Understanding The Legislative Process: A Bill's Journey

The process of how a bill becomes a law is known as the legislative process. This process can vary depending on the country and the type of law being passed. In the United States, for example, a bill must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President. In Canada, a bill must be introduced in the Senate or the House of Commons and receive Royal Assent. The legislative process typically involves several steps, including the introduction of the bill, committee review, voting, and, ultimately, approval by a governing body or figure.

How a bill is drafted

The process of drafting a bill is the first step in the legislative process. Any member of Congress—from the Senate or the House of Representatives—who has an idea for a law can draft a bill. These ideas can come from Congress members themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor", and other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors".

Once the 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. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and labelled with the sponsor's name. It is sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored, and members can co-sponsor the piece of legislation.

After introduction, the bill is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate usually refers the bill to the appropriate committee, and bills may be referred to more than one committee. The committee may request reports from government agencies and hold hearings to allow experts and interested parties to offer testimony regarding the issue.

The committee will then meet to "mark up" the bill, making 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 favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor, in what is called "ordering a bill reported".

How a bill is introduced

The process of introducing a bill begins with an idea for a new law or a change to an existing law. 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 advocacy groups. The member of Congress who introduces the bill is called the "sponsor", and other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once the bill is drafted, it is introduced in the House if a Representative is the sponsor, or in the Senate if a Senator is the sponsor.

After a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics, such as health or international affairs. When a bill is assigned to a committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and to put the views of experts, public officials, and supporters and opponents of the bill on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

Subcommittees, which are organised under committees, may also review the bill and make changes to it. They must then vote to refer the bill back to the full committee. Once the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill before recommending it 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, in a procedure called "ordering a bill reported".

How a 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 or international affairs. The bill is carefully examined by the committee, and its chances of passage by Congress are determined. The committee may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications, allowing the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents to be recorded. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

Committees can refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once hearings and subcommittee reviews are completed, the committee will meet to make any necessary 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 is blocked. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they support 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. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar. In the House, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The Rules committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments.

How a bill is voted on

Once a bill has been drafted and introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are composed of groups of members of Congress who are particularly interested in specific topics, such as health or international affairs. The committee examines the bill, holds hearings, and determines its chances of passage by the entire Congress. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

The bill then goes through a subcommittee review, where specialised groups under the committees study the bill and hold their own hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee.

After the hearings and subcommittee review, the committee will meet to “mark up” the bill, making changes and amendments before recommending it to the "floor". If the committee votes against the bill, it dies. If they vote in favour, it proceeds to the floor for a full chamber vote.

Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' votes. If the bill is passed, it is referred to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

Once both bodies have voted to accept a bill, they must reconcile 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 can approve the bill and sign it into law or choose to veto it. If the president vetoes the bill, Congress may attempt to override the veto by holding a vote. If both the Senate and the House pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, the bill becomes a law.

How a bill becomes law

Laws begin as ideas. These ideas 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 an idea for a new law has been settled on, it must be drafted as a bill. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.

Once a bill is drafted, it is 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. 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.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Representatives or Senators who are particularly interested in different topics such as health or international affairs. Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather a wide range of opinions. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

After the committee stage, the bill is voted on by the full chamber. Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' voting.

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 the president can refuse to approve a bill. This is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. But if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a "pocket veto", and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

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