The Journey Of A Bill To Law

how a bill becomes a law cahrt

Creating laws is the most important job of the U.S. House of Representatives. All laws in the United States begin as bills, and only about 10% of the 25,000 bills introduced in each term of Congress become law. The process of a bill becoming a law involves several steps, including drafting, introduction in the House or Senate, committee action, floor action, conference committees, presidential action, and, finally, the creation of a law. This complex process ensures that laws are thoroughly reviewed and debated before being enacted.

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How a bill is proposed

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with its proposal, which can occur in several ways. Members of Congress, the Executive Branch, and even outside groups can draft bills. In the US, bills are usually introduced in the House of Representatives by a Representative, or in the Senate by a Senator. In Australia, most bills are introduced by government ministers, but other members of parliament can also introduce their own bills, known as private members' or private senators' bills.

In the US, a bill is given a legislative number by the House clerk (e.g. H.R. 1001) or the Senate clerk (e.g. S. 1002) depending on where it is introduced. In Australia, a minister who wants to introduce a bill typically gives written notice of their intention to do so, usually for the next sitting day. The written notice is lodged with the Clerk of the House, who adds the bill to the Notice Paper (the House's agenda of business). Notice is not required for bills dealing with the appropriation of money or taxation.

Once a bill has been proposed and introduced, it is sent to a committee for review. In the US, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to a committee, which may then pigeonhole, table, amend, or vote on it. If the bill passes this stage, it moves to the Rules Committee, which decides the rules for debate and when the bill will be debated. In Australia, bills are examined by Legislative Scrutiny Committees, which can request more information from the responsible minister about a bill's impact on rights.

The process of turning a bill into a law involves several steps, including committee review, floor debate, and potential amendment, before it can be voted on and, if passed, sent to the executive for approval.

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The bill is introduced

After the bill is introduced, a reading clerk will read the bill to all the Representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House standing committees. These committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations.

Before a bill is introduced, it needs a sponsor. A Representative will talk to other Representatives about the bill to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

Money bills, which concern tax and revenue-related legislation, must be introduced in the House. Bills related to presidential nominations and treaties, on the other hand, can only be drafted in the Senate.

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The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will review, research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are assigned according to the bill's subject matter. For example, a bill about agriculture will be assigned to a committee of experts on agriculture.

Committees may refer the bill to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. Subcommittees are specialized groups organized under committees. The subcommittee may request reports from government agencies, hold hearings to gather expert opinions, and make changes to the bill. The subcommittee must vote to refer the bill back to the full committee.

The full committee will then meet to "mark up" the bill, making changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor". The committee may vote not to report the bill to the full chamber of Congress, in which case the bill dies. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill may write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

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The bill is reported

Once a bill has been drafted, introduced, and sent to committee, it must be reported to the House floor. This is when the bill is sent—or reported—to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.

When a bill is debated, 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, division, and recorded. In the viva voce method, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no." In the division method, 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. In the recorded method, 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, where it will go through many of the same steps.

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The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, debated, and amended, it is ready to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The first is viva voce, where the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no". The second is division, where the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. The third is recorded, where Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system. They can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives say or select yes, the bill passes in the House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. 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 and is ready to go to the President.

If a bill has passed in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President. The President has three options: they can sign and pass the bill, making it a law; they can refuse to sign or veto it, sending it back to the House along with their reasons for the veto; or they can do nothing, in what is known as a pocket veto. If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days of inaction, but if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.

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