The Journey Of A Bill To Law In Congress

how a bill becomes a law congress

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a critical aspect of governance, and in the United States, this journey begins with an idea. These ideas for new laws or changes to existing ones can come from members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or even citizens, who can propose their ideas to their representatives. Once an idea is drafted into a bill, it is introduced and assigned to a committee for research, discussion, and potential changes. The bill then goes through a process of debate, voting, and potential revision in both the House and the Senate. If a bill passes in both chambers, it is presented to the President for approval. The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or do nothing, which results in a pocket veto. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can still override this decision with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. This intricate process ensures that laws are carefully considered and represents the important law-making function of the U.S. Congress.

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Bill is introduced

The 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. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the House. Once a bill is introduced, it is given a number by the House clerk 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.

In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day.

Before a bill is introduced, a Representative will have written it and found a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill to get their support.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.

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Bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is chosen based on its expertise over the subject matter that the bill addresses. The committee is not obligated to review or consider the bill. If the committee chooses not to review the bill during the 2-year period that the Council is convened, the bill will die and must be introduced again when a new Council is convened. If the committee chooses to review the bill, then it will conduct a hearing concerning the subject matter of the bill. During the hearing, the committee will receive testimony from residents and government officials in support of and against the bill. The committee may make whatever changes it chooses to the bill.

The committee may refer the bill to one of its subcommittees. The subcommittee may request reports from government agencies, hold hearings so experts and interested parties have an opportunity to offer testimony regarding the issue, "mark up" or revise the bill, or report the legislation to the full committee for its consideration. The subcommittee will then report its findings to the full committee.

The full committee may make a recommendation to pass the bill, to revise (i.e., mark up) and release the bill (also known as reporting the bill out of the committee), or to lay the bill aside (also known as tabling the bill). The committee will then hold a "mark-up" session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" which will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported back to the House floor, it 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 first 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 second, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. In the third method, 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 House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House before being 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 be sent to the President.

If the House and Senate pass different versions of the bill, it is sent to a Conference Committee, which works to negotiate and compromise on the differences between the two versions. The Conference Committee is made up of senior members from each chamber. If a compromise is reached, a written report is submitted to each chamber for approval. Once both chambers vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions and then vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the President.

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Bill is sent to the other chamber

Once a bill has been approved by one chamber of Congress, it is sent to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

In the U.S. Senate, a bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, with those in support saying "yea" and those opposed saying "nay". If a majority of Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate.

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. 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. When the bill reaches the committee, the committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for closer examination and to gather expert opinions. The bill is then sent back to the committee for approval. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent to the House floor for debate. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

If a bill passes in both chambers of Congress, it is sent to the President. If the House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill, it is sent to a Conference Committee, which works to compromise the differences between the two versions. The Conference Committee's final compromise is embodied in a Conference Report, which must be agreed to by both chambers before the bill can be sent to the President.

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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: they can sign the bill into law, refuse to sign it, or do nothing. If the President signs the bill, it becomes a law. If they refuse to sign it, they veto the bill, and it is sent back to the House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the House and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote, and if two-thirds of both the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law. If the President does nothing, and if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law. This is known as a pocket veto. If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president for approval.

If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law. But if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a pocket veto and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

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