The Law-Making Journey: A Guide For Kids

Did you know that anyone can come up with an idea for a new law? That's right, even you! If you have an idea for a new law, you can talk to your Representative about it. If they like your idea, they can write it up as a bill. A bill is like a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Once the bill is written, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will talk to other Representatives to get their support. Once the bill has a sponsor and some supporters, it is ready to be introduced. This is when the bill is placed in a special box called the hopper, and it is given a number. From there, the bill goes to a committee, where experts on the topic will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor for a debate. If the committee wants more information, they can send the bill to a subcommittee for further study. Once the bill is back from the committee, it is read out loud, section by section, and Representatives recommend changes. After all the changes are made, the bill is ready to be voted on. If it passes the vote, the bill goes to the Senate, where it goes through a similar process. If the bill passes in the Senate, it goes to the President, who can choose to sign and pass the bill, veto it, or do nothing. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill can still become a law.

How a bill is proposed

Ideas for bills can come from anywhere, but they usually come from two places: Members of the House of Representatives (also known as Representatives) and their constituents (citizens who vote for them). For example, a bill may be inspired by promises made by Members during their election campaigns. Or, if a citizen has an idea for a new law, they can contact their Representative to discuss it. If the Representative agrees that it's a good idea, they will research it and write it up as a bill.

Once a Representative has written a bill, they need to find a sponsor. They will talk to other Representatives about the bill to try and get them to support it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some other Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

To officially introduce a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, a Member places it in the hopper, a wooden box on the side of the Clerk's desk. Any Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may introduce a bill at any time when the House is in session. The person introducing the bill is called its primary sponsor, and an unlimited number of Members can also cosponsor a bill.

How a bill is introduced

So you want to know how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a bill, but it's the job of the U.S. House of Representatives to turn that idea into a bill and then into a law. This process is called lawmaking, and it's the most important job of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Let's imagine that a citizen has an idea for a new law. They can contact their Representative and share their idea. If the Representative likes the idea, they will do some research and then write it into a bill. Now, this is where things get a little more official...

First things first, a bill needs a sponsor. The Representative who wrote the bill will talk to other Representatives to get their support. Once the bill has a sponsor and some supporters, it's ready for its big debut!

In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is officially introduced when it's placed in the hopper, a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in this way. The bill is now on its journey to becoming a law!

When a bill is placed in the hopper, a bill clerk gives it a special number that starts with H.R. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill out loud to all the Representatives. It's story time in Congress! After the bill is read, the Speaker of the House sends it to one of the House standing committees.

The committee members are like super-experts on different topics. They carefully review the bill, discuss it, and might even make some changes. They take their job very seriously because they want to make sure the bill is the best it can be. If they need even more information, they might send the bill to a subcommittee for extra review.

Once the committee is happy with the bill, they vote on whether to send it back to the House floor for a big debate. This is when things start to get really exciting!

Stay tuned to find out what happens next in the thrilling journey of a bill becoming a law!

The committee stage

So, a bill has been introduced by a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Now what?

The Speaker of the House sends the bill to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of Representatives who are experts on certain topics, like agriculture, education, or health. The committee will carefully examine the bill and decide if it needs to be changed. They might bring in experts from outside of Congress to give their opinions on the bill. The committee might also send the bill to a subcommittee, which is a smaller group with a specialisation in a certain topic. The subcommittee will study the bill and make changes before sending it back to the committee.

Once the committee is happy with the bill, it is sent back to the House for debate. However, if the committee decides the bill is not needed, it can die in committee. This happens to around 90% of bills!

Voting on the bill

So, a bill has been introduced and discussed by a committee. Now it's time for the big vote!

Once the committee is happy with the bill, it is sent back to the House for a debate. This is where Representatives can 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 can recommend changes. When all the changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

There are three ways to vote 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 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. They can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on the bill).

If most Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. If not, the bill might be sent back to the committee for further research and updates, or it might be abandoned.

If the bill passes, a copy is sent to the U.S. Senate. The Senate will also vote on the bill, usually by voice. If the Senate approves the bill, it will be sent to the President.

The bill becomes a law

So, a bill has been proposed, introduced, and gone through the committee stage. Now it's time for the bill to become a law!

The Bill Is Voted On

Once a bill has been introduced and gone through the committee stage, it will be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives will discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, the bill is read 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.

The Bill Is Referred to the 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, saying “yea” if they support the bill and “nay” if they oppose it. If a majority of the Senators say “yea”, the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The Bill Is Sent to the President

When a bill reaches the President, he has three choices. The President can:

• Sign and pass the bill, and the bill becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill. If the President vetoes the bill, it is sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives, along with the President’s reasons for the veto. If the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. 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. If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days.

If a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. 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.

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