Understanding The Lawmaking Process: A Simple Guide

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, but it can be made easy to understand by breaking it down into steps. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. These ideas can come from a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or even from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. Once an idea is established, a representative sponsors the bill and it is assigned to a committee for study and revision. If the committee approves, the bill is then put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill passes this stage, it moves to the Senate, where the process is repeated. Once both bodies have approved the bill, they must reconcile any differences, and then both chambers vote on the same version. If it passes, the bill is sent to the President for approval. The President can approve the bill, refuse to approve it (a veto), or do nothing (a pocket veto). If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override it, and the bill becomes a law.

How a bill is proposed and introduced

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. This idea 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. Citizens with 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 Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill, hoping to gain their support. 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, 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 bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have committees made up of groups of Congress members with a particular interest in specific topics, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs.

The committee will carefully examine the bill, researching and discussing its implications, and determining its chances of passage by the entire Congress. They may also hold hearings to better understand the bill's potential impact, inviting a range of stakeholders to share their views. These hearings allow the perspectives of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be recorded.

If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead". However, if the committee approves the bill, it is sent to a subcommittee for further review and potential changes. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill, gathering expert opinions before sending it back to the committee.

The committee will then meet to "mark up" the bill, making any necessary changes and amendments before recommending it to the "floor". This process is called "ordering a bill reported". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill is rejected. On the other hand, if the committee votes in favour of the bill, it moves forward in the legislative process.

Voting by the full chamber on the bill

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and marked up, it is ready for voting by the full chamber. This is the sixth step in the process of a bill becoming a law.

The bill will be presented to the floor of the chamber, where there will be additional debate and discussion. Members of the full chamber will then vote to approve any amendments to the bill. Once the amendments are approved, the bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting.

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 those who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no." In a Division vote, the Speaker asks supporters of the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In a Recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, selecting yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote. A majority vote is required for the bill to pass.

If the bill passes in one chamber of Congress, it will then go through a similar process in the other chamber.

The bill is sent to the president

Once a bill has been approved by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has three options: they can sign the bill into law, refuse to sign it, or do nothing. If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it, and it will become a law. This is the simplest route to a new law.

However, if the President does not support the bill, they can veto it. They will send the bill back to the House of Representatives, along with their reasons for the veto. Congress can then vote again on the bill, and if two-thirds of both the House and the Senate support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

The President can also use a pocket veto. If the President does nothing while Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after ten days. However, if Congress is not in session, and the President does nothing, the bill will not become law. This is known as a pocket veto and cannot be overridden by Congress.

Overriding a veto

The president's veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. This is known as a supermajority.

The president's veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop a bill from becoming a law. In the United States, the president can veto a bill passed by Congress, but Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. This is known as a supermajority.

The veto is one of the main tools that the executive has in the legislative process. It is most commonly found in presidential and semi-presidential systems. In parliamentary systems, the head of state often has a weak veto power or none at all.

The concept of the veto originated in ancient Rome, where tribunes, representatives of the common people, could nullify actions taken by consuls, who acted as executives. The tribunes' power was known as the intercessio.

In the United States, the veto process is as follows:

• A bill is introduced in the House or the Senate.
• The bill is assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and makes changes to it.
• The bill is put before the chamber to be voted on.
• If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body.
• Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they work out any differences between the two versions.
• Both chambers then vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.
• The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it.
• If the president chooses to veto the bill, Congress can vote to override that veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers. If this happens, the bill becomes a law.

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