Understanding Lawmaking: A Guide For Kids

Laws are created to help maintain order and protect the people of a country. In the United States, laws begin as ideas, which can come from citizens, members of Congress, the President, or special interest groups. These ideas are then written down and explained in what is called a bill. A bill is then introduced in the House of Representatives, where it is assigned a number and recorded. It is then sent to a committee, which discusses the details of the bill and decides whether to pass it. If the bill is passed, it goes to the main chamber of the House for approval, where it is debated and voted on. If it passes, it is sent to the Senate, where the process is repeated. If the bill passes in the Senate, it is sent to the President. The President can either sign the bill, in which case it becomes a law, or veto it, in which case it is sent back to the House of Representatives. However, if two-thirds of the House and Senate still support the bill, the President's veto can be overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

How a bill is proposed and introduced

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with a proposal. Anyone can come up with an idea for a bill, be it a Representative or a citizen. If a citizen has an idea, they can contact their Representative to discuss it. If the Representative agrees with the idea, they will research it and write it into a bill.

Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will then talk to other Representatives to get their support. 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 wooden 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.

The title of the bill is also entered in the House Journal and printed in the Congressional Record.

The role of committees

Committees play a crucial role in the process of a bill becoming a law. Once a bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is sent to a committee. These committees are 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 deciding whether to send it back to the House floor for further discussion and a vote.

The committees' expertise ensures that the bill is thoroughly examined and improved before progressing further. They may seek expert input, hold meetings to make changes or updates, and send the bill to a subcommittee for further analysis and hearings if necessary. This process helps to shape the bill and increase its chances of becoming a law.

If the committee members feel they need more information before making a decision, they can choose not to take any action on the bill, and it is said to have "died in committee". This means it will not become a law. On the other hand, if they approve the bill, it is sent back to the House floor, where Representatives can debate and propose amendments before voting on it.

The committees' role is essential to ensure that bills are well-vetted and refined before progressing through the legislative process. They provide a critical checkpoint to ensure that only carefully considered and revised bills have the opportunity to become laws.

The bill is reported and debated

Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. At this stage, it is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. This is where the bill starts to come to life, as Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it.

During the debate, Representatives are given the opportunity to propose changes to the bill. A reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and Representatives can recommend amendments. Once all the changes have been made and the bill is finalised, 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 who oppose it to say “no."
• Division: The Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose the bill.
• 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, where it will go through many of the same steps again.

Voting on the bill

Once a bill has been debated by the U.S. House of Representatives, it is ready to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded.

In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks 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 does the same for those who oppose it. In a recorded vote, Representatives use an electronic voting system to record their vote as 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 and is then sent to the U.S. Senate.

When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps as it did in the House of Representatives. The bill is discussed and voted on by Senators. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators vote "yea," the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to be sent to the President.

The President has three choices when a bill reaches their desk. They can choose to sign and pass the bill, which means it becomes a law. They can refuse to sign the bill, or veto it, in which case the bill is sent back to the House of Representatives along with the President's reasons for the veto. Or, the President can do nothing, which is called a pocket veto. If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

If the President vetoes a bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill in another vote, which is called overriding the veto.

The bill is sent to the President

So, the bill has made it all the way to the President! This is the final step in the process of a bill becoming a law. Now, the President has three choices:

Sign and pass the bill

If the President likes the bill, they will sign it, and it will officially become a law!

Veto the bill

If the President doesn't like the bill, they can veto it. This means they refuse to sign it, and it gets sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives. The President will also explain their reasons for the veto. But, if the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on it. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill this time, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law anyway!

Do nothing (pocket veto)

The President could also choose to do nothing. If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become a law after 10 days. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law.

If a bill has been passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and the President has approved it, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law! Now, it will be enforced by the government.

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