The Legislative Journey: Bill To Law In Mexico

In Mexico, the process of turning a bill into law involves several steps. A bill is initially proposed by a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate, who becomes the sponsor. The bill is then sent to a committee, where it is studied, discussed, and potentially amended. After the committee hearing, the bill is voted on, and if successful, it moves on to the next stage. This involves a similar process in the other chamber, where it must pass again to proceed. Once both chambers approve the bill, it goes to the Governor for approval. The Governor can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action, resulting in a pocket veto. If the Governor vetoes the bill, the House and Senate can override this decision with a two-thirds majority vote, and the bill becomes law.

Anyone can propose a bill

In Mexico, anyone can propose a bill—legislators, community members, organisations, or even corporations. A bill is an idea for a new law, or a proposal to change or get rid of an existing law.

Once a bill has been written, it needs support from a sponsor and other lawmakers before it can be introduced. The sponsor is the member of the House of Representatives or the Senate who introduces the bill. Anyone can co-sponsor a bill, including members from different political parties.

Once introduced, a bill is given a number and sent to a committee. Here, it is studied and hearings are held, where people can testify in support of or against the bill. The committee can suggest changes, or amendments, to the bill, before voting on it. If the committee supports the bill, it moves on to the next step. If not, the bill is "killed".

If a bill passes in the House of Representatives, it goes through a similar process in the Senate. Before a bill becomes law, it must be approved by both chambers of the legislature. The bill must pass with the same wording in both the House and the Senate before it can go to the Governor for approval.

Bills are assigned to a committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee within the House or Senate. The committee will do research and revise the bill before it is formally recommended to the entire chamber in either the House or Senate. Committees study the bill and hold hearings where people testify in support of or in opposition to the bill. Members of the committee can suggest changes (called amendments) to the bill for the committee to consider.

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" that includes 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 favour 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 Rules 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 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. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills in the House can only be released from the committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by a majority of the House membership. Comments about the bill's merit are requested by government agencies. A bill can be assigned to a subcommittee by the Chairman. Subcommittees report their findings to the full committee. Finally, there is a vote by the full committee – the bill is "ordered to be reported".

Committees research and revise

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees study the bill and hold hearings where people testify in support of or in opposition to the bill. Members of the committee can suggest changes (called amendments) to the bill for the committee to consider.

The committee will do research and revise the bill before it is formally recommended to the entire chamber in either the House or Senate. A 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 case of New Mexico, the House of Representatives currently has 16 committees and the Senate has 9 committees. The number of committees may change depending on elected leadership.

Bills are voted on by the chambers

In Mexico, bills are voted on by the chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill must be approved by both chambers before it can become a law.

The process begins with the introduction of the bill, which can be done by any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate. The member who introduces the bill is called the sponsor, and anyone can co-sponsor a bill, including members from different political parties. Once introduced, the bill is assigned a number and sent to a committee. The House of Representatives and the Senate have different numbers of committees, and the bill will be assigned to a specific one depending on its content.

The committee will then study the bill and hold hearings where people can testify in support of or against it. Members of the committee can suggest changes, called amendments, which will be considered by the committee. After listening to public and expert testimony, and proposed amendments, the committee will vote on the bill. If the majority of the committee supports the bill, it moves on to the next step. If the committee does not vote, or the bill discussion is postponed, the bill is "killed".

The bill then returns to the chamber where it was introduced (the House or the Senate) for an up-or-down vote, known as the third reading. During this stage, the bill enters its final debate on the full floor, and any amendments are discussed and voted on. Members of the chamber then vote to pass or not pass the bill. If the bill does not pass this vote, it does not move on. If it passes, it goes through the same process in the other chamber.

If a bill passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the same wording, it can then be sent to the Governor for approval. If there are differences between the versions passed in each chamber, these must be reconciled before the bill can be sent to the Governor. This is done through a conference committee, which includes members from each chamber, who work to reach a compromise. The conference committee's report must then be approved by both chambers before the bill can proceed.

The governor decides

In Mexico, once a bill has passed both chambers of the legislature, it is sent to the governor for approval. The governor's decision is final and there are three possible outcomes.

Firstly, the governor may choose to sign the bill, in which case it becomes law. Alternatively, they can veto (or reject) the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives and the Senate. If this happens, the two chambers can hold another vote, and if two-thirds of each chamber support the bill, the governor's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes law. The third possibility is that the governor takes no action. If they do not sign or veto the bill within 20 days, it is killed by what is known as a "pocket veto".

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