The Journey Of A Bill To Law Explained

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The process of a bill becoming a law is known as the legislative process. In the US, this process involves nine steps, while in Canada, the process involves a series of steps including debate, review, and voting. In both countries, a bill must be approved by the relevant legislative bodies and, in some cases, the executive before it can become a law.

Anyone can propose a bill

Once a bill has been drafted, it must 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 a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, which is the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

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. 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.

In the U.S., bills must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President to become law. In Canada, a bill must be approved in identical form by both houses of Parliament – the Senate and the House of Commons – and then the Governor General grants Royal Assent for it to become law.

The bill is introduced

When a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, 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.

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. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. S 1) and labelled with the sponsor's name. It is sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored. Members can also cosponsor the bill.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. This committee is a group of representatives who are experts on the topic of the bill, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will 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 detailed information before deciding whether to send the bill to the House floor, it can be sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee has a further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. At this point, the bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives will discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk will then read the bill section by section, and the Representatives will 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 a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no". In a 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 do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, selecting 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 U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The bill is voted on

Once the 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 say or select 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.

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.

If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President. If either chamber does not pass the bill then it dies.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has three options: they can sign the bill, refuse to sign it, or do nothing.

If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it and it will become a law. If the President does not sign the bill within 10 days and Congress is still in session, the bill will also become a law. This is different from the Canadian system, where the Governor General grants Royal Assent for a bill to become law.

If the President opposes the bill, they can veto it. If this happens, the bill is sent back to Congress with a note listing the reasons for the veto. Congress can then attempt to override the veto by holding another vote. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.

If the President does nothing (known as a "pocket veto"), and Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law.

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