Understanding The Process: A Bill's Journey To Becoming Law

The process of a bill becoming a law is a lengthy one, with many steps to pass through before a bill is approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed by citizens or advocacy groups. Once a bill is drafted, it must be introduced, assigned to a committee, and then voted on. If the bill passes in one body of Congress, it goes to the other, and the process repeats. Once both bodies have voted to accept a bill, they must agree on a single version, which is then presented to the President. The President can approve the bill, veto it, or do nothing. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote.

A bill is proposed

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, or it can 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. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

When a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill, hoping to get their support. The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". 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. When a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number that begins with H.R. by the House clerk. A bill introduced in the Senate is assigned a legislative number that begins with S. by the Senate clerk.

Once a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested and knowledgeable in different topics such as health, international affairs, agriculture, or education. When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. The committee may even 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, it is considered "dead".

A bill is introduced

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, or it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

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. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. 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. A bill clerk then 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 a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, which is the official government website that tracks federal legislation. Once introduced, a bill is typically assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may be determined by the bill's subject matter. For example, committees may be composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in health or international affairs.

After being introduced, the bill is sent to the House or Senate floor, debated, and voted upon. It may be approved by a majority vote or denied.

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees, each with a group of Congress members who are experts on specific topics such as agriculture, health, education, or international relations. The bill is then carefully examined by the committee members, who will also determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress.

If the committee wishes to gather more information before deciding whether to send the bill back to the House floor, it is sent to a subcommittee. Here, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval. 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 the record.

The committee will then meet to ""mark up" the bill. They will make changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor". If a committee votes against reporting legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

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", for example, 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: by suspending the rules (which requires a two-thirds vote), by filing a discharge petition, or by using a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

A bill is reported

Once a bill has been approved by a committee, 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.

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 say or select 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.

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been 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.

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives: Viva Voce (voice vote), Division, and Recorded. In a voice vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no." In a Division vote, 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. In a Recorded vote, 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 say or select yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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 considers the bill. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress may vote to override that veto, and if two-thirds of Congress supports the bill, it becomes a law.

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