The Legislative Process: How Bills Become Laws

The process of a bill becoming a law is a lengthy one and differs slightly between the House of Representatives and the Senate. 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 who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. 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 to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. 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, who can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve a bill, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.

A bill is proposed by a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with a proposal. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can propose a bill. 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 people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Once a bill is proposed, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor of the bill talks with other members of the House of Representatives or the Senate to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other members, it is ready to be introduced.

In the 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 members of the House of Representatives can introduce bills. 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 members, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. 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.

When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives 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 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 asks 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 House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the Senate.

The bill is introduced to the House of Representatives

The process of introducing a bill to the House of Representatives begins with a member of the House sponsoring the bill. The bill is then introduced by being placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only members of the House of Representatives can introduce bills in the House. Once introduced, the bill is assigned a number that begins with H.R. by a bill clerk, and a reading clerk reads the bill to all the Representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House's standing committees.

The committees are made up of groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. 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 require more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. In the subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. At this stage, Representatives debate the bill, explaining 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 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 who oppose it to say "no." In a division vote, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then asks 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 do not 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 and delivered to the Senate.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee will then research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee is made up of groups of representatives who are experts on the bill's topic. For example, a bill about agriculture will be assigned to a committee of representatives who are experts on agriculture.

The committee will review the bill and decide if it needs further information before deciding if the bill should be sent to the House floor. If further information is needed, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval.

The committee will then meet to "mark up" the bill. They will make changes and amendments to the bill before recommending it to the "floor". If the committee votes against the bill, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor.

Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' votes.

The bill is voted on by the House of Representatives

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee for study. If the committee releases the bill, it is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended.

The next step is for the bill to be voted on by the House of Representatives. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the 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 simple majority (218 out of 435) of the Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House of Representatives and is then certified by the Clerk of the House before being delivered to the Senate.

It is important to note that the House of Representatives has several exclusive powers, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie.

The bill is sent to the Senate

Once a bill has been passed by the House of Representatives, it is sent to the Senate. The bill then goes through many of the same steps it went through in the House of Representatives.

The bill is first discussed in a Senate committee. The committee members are groups of Senators who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the Senate floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in the subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

Once the committee has approved the bill, it is sent or reported to the Senate floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the Senate. Senators discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section and the Senators recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

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 Senate and is ready to go to the President.

Frequently asked questions