Kara Sears
The process of how a bill becomes a law in the House of Representatives is a long and complex one. It begins with an idea, which can come from a sitting member of the House or Senate, or be proposed by citizens or citizen groups. Once an idea has been established, a bill is drafted and introduced, at which point it is assigned a number and read to all Representatives. The bill is then sent to a committee, who will research, discuss, and make changes to it. If the committee wishes to gather more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee before being sent back to the committee for approval. Once the committee has approved the bill, it is sent to the House floor for debate and voting. If the bill passes in the House, it is sent to the Senate, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once the bill has passed in both the House and the Senate, a conference committee made up of members from both chambers works to resolve any differences between the two versions. The resulting bill is then sent back to the House and Senate for a final vote. If the bill passes this final vote, it is sent to the President, who can choose to 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 will become a law.
What You'll Learn
A bill is proposed
The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The sponsor will then talk with other Representatives about the bill, in hopes of gaining their support. The other members of Congress who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some other members of Congress, it is ready to be introduced.
Wilmot Proviso: Law or Not?
You may want to see also
A bill is introduced
When a bill is introduced in the 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.
The bill is then assigned to a committee for study, with the referral decision usually made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and can be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. In the House, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor.
The committee will carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress. The committee may 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. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".
Understanding the Legislative Process: From Bill to Law
You may want to see also
A bill goes to committee
Once a bill has been introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are experts on different topics, such as agriculture, health, education, or international affairs or relations. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate will refer the bill to the appropriate committee, and bills may be referred to more than one committee. The Speaker of the House may also set time limits on committees.
When a bill reaches the committee, the committee members review, research, and revise the bill. Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be put on the record. Committees may also choose to refer the bill 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 review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill, making changes and amendments prior to 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".
Understanding the Lawmaking Process: A Simple Guide
You may want to see also
A bill is reported
Once a bill has been approved by the committee, it is sent to the House floor to be debated. This is when a bill is reported.
When a bill is reported, it is read section by section by a reading clerk to the Representatives, who then discuss and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Representatives can also recommend changes to the bill at this stage. Once 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), 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, supporters are asked to stand up and be counted, and then the same is done for those who oppose the bill. In a Recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, and can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill.
If a majority of Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate. If the bill does not pass, it is considered dead.
The Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law
You may want to see also
A bill is voted on
Once a bill has been debated and is ready to be voted on, there are three methods for voting on it 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. They can vote "yes", "no", or "present" if they don't want to vote on the bill.
If a majority of Representatives vote "yes", the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.
In the Senate, a simple majority (51 out of 100) is needed for a bill to pass. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it.
If a bill passes in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President. The President has three options: they can sign and pass the bill, making it a law; refuse to sign or veto the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives; or do nothing, which is called a "pocket veto". If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days of inaction, but if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.
Marijuana Testing Bill: Law or Not?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
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 introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill then goes through a process of research, discussion, changes, and voting in both bodies of Congress. 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, who can either approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.
The House of Representatives is one of the two bodies of Congress that must pass a bill for it to become a law. The House is also the only body that can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation.
If the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the two versions. The resulting bill then returns to the House and Senate for final approval.
