The Journey Of A Bill To Law Visualized

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, and it's helpful to visualise it as a flowchart or graph. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The idea for a bill can come from a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed by citizens or advocacy groups. Once a bill is introduced, it goes through several stages of review, research, discussion, and voting before it can become a law. The bill must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. This process involves multiple committees and subcommittees, as well as debates and votes on the House and Senate floors.

Bill is drafted and introduced

The first step in the legislative process is for a bill to be drafted. Any member of Congress—either from the Senate or the House of Representatives—can propose an idea for a new law or a change to an existing law. These ideas can also come from everyday citizens and advocacy groups, who can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If a Representative agrees with a proposed idea, they will research it and write it into a bill.

Once a bill has been drafted, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will then discuss the bill with other Representatives to gain their support. The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the 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 box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the Senate, the bill is submitted to clerks on the Senate floor.

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. Upon introduction, the bill will also receive a designation based on the chamber of introduction, for example, H.R. or H.J.Res. for House-originated bills or joint resolutions and S. or S.J.Res. for Senate-originated measures. It will also receive a number, which is typically the next number available in sequence during that two-year Congress.

Bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. In the House, the bill is sent to the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. The committees are made up of groups of Representatives or Senators who are experts on particular topics, such as agriculture, health, education, or international affairs/relations.

The committee members review, research, and revise the bill. They carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by Congress. The committee may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications, allowing the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents to be recorded. Hearings are also useful for gathering expert opinions. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

If the committee members require more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. They will then vote on whether to recommend the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If they vote in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor.

The bill is then ready to be debated by the House or Senate.

Bill passes one body of Congress

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. This committee will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to undergo a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

If the bill passes the first body of Congress, it is then sent to the other body of Congress. This could be the Senate or the House of Representatives, depending on where the bill was introduced. The bill will then go through many of the same steps it went through in the first body. It will be discussed in a committee and then reported to the floor to be voted on.

The process of passing through the second body of Congress is similar to the first. The bill will be assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. These hearings allow the views of experts, public officials, and supporters and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. After the committee has finished its work, the bill will be reported to the floor for a vote.

If the bill passes the second body of Congress, it is then ready to be presented to the President.

Bill passes second body of Congress

Once a bill has passed the first body of Congress, it moves to the second body of Congress, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. The bill is first assigned to a committee for study. If released by the committee, the bill is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the second body of Congress.

In the second body of Congress, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, is debated and voted on. Again, a simple majority passes the bill. If the bill passes the second body of Congress, a conference committee made of members from both bodies works out any differences between the two versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the first and second bodies of Congress for final approval. The Government Publishing Office prints the revised bill in a process called enrolling. The President has 10 days to sign or veto the enrolled bill.

If the President chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, 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. This action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

Bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for approval or veto. The President has three options:

Sign and pass the bill

The President can choose to sign the bill, at which point it becomes a law.

Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill

If the President does not approve of the bill, they can veto it. The bill is then sent back to the House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the House 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 (pocket veto)

If the President does nothing and Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law. However, if Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days.

If a bill has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government.

Frequently asked questions