The Law-Making Process: A Simple Guide For Kids

how a bill becomes a law diagram for kids

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a lengthy one, with many steps involved. All laws in the United States begin as bills, which can be proposed by a Representative or a citizen. The bill is then introduced, discussed, and voted on. If it passes, it is sent to the other chamber to go through the same process. If it passes again, it is presented to the President, who can approve and sign it into law or veto it. This is a challenging process, with roughly two-thirds of bills introduced in Congress never becoming laws.

Characteristics	Values
Where do ideas for bills come from?	Ideas for bills can come from sitting members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups.
How is a bill introduced?	A bill is introduced when it is placed in the "hopper", a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk.
Who can introduce a bill?	Any member, delegate, or resident commissioner may introduce a bill.
What is the role of the sponsor?	The member introducing the bill is known as its primary sponsor, and an unlimited number of members can co-sponsor a bill.
What happens when a bill is introduced?	The title of the bill is entered in the House Journal and printed in the Congressional Record. The clerk assigns the bill a legislative number and the Speaker of the House assigns the bill to the appropriate committee.
What happens when the bill reaches the committee?	The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If more information is needed, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further examination and expert opinions.
What happens when the committee approves the bill?	The bill is sent back to the House floor for debate and voting.
How is the bill debated and voted on?	Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. The bill is read section by section, and representatives recommend changes. There are three methods for voting: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded.
What happens if the bill passes the House of Representatives?	The bill is then sent to the U.S. Senate, where it goes through a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting.
What happens if the bill passes the Senate?	Both the House and Senate bills are returned to the House, and any changes are noted. If amendments have been made, the House must vote on the bill again, as both chambers must agree to identical legislation.
What happens when both chambers pass identical legislation?	The enrolling clerk prepares the final document for presentation to the President. The enrolled bill is printed on parchment paper, certified, and signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.
What are the President's options?	The President can choose to pass the bill and sign it into law, veto the bill and send it back to Congress, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can still override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

The Bill Is Proposed

So, you want to know about how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a new law, but for it to become a bill, a Representative has to take that idea and write it into a bill. This is the very beginning of a long journey for a bill to become a law.

Once a Representative has written a bill, they need to find a sponsor. The Representative will talk to other Representatives about the bill and try to get them to support it. This is important because a bill needs the support of other Representatives to be introduced. Once a bill has a sponsor and enough support, it is ready to be introduced. The person who introduces the bill is called the primary sponsor, and there can be an unlimited number of other Representatives who also support the bill, known as cosponsors.

When a bill is introduced, it is placed in a special box called the hopper, which is on the side of the clerk's desk. The title of the bill is written in the House Journal and printed in the Congressional Record. The clerk gives the bill a number that starts with H.R., and then a reading clerk will read the bill out loud to all the Representatives. After this, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to a committee to be reviewed.

Let's imagine a new law is being proposed to make it mandatory for all kids to eat ice cream every day. Sounds fun, right? Well, a Representative would first have to write this idea into a bill. Then they would need to find another Representative to sponsor the bill and hopefully get lots of other Representatives to support it too. Once that's done, the bill is ready to be introduced and the journey to becoming a law can really begin!

The Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes Law

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The Bill Is Introduced

So, you want to know about how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a new law, but it's up to the Representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives to turn that idea into a bill. Let's take a closer look at what happens when a bill is introduced.

Now, imagine you're a Representative with an idea for a new law. You've talked to your fellow Representatives about it, and some of them like your idea and agree to support it. The next step is to officially introduce your bill. This is done by placing the bill in a special box called the "hopper," which is on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives are allowed to introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they can do this any time the House is in session.

Once your bill is in the hopper, it's given a number that starts with "H.R." and then a clerk reads it out loud to all the Representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House standing committees, which is a group of Representatives who are experts on different topics.

But before we move on to what happens in the committee, let's take a closer look at the sponsor and cosponsors of a bill. The Representative who introduces the bill is called the primary sponsor, and they are kind of like the leader of the bill. There can be only one primary sponsor, but there's no limit to how many cosponsors a bill can have. Cosponsors are other Representatives who support the bill and want to help make it become a law.

So, there you have it! That's what happens when a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. It's just the first step in a long journey, but it's an important one because it's when the bill is officially presented and given a number. Next, we'll see what happens when the bill goes to the committee.

Understanding the Process: Bill to Law Diagram

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The Bill Goes to Committee

So, a bill has been introduced. Now what?

Once a bill is introduced, it is sent to a committee. A committee is a group of Representatives who are experts on a particular topic, like agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will carefully review the bill. They might decide to do more research or ask for expert opinions. They will discuss the bill and suggest changes. This is called a "mark-up" session.

Committees might also send a bill to a subcommittee. A subcommittee will take a very close look at the bill and gather lots of information and opinions before sending it back to the committee.

After the committee is happy with the bill, it will be sent back to the House for debate. But, if the committee decides the bill is not needed, it can die in committee. This means it won't go any further and won't become a law.

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The Bill Is Voted On

Once a bill has been debated and is ready to be voted on, there are three methods for voting on it in the U.S. House of Representatives. These are:

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. They 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.

If the bill fails, yet the Speaker feels the bill should become a law, it may be sent back to committee for further research and updates. Otherwise, the bill dies.

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The President Decides

Once a bill has been approved by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, it is sent to the President. The President then decides what happens next. The President has three choices:

Sign and pass the bill: If the President likes the bill, they can sign it, and it becomes a law.
Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill: If the President doesn't like the bill, they can send it back to the U.S. House of Representatives, explaining their reasons for the veto. The House and the Senate can then vote on the bill again, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support it, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law anyway.
Do nothing (pocket veto): If the President doesn't sign the bill or send it back to Congress within 10 days, and Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law. This is called a pocket veto, and it means the bill has been vetoed without the President having to say they didn't like it.

So, the President's role in deciding whether a bill becomes a law is very important. They can choose to pass it, veto it, or pocket veto it.