Understanding The Legislative Process: From Measure To Law

The process of turning a bill into a law is a long and complex one, involving multiple stages and committees. In the United States, the creation and modification of laws is the primary function of Congress, the lawmaking branch of the federal government. The journey of a bill to becoming a law begins with an idea, which 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. Once a bill is drafted, it is introduced, at which point it is assigned a number and given to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper—a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. The bill then goes to committee, where it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by Congress are determined. If the committee decides to act on the bill, it may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather expert opinions. The bill then goes through a mark-up session, where revisions and amendments are made. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor and ready to be debated by the House of Representatives. Once the bill has been debated, it is voted on. If it passes in the House of Representatives, the bill is then referred to the Senate, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, the two bodies must work out any differences between their respective versions of the bill and vote on the same version. If this version passes, it is then presented to the President for approval. The President can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote, and the bill becomes a law.

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is drafted, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor will talk with other Representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting 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, it is assigned a number that begins with H.R. and is labelled with the name of the sponsor. It is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Members can also cosponsor the bill.

Once introduced, the bill is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics such as health or international affairs. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

The bill may then be assigned to a subcommittee, which is a group under a committee with further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

Once the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". If a committee votes not to report legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. 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.

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 in the U.S. House of Representatives, 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.

In the Senate, a bill is introduced when a member gains recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. S 1) and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) for copying.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are groups of Representatives or Senators who are experts on particular topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather expert opinions. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered "dead".

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. This committee is chosen by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate, though the referral decision is usually made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. The Speaker of the House may also set time limits on committees.

Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, 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 would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. In a subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

After the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. A written report is prepared by the committee staff, explaining why they favour the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill may write a dissenting opinion in the report.

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:

• Members can move rules to be suspended (this requires a two-thirds vote).
• A discharge petition can be filed.
• The House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

A bill is reported

Once a bill has been assigned to a committee, it is the committee's job to review, research, and revise the bill. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather expert opinions. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

If the committee approves a bill, it is then sent, or reported, to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and 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 to 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.

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned a number, and sent to the Government Printing Office, it is placed before the House to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• Viva Voce: 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 process is similar in the Senate, where Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say "yea", and those who oppose it say "nay". If a majority of the Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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