The Journey Of A Bill To Law Visualized

In the United States, laws begin as ideas. These ideas 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 an idea for a bill has been 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. The bill then goes through several stages of review, research, and revision before being voted on. If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President to be signed into law.

A bill is proposed

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, or it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative discusses the bill with other Representatives to get their support. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor", and 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.

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. A bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R., and a reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

Committees are composed of groups of Congress members who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, health, education, or international relations. When a bill reaches the committee, the committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather the views of experts and supporters and opponents of the legislation.

A bill is introduced

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Ideas for bills can come from sitting members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or they can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

Once a bill has been 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. 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 committee reviews, researches, and revises the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further examination and to gather expert opinions. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is sent to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have committees composed of groups of Congress members with a particular interest in specific topics, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs/relations. These committees carefully examine the bill, determining 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 can also help the committee gather more information before deciding on the bill's fate.

If the committee requires further examination of the bill, it may be sent to a subcommittee. Subcommittees are more specialized and often hold their own hearings. They can make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once the subcommittee review is complete, the committee will meet to make any necessary changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against the bill, it dies. If they vote in favour, it is reported to the floor.

In the House, the Speaker refers the bill to all committees with jurisdiction over the provisions in the bill. Most bills fall under the jurisdiction of one committee, but if multiple committees are involved, each will work on the portion of the bill relevant to their area of expertise. One committee will be designated the primary committee and will lead on any action. In the Senate, bills are usually referred to just one committee, with jurisdiction over the predominant issue in the bill. In rare cases, a bill might not be referred to a committee at all but placed directly on the Senate Calendar of Business.

A 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. Representatives will discuss the bill, explaining their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it. A reading clerk will then read the bill section by section, and the Representatives will recommend any changes they believe are necessary. 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. The first is viva voce, where the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no". The second is division, where the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. The third is recorded, where Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system. They can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives say or select yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives and is certified by the Clerk of the House before being delivered to the U.S. Senate.

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

A bill is voted on

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.

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 votes 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.

When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps it went through in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor 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 U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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