The Journey Of A Bill To Becoming A Law

Understanding how a bill becomes a law is crucial for effective political action. The legislative process is an orderly one, with a bill undergoing several stages before it is enacted as a law. The process can be lengthy, sometimes lasting up to 100 years, and involves the bill passing through Congress, the Senate, and the President. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one, and it can be initiated by a member of the Senate or House of Representatives or even be proposed by citizens. This assignment will explore the various steps a bill must go through to become a law, the key stakeholders involved, and the potential obstacles it may face along the way.

The bill is proposed and introduced

The bill-making process 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. Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill to get their support. 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. When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. Bills are prefixed with H.R. when introduced in the House and S. when introduced in the Senate, and they are followed by a number based on the order they are introduced. The bill is then read by a reading clerk to all the Representatives, after which the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

In the Senate, the bill is submitted to clerks on the Senate floor. Upon introduction, the bill will receive a designation based on the chamber of introduction, for example, H.R. or H.J.Res. for House-originated bills or joint resolutions and S. or S.J.Res. for Senate-originated measures. It will also receive a number, typically the next number in sequence during that two-year Congress. Bills are typically referred to committee in a process similar to that of the House. However, in most cases, the bill is referred only to the committee with jurisdiction over the predominant issue in the bill.

The bill is assigned a number and a sponsor

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with the bill being proposed. Once a bill has been written, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill. The bill's sponsor talks to other Representatives about the bill, hoping to gain their support. The sponsor's signature must appear on the bill, and the bill is then labelled with the sponsor's name. The bill can also have multiple co-sponsors who sign onto the bill to demonstrate their support. The sponsor and co-sponsors are listed on the first page of the bill, before its main text.

Once the 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 House of Representatives.

When a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number by the Clerk of the House. The number begins with "H.R." for House bills and "S." for Senate bills. The bill is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of members of Congress who are particularly interested in different topics, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs/relations. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees.

The committee will carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress. They may 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 legislation to be put on the record. Hearings can also be held at the request of the Chairman. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

The bill may be sent to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill, making changes and amendments prior to recommending it to the "floor". If a committee votes against reporting legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. 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 reported

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 voice vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no." In a Division vote, the Speaker asks supporters to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for opponents of the bill. In a Recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the 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 U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

When a bill reaches the Senate, it goes through many of the same steps as in the House of Representatives. It is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, with supporters saying "yea" and opponents saying "nay." If a majority of Senators support the bill, it passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to be sent to the President.

The President has three options when a bill reaches them. They can sign and pass the bill, in which case it becomes a law. They can refuse to sign or veto the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their reasons for the veto. Or they can do nothing, which is called a "pocket veto." If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days of inaction. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, researched, discussed, and revised, it is ready to be voted on. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded. For a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives in favour of the bill to say "aye", and those against it to say "no". For a division vote, the Speaker asks those in favour of the bill to stand up and be counted, and then asks those opposed to do the same. For a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote electronically, selecting "yes", "no", or "present" if they do not wish to vote. A majority vote (more than 50%) is required for a bill to pass in the House of Representatives.

After a bill has passed in the House of Representatives, it is sent to the U.S. Senate, where it goes through many of the same steps. Senators vote orally, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. Again, a majority vote is required for the bill to pass.

Once a bill has passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President.

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