The Legislative Process: How A Bill Becomes Law

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a long and complex one. In the United States, all laws begin as bills. 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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the 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, and if it passes, it is presented to the president. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, 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, which is called a pocket veto.

The bill is proposed and introduced

The first step in the process of a bill becoming a law is for the bill to be proposed. Any member of Congress – either from the Senate or the House of Representatives – who has an idea for a law can draft a bill. These ideas can come from the members of Congress themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once the bill is 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 in the U.S. 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.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is made up of groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. 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 members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval. Subcommittees are organised under committees and have further specialisation on a certain topic. Committees refer bills to a subcommittee for study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

Once the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". If a committee votes not to report legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

The bill is reported

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

During the 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 the Representatives recommend changes. Once 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 (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say “aye” and those that oppose it to 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 bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported, it is put before the chamber to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• Viva Voce: The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to 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.

In the 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.

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. The President has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill, which becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign or veto the bill, which is 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, also known as a 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 a law.

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