the House passes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate does so through deliberation and debate before voting.

The President's role

If the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can still attempt to override this veto. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, and this pocket veto cannot be overridden.

The President has 10 days to sign or veto a bill. If they take no action and Congress remains in session during this time, the bill will automatically become law after the 10-day period.

Frequently asked questions