The Journey Of A Bill To A Law

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a fundamental aspect of the US political system. All laws in the United States begin as bills, which can be proposed by a member of the US Senate or House of Representatives, or even by citizens. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. The bill then goes through a series of steps, including being voted on by both chambers of Congress and, if passed, being presented to the President for approval. If the President approves, the bill becomes a law. However, if the President vetoes the bill, Congress can still override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. This process, outlined in the US Constitution, ensures that laws are thoroughly deliberated and reflect the will of the people.

The bill is drafted and introduced

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

Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics such as health or international affairs. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee has further specialization on a certain topic and often chooses to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Once the subcommittee has made any desired changes, they vote to refer the bill back to the full committee.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or "reported" to the House floor, where it is ready to be 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 Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with particular interests and expertise in different topics, such as health, education, or international relations. Committees carefully examine the bill, determine its chances of passage by Congress, and may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be put on record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

Committees may refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. Subcommittees can 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 before recommending it to the "floor". If the committee votes against the bill, it dies. If the committee votes in favour, the bill is reported to the floor.

The committee staff then writes a committee report, describing the purpose and scope of the bill, and the reasons for its approval. The report includes a section-by-section analysis, indicating all changes to existing law, and the text of any laws being repealed. The report is sent to the Government Printing Office to be printed and made available to the public.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated, 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 (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 process for voting on a bill in the U.S. Senate is different. Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say “yea,” and those who oppose it say “nay.” If a majority of the Senators say “yea,” the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The bill is referred to the other chamber

Once a bill has been passed by one chamber of the US Congress, it is referred to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it, or change it. If the bill is changed, Congress may form a conference committee to resolve or reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill dies. If an agreement is reached, the committee members prepare a conference report with recommendations for the final bill. Both the House and Senate must vote to approve the conference report.

The bill goes to the president

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

• Sign and pass the bill — The President can sign the bill, and it becomes a law.
• Veto the bill — The President can refuse to sign the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their 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 the President takes no action on the bill for 10 days and Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law. This is known as a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress. However, if Congress is in session and the President takes no action for 10 days, the bill automatically becomes law.

Frequently asked questions