Understanding Lawmaking: Bills To Laws Explained

Teaching the process of how a bill becomes a law is a fundamental aspect of civics and government education. While this topic can be dry and complex, there are ways to make it engaging for students. Breaking down the content into manageable steps, providing visual aids, and incorporating collaborative activities can facilitate a deeper understanding of the legislative process. This lesson sequence aims to empower students to grasp the intricacies of lawmaking and their role as citizens in a representative democracy.

Drafting and introducing a bill

The first step in drafting a bill is to identify a need for a new law or a change to an existing law. This could be an issue that affects everyone in everyday life, such as national food supply, energy use, or national security. It's important to generate nationwide support for your bill, as well as strong local support to catch the attention of your legislator. You can use social media, online petitions, and community meetings to gather public opinion and support for your bill.

Once you've determined the need for your bill, it's time to start researching the issue. Gather data, statistics, and information on the problem you want to address, as well as possible solutions. Speak with experts in the field and study current bills on similar topics to understand how they are being treated in Congress.

When drafting your bill, start with a strong title that will catch people's attention and generate interest. Provide a brief introduction stating the purpose of your bill, and explain the objective of the law you are proposing. Define the individuals for whom the bill is intended or any exceptions. For example, if you are proposing a national minimum wage, you might state that it applies to all legally employed workers in the US with valid work permits.

The next section of your bill should state the rules and other provisions. This is the heart of your bill, where you need to make your statements clear and concise to avoid confusion. Plan the organization of your bill by dividing it into sections and subsections, with each main requirement introduced as a separate section.

Finally, provide the effective date of your bill. Many laws do not become effective immediately upon being passed and signed by the president. You may need to allow some time for transition and preparation before your proposed law takes effect. For example, if your bill proposes a change to the national minimum wage, businesses will need time to make changes to their payroll systems and budgets.

After you have drafted your bill, it's time to introduce it to Congress. Contact your Congressional representative and present the need for your bill, being prepared to discuss your research and data. Your representative will then introduce the bill in Congress, where it will go through a lengthy process of discussion, debate, committee review, and voting.

Assigning to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. This is done by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. In most cases, the referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be assigned to multiple committees, and they may be split up so that different parts go to different committees. The Speaker of the House may also set time limits on committees.

Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. If a committee fails to act on a bill, it is the same as killing it. In the House, bills can only be released from committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by the majority of the House membership (218 members).

The Chairman can assign a bill to a subcommittee. Hearings may be held, and subcommittees will report their findings to the full committee. The full committee will then vote on the bill, and if it passes, it is "ordered to be reported". The committee will then hold a "mark-up" session, where they 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.

Discussion and voting

Once a bill has been drafted and introduced in either the House or the Senate, it is assigned to a committee. The committee will then closely examine, debate, and refine the bill. This is a crucial step, as it allows for a more detailed analysis of the bill and gives members of the committee an opportunity to suggest amendments or improvements. After the committee has finished its work, the bill moves forward to the entire House or Senate for further discussion and a vote. This is where things get exciting, as the bill's fate is now in the hands of a larger group of lawmakers.

During the discussion, members of the House or Senate will have the opportunity to voice their support or opposition to the bill. They may also propose amendments or suggest changes to improve the bill. This back-and-forth debate is an essential part of the legislative process, as it allows for a more comprehensive consideration of the bill's potential impact and helps to ensure that the final version is well-vetted and broadly supported. After the discussion, the bill is put to a vote. Depending on the chamber's rules, this may be a simple majority vote or a supermajority vote, requiring a certain percentage of the members to agree.

If the bill passes the vote in one chamber, it then moves to the other chamber, where the entire process is repeated. The bill will be assigned to a new committee, discussed, and voted on again. This step ensures that the bill receives adequate scrutiny and allows for input from a diverse range of lawmakers. Only when a bill has passed both the House and the Senate will it then be sent to the President for final approval.

The President has the power to sign the bill into law or veto it. If the President chooses to veto the bill, it can be sent back to Congress for further revisions. In some cases, Congress may override the President's veto and pass the bill into law anyway, but this requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. Overall, the journey from bill to law is a complex and rigorous process, designed to ensure that only carefully considered and widely supported proposals become laws.

Presidential action

Once a bill has been passed by both chambers of Congress, it is then presented to the President for review. This is the final stage of the legislative process, and it is here that the bill can become law.

The President has the power to approve or veto a bill. If the President approves, they will sign the bill, and it becomes law. If the President refuses to approve, they can veto it. A veto means the bill will not become law unless Congress votes to override the veto.

The President has ten days, excluding Sundays, to decide on the bill. If the President does not act on the bill within those ten days, it can still become law without their signature, unless Congress has adjourned. This is known as a 'pocket veto'.

If the President vetoes a bill, it is returned to the chamber in which it originated. This chamber can then attempt to override the veto, but this requires a two-thirds majority vote. If this vote is successful, the other chamber can then decide whether to attempt an override vote, which also requires a two-thirds majority. Only if both chambers vote to override does the bill become law, despite the President's veto. It is uncommon for a presidential veto to be overridden.

Finally, bills that are enacted are delivered to the Office of the Federal Register, where they are assigned a public law number and included in the United States Statutes at Large.

Understanding the legislative branch

The Legislative Branch is the core of a representative democracy. Its primary function is to make laws that will "provide for the common defense and the general welfare" of the people. Members of Congress are elected officials entrusted to work on behalf of their constituents to make these decisions.

The Legislative Process

The legislative process begins with the introduction of a bill in either the House or the Senate. A bill is a proposed law presented to the legislature for consideration. Thousands of bills are introduced in Congress each year, but only a small fraction becomes law.

Once introduced, the bill is assigned to a committee, which closely examines, debates, and refines it. The committee process is crucial, as it allows for a thorough review and discussion of the bill's merits and potential impacts. The bill is then brought before the entire House or Senate for further discussion and a vote.

If the bill passes in one chamber, it moves to the other chamber, where it undergoes the same steps of committee review and floor debate and vote. If it passes again, the two chambers work together to ensure the bills are identical. This process is called "concurrence."

Finally, the single, agreed-upon bill is sent to the President, who has the power to sign it into law or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, it can be sent back to Congress for further revisions or overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

Teaching the Legislative Process

When teaching about the legislative branch and how a bill becomes a law, it is essential to go beyond simply verbalizing the steps or displaying a flowchart. Here are some instructional ideas to make the topic more engaging:

• Examine the Constitutional Wording: Start by providing students with the text of Article I, Section 7, which outlines the basic process of how a bill becomes a law.
• Provide Visual Examples: Include photos and visuals of Congress in action, such as the President addressing Congress or lawmakers debating on the chamber floor.
• Practice Sorting the Order: Break the legislative process into individual steps and create sorting card activities or small group discussions to help students understand the sequence of events.
• Incorporate a Game: Introduce an element of competition by creating stations around the room, each with information about a different step in the process, and have students answer questions and crack code word challenges.
• Examine Current Legislation: Show how the legislative process works in practice by regularly sharing what legislation Congress is currently working on or having students analyze news articles or political cartoons depicting current events and attitudes about Congress.

Frequently asked questions