The Journey Of A Bill To A Law

The process of how a bill becomes a law in the House of Representatives is a lengthy one. It begins with a bill, which 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 be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned 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. The president then has the power to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.

Bill proposal and introduction

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with an idea. Ideas for bills 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 Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will then discuss the bill with other Representatives to gain their support. 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. Once introduced, a bill is assigned a number that begins with H.R. by a bill clerk, and then read by a reading clerk to all the Representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

Committee assignment

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee members are groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee may also 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 record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and can be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned.

The bill can be assigned to a subcommittee by the Chairman. Subcommittees are organised under committees and have further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

After 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 not to report 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".

Committee review and vote

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee will hold a "mark-up" session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" which will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes. The rules committee can be bypassed in three ways: 1) members can move rules to be suspended (requires 2/3 vote) 2) a discharge petition can be filed 3) the House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

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.

House vote

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 members are groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will then vote on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor.

If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then 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 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.

Conference committee

Once a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate, a conference committee is formed to work out any differences between the two versions of the bill. This committee is made up of members from each house, usually senior members, who are appointed by the presiding officers of the committee that originally dealt with the bill. The representatives from each house work to maintain their version of the bill.

If the conference committee reaches a compromise, it prepares a written conference report, which is submitted to each chamber. The conference report must be approved by both the House and the Senate. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill dies.

Once the conference report has been approved by both the House and the Senate, the resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval.

Frequently asked questions