The Legislative Process: How A Bill Becomes Law

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a crucial aspect of the legislative branch of the US government. It involves several steps, from the initial proposal of a bill to its final enactment as a law. This process can be simplified into a few broad steps or divided into numerous smaller steps, depending on the level of detail desired. The following is a brief overview of the key stages:

- A bill is drafted and introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate by a member of Congress.

- The bill is assigned to a committee, which examines, debates, and refines it.

- The bill is discussed and voted on by the entire House or Senate on the chamber floor.

- If the bill passes in one chamber, it moves to the other chamber and undergoes the same steps.

- The two chambers work together to reconcile any differences and create an identical bill.

- The final bill is sent to the President, who has the power to sign it into law or veto it.

This process ensures that laws are carefully considered and debated before being enacted, reflecting the principles of a representative democracy.

A bill is drafted and introduced

The legislative process begins with a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Anyone can propose a bill, from sitting members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives to citizen groups. However, only members of Congress can draft a bill.

The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor", and other members who support it are called "co-sponsors". Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. Once introduced, a bill can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

In the 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. When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk 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.

A committee examines, debates and refines the bill

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is made up of groups of representatives who are experts on the topic of the bill. For example, a bill about agriculture would be assigned to a committee of representatives with expertise in this area. The committee will then examine the bill, debating and refining it before they vote on whether to send it back to the House floor. This process is known as a "mark-up" session.

During the mark-up session, the committee will make changes and amendments to the bill before recommending it to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the 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 committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered to be dead.

If the committee wishes to gather more information before deciding whether to send the bill to the House floor, it can be 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 bill goes to the House or Senate for a vote

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned a number, labelled with the sponsor's name, and sent to the Government Printing Office, it is placed before the House or Senate for a vote.

In the House, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper—a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. 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.

In the Senate, a Senator usually introduces a bill or resolution by presenting it to one of the clerks at the Presiding Officer's desk, without commenting on it from the floor of the Senate. However, a Senator may use a more formal procedure by rising and introducing the bill or resolution from the floor, usually accompanied by a statement about the measure.

In both the House and the Senate, the bill is then passed to a committee, which closely examines, debates, and refines the bill. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House or Senate floor to be voted on.

The bill passes to the other chamber

Once a bill has passed in one chamber, it is sent to the other chamber, where it will undergo the same process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. The bill will be assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes in the second chamber, the two chambers will work together to make the bills identical.

In the US, the two chambers are the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is responsible for creating and modifying laws and has the authority over financial and budgetary policy. The Senate has a function of advising and consenting to treaties and certain nominations by the President.

The process of a bill becoming a law is known as the legislative process and is the primary function of Congress. It can be broken down into several steps, from the bill being drafted to the bill being signed into law by the President. The number of steps varies depending on the source, as the process can be explained in a few broad steps or spliced into countless micro steps.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill, which becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill. The bill is then sent back to the House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the House of Representatives and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.
• Do nothing (pocket veto). If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.

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