The Journey Of A Bill To Law: An Interactive Guide

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, with many steps and potential setbacks. In the United States, the legislative branch of government, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, is responsible for creating national laws. The process begins when a bill is proposed for a new law or a change to an existing one. These ideas can come from a variety of sources, including representatives, senators, citizens, and citizen groups. Once a bill is drafted, it is introduced and assigned a number – S for bills from the Senate and HR for those from the House of Representatives. The chamber leader then assigns the bill to a committee for research and revisions. After this, the bill is voted on, and if it passes, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process. If it passes there too, the two bodies must work out any differences, and both chambers vote on the final version. If it passes, they present it to the president, who can approve it, veto it, or do nothing (a pocket veto). If the president vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override this and the bill becomes law.

How a bill is proposed

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 who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Once a bill is 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. A bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives 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, 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.

When the bill reaches the committee, the committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

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 by the U.S. House of Representatives. 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.

The role of the House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the lawmaking branch of the federal government. The other chamber is the Senate.

The House of Representatives is made up of elected officials called Representatives, who can propose a bill for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can also come from citizens or citizen groups, who can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the other Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

In the 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 House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, 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 committees are made up of groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics such as health, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members want 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.

When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. They then vote on whether to report the bill to the full chamber of Congress. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor, which is known as "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' votes. If the bill is passed, it is then referred to the Senate, where it goes through a similar process.

The role of the Senate

The Senate plays a crucial role in the process of a bill becoming a law. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Any member of the Senate can draft a bill, which is then introduced. Once introduced, the bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications and gather expert opinions. Following this, the bill goes through a "markup" session, where further amendments are made.

If the bill passes the committee stage, it is then put before the full Senate for a vote. Senators will debate the bill and propose further amendments before voting to accept or reject it. If the bill is accepted, it will be sent to the other body (the House of Representatives) to go through a similar process. If the bill is rejected, it dies and does not proceed further.

Once a bill has passed both the Senate and the House, any differences between the two versions need to be reconciled, and both chambers must vote on the same version of the bill. If this version passes, it is then presented to the President for approval. The President can approve the bill, in which case it becomes a law, or they can veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can still override the veto and pass the bill into law with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House.

The Senate, therefore, plays a vital role in shaping and approving legislation, working alongside the House of Representatives to create and amend laws.

The role of the President

• Sign the bill into law
• Refuse to sign the bill within ten days of receiving it, in which case it automatically becomes law
• Veto the bill within ten days of receiving it and send it back to its chamber of origin while the chamber is still in session, with objections noted
• Not sign the bill nor send it back to the chamber within ten days while the chamber is still in session. With this inaction, the bill becomes a law

If the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto. If both the House and the Senate pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law. This is a critical check and balance in the law-making process, ensuring that the President cannot unilaterally block legislation.

However, there is an exception to the veto process known as a "pocket veto." If Congress adjourns before the ten-day period is up, the bill does not become law, even if it had been passed by both chambers. This is an important power for the President, as it allows them to effectively veto a bill without having to provide specific objections or face the possibility of being overridden by Congress.

How a bill becomes a law

The process of turning a bill into a law is a complex one, and it's important to understand the steps involved, as it's the most important job of the U.S. House of Representatives.

How the Process Begins

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Ideas for bills can come from a variety of sources, including representatives, senators, staff members, the president, committees, citizens, or citizen groups. Typically, a bill is drafted by a senator or representative or one of their staff members. Sometimes an outside expert or lobbyist initiates the text of the bill for the staff to complete.

The originator of the bill is the primary sponsor. Prior to introducing a bill, the sponsor tries to gain additional support for the bill by finding co-sponsors. Sometimes this process is only within the same party (partisan), or the sponsor could find co-sponsors from both parties (bipartisan).

Sponsors of a bill often seek co-sponsors to demonstrate support and improve its chance of moving forward or passing. There is no limit to the number of co-sponsors a bill can have.

Bills can be introduced only when the chamber is in session, and there are several options for submitting them for consideration. In the House, a bill can be physically placed in the wooden box, called "the hopper," located on the clerk's desk on the chamber floor, or it can be transmitted electronically to a dedicated email server maintained by the Office of the House Clerk. In the Senate, the bills are submitted to clerks on the Senate floor.

A clerk assigns a bill a number and includes the prefix "S" for bills originating in the Senate or the prefix "HR" for bills from the House of Representatives.

Sometimes, identical bills are introduced at the same time in the House and Senate. These are called companion bills.

The chamber leader (the Speaker of the House or Presiding Officer of the Senate) assigns the bill to an appropriate committee for discussion, research, and revisions.

Once a bill is "taken up" by a committee, the clerk includes it on the committee's calendar.

Actions taken by the committees are an important part of the legislative process.

Each committee oversees a specific topic or policy area. For example, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions reviews bills on those related topics.

In the 118th Congress, there are currently 25 Senate committees, with approximately 63 subcommittees, and 20 House committees, with approximately 107 subcommittees. The actual number of committees may change with every new Congress.

Although bills are assigned to a committee, not all bills introduced ever make it to a vote and will "die in committee." A recent estimate showed less than 1% of bills introduced became law, according to data from Quorum.

Failure to act will also "kill a bill" in committee.

During the time in committee, debate and discussion of the bill takes place. The committee could call industry experts for in-person hearings or send the bill to a subcommittee for additional research. After an initial discussion, committee or subcommittee members meet in a “markup” session, where they revise the text of the bill. This is when there is negotiating between members, with the discussion taking the form of, "If you add (or remove) this component, I’ll vote for it."

After discussion, the chamber must approve, reject or amend the text before a final vote is taken. A vote can also be taken to "table" or postpone it indefinitely.

If there are changes, the committee makes revisions before sending the bill to the chamber.

If the committee decides not to report the legislation, the bill dies.

If the vote is favorable, the committee “orders a bill reported" and sends the bill to the chamber to be voted on by the Senate or House.

When a committee votes in favor of a bill and orders the bill reported, the bill will get a larger audience of the full House or Senate.

Bills are entered either on the House or Senate calendar. If the bill is on a pressing topic, it may be scheduled right away. Other bills may wait for weeks or months or may never be scheduled at all.

The bill is read section by section, giving members the chance to propose amendments that are either accepted or rejected.

Additional debate and negotiations happen, and then the bill is voted on.

With every vote, there must be an adequate quorum, or a required minimum number of members that must be present, to make sure the voting is valid.

A quorum call is a vote that ensures there are enough members present to have a final vote. If no quorum exists, missing members will be "rounded up" to come and vote.

If the vote is passed by the majority, the bill moves to the other chamber, unless there is already another similar bill under consideration.

If the vote is unfavorable, the bill dies.

Sending a Bill to the President

If the House and Senate both pass the same bill, the bill is sent to the president.

The president has four options:

• Sign the bill into law
• Not sign the bill within ten days of receiving it.
• Veto the bill within ten days of receiving it and send it back to its chamber of origin while the chamber is still in session, with objections noted.
• Not sign the bill nor send it back to the chamber within ten days while the chamber is still in session. With this inaction, the bill becomes a law.

If the chamber of origin adjourns abruptly without giving the president ten days to sign or veto the bill, the unsigned bill does not become law. This is known as a pocket veto.

If the president vetoes the bill and notes the reasons why, Congress can still attempt to override the veto.

The chamber leader can:

• Decide to kill the bill
• Postpone or table the bill for the future
• Send it back to the committee
• Open another debate on the floor and call for another vote.

All of the above processes must be followed for a bill to become a law. Once a bill is signed by the president, it becomes a law. Or, if the president vetoes a bill and both the House and Senate pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, the veto is overridden, and the bill also becomes a law.

Frequently asked questions