The Legislative Process: How A Bill Becomes A Law

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a complex and lengthy one. In the United States, 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 goes through several stages of review, discussion, and voting before it can become a law. This process involves the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President, each with their own procedures and requirements.

The first step is for a member of Congress to draft and introduce the bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The committee may also hold hearings to gather input from various stakeholders. If the committee approves the bill, it is then brought to the floor of the respective chamber for debate and voting. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it moves to the other body, where it goes through a similar process. Once both bodies approve the bill, they work together to reconcile any differences between their versions. The final bill is then presented to the President for approval. The President can sign the bill into law or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate, and the bill becomes a law.

The process of how a bill becomes a law in the United States involves multiple steps and stakeholders, ensuring a thorough review and discussion of proposed legislation. This democratic process allows for the consideration and approval of bills by both houses of Congress and the President, making it a complex but essential aspect of law-making in the country.

The bill is drafted and introduced

The process of drafting and introducing a bill is the first step in the journey of a bill becoming a law. This is a complex and lengthy process that requires the input of many individuals and groups. The bill can be drafted by any member of Congress, from either the Senate or the House of Representatives. These ideas can also come from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The member of Congress who supports the bill is called the "sponsor", and 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, and if a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate.

Once a bill is introduced, it is given a number and a title by the clerk of the House. It is then placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. The bill is then read by a reading clerk to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees. The committees are made up of groups of Congress members with particular interests and expertise in different topics, such as health or international affairs. The committees review, research, and revise the bill, and vote on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

The bill may also be sent to a subcommittee, which has further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee can make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill before recommending it to the "floor". If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor, and this procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with specific interests and expertise in different topics such as health, education, or international affairs. When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. The committee may even 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 does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

Committees can refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee. When 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 against reporting legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

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 voting.

The bill is reported

Once a bill has been approved by the House, it is sent to the Senate. The Vice President of the US, who is the presiding officer of the Senate, assigns the proposed law to a committee for further study. The Senate has about 15 standing committees, and the committees or one of its subcommittees may hold hearings. The committee may approve the bill as is, revise the bill, or table the bill. The bill then goes to the Senate floor, where senators can debate it indefinitely unless a vote decides otherwise. Most bills must have a simple majority to pass.

The process in the Senate is especially important because the bill is considered by debate to better illustrate its strengths and weaknesses. The bill has now been passed by both houses of Congress, and a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval.

The bill is voted on

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 whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated.

When a bill is 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 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.

The bill is sent to the president

Once a bill has been passed by both houses of Congress, it is sent to the President. The President has three options: they can sign the bill and pass it into law; they can veto the bill, sending it back to Congress; or they can do nothing, in which case, if Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote, and the bill will then become a law. This is known as "overriding a veto".

If the President does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is known as a "pocket veto" and cannot be overridden by Congress.

Frequently asked questions